Passport Requirements for Traveling to the United States

When you enter the United States by air you must have a passport book. This rule applies to U.S. citizens, children, U.S. permanent residents and international visitors. The only exceptions are for individuals with trusted traveler cards such as NEXUS cards, or individuals with U.S. Coast Guard-issued Merchant Mariner documents. Frequent, low-risk travelers from the U.S., Canada and Mexico can obtain trusted traveler cards for faster passage through immigration and customs at border crossings.

For land-based United States entry, passport books or passport cards are needed except for individuals who have trusted traveler cards or enhanced drivers' licenses. Passport cards are a new option for U.S. citizens. The passport cards are valid for re-entry to U.S. citizens who travel by land or sea to Western Hemisphere countries..Enhanced drivers' licenses are issued by some U.S. states and Canadian provinces. The licenses contain radio frequency identification chips with biometric and biographic data. These enhanced drivers' licenses suffice for citizenship proof for Western Hemisphere travel, but are not available in all states. Travelers from outside the Western Hemisphere who want to cross into the United States by land must show a valid passport for entry.

Sea-based entry into the United States requires a passport book, passport card or trusted traveler card. A passport exception exists for U.S. citizens participating in a closed-loop cruise where the ship leaves and returns to the same port inside the United States. U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises require only a government-issued photo identification and birth certificate to enter the U.S.

U.S. and Canadian children under 16 arriving by land or by sea need a copy of their birth certificates for entry; no passport is required. Children under 19 traveling in supervised groups also are allowed entry by presenting a birth certificate. For children 16 and over, or from a country other than the U.S. and Canada, passports are required for U.S. entry. All children traveling by air must have a passport book to enter the United States.

International visitors who hold a current U.S. visa in an expired passport should present both the expired passport and their new passport for entry into the United States.

Passports should have an expiration date that is at least six months after an international visitor anticipates leaving the United States Some countries are eligible for an expiration date waiver. For these countries, passports must be valid until the visitor leaves the U.S.