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From the U.S  government site  regarding Western Hemisphere travel pertaining to the United States, Canada and Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean:

U.S. Border Crossing Requirements Are Changing – Get Compliant by June 1, 2009!

On June 1, 2009, U.S. citizens returning home from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda, by land or sea, will be required to present one of the travel documents listed below.

Many of these documents are already available, and obtaining one now will ensure that you are ready on June 1, 2009, when they will be required.

U.S. Passport – This is an internationally recognized travel document that verifies a person’s identity and nationality. It is accepted for travel by air, land and sea.

U.S. Passport Card – This is a new, limited-use travel document that fits in your wallet and costs less than a U.S. Passport. It is only valid for travel by land and sea.

Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) – Several states and Canadian provinces/territories are issuing this driver’s license or identification document that denotes identity and citizenship. It is specifically designed for cross-border travel into the U.S. by land or sea.

Camouflage Passports:

On topic, we’ve noticed a recent rash of “camouflage passport” vendors online.  Potential camouflage document customers are enticed with convoluted logic inferring  the need to hide one’s real identity during travel through high-risk areas.  (Tangentially related:  Job well done; Capt. Richard Phillips, of the Maersk Alabama transport ship and the U.S. Navy for a successful end to that pirate/hostage situation this past  Sunday).  A camouflage passport is generally issued with the name of a country that no longer exists (such as the Democratic German Republic, South Vietnam or any number of small demised African nations). The camo doc sites we’ve found are all overseas based.  These sites advocate  hiding one’s identity in a hostile  or strife-ridden foreign territory, citing situations ranging from inadvertently getting caught up in a riot to robbery to kidnapping attempts. 

We highly advise against possessing camouflage passports.  While they are technically not “forged or illegal documents” (although, this is truly murky water one really should avoid), the risk of being detained by legitimate authorities  for possession of these camo docs is the more likely outcome than a riotous mob demanding passport identifications prior to pursuing mayhem.  Also, while it may be perfectly legal to buy and own a camouflage passport, conducting fraudulent business or activity (such as opening a bank account or obtaining a visa) with this type of dupe document, can constitute a felony.  Finally, a camouflage passport does nothing to protect one’s real passport from intentional theft and, very few of us are really good at pulling off a second identity.

Read your email.  This week’s tip is on obtaining a temporary email address.  For our authorized  readers only.

BNI Operatives: Street smart; web savvy.

Stay safe.

Filed under: General Information