New identification rules for border travel go into effect Monday

Many Michigan residents don't have the paperwork they'll need for crossing the border and may be in for a surprise come Monday.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative stiffens identification requirements for entry to the U.S. from land or sea. The regulations mandate that U.S. and Canadian citizens have official documentation -- a valid passport, passport card or an Enhanced Driver's License -- proving their citizenship when entering the U.S. from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.

State officials say that in the past month when Enhanced Driver's License cards became available about 15,000 applications were processed, or about 0.2 percent of Michigan's 7 million licensed drivers. According to the U.S. State Department, the total number of Michigan residents owning passports isn't known (although more than 420,000 were mailed to Michigan in fiscal year 2008), but nationally about 90 million U.S. citizens have the documents.

Michiganians without the proper documents can travel into Canada with little more than their driver's license and their birth certificate, but will find those documents useless when returning to the United States. The passport requirement has been in place for a couple years for air travelers.

In Windsor, casino and bingo hall operators have taken a proactive approach toward the new rules.

Caesars Windsor Casino has been working to ease the transition for its American patrons, said Holly Ward, director of communications.

"We've been doing all kinds of things to make it easier for our American guests to get what they need," she said.

The casino has offered free passport photos since January.

"We also have passport applications available," she said. "The casino has been distributing a fact card which contains information on which documents are needed, where they can be found and how much they cost."

Tony Rosa, president and CEO of Windsor's five popular Big D, Paradise and Classic bingo parlors, has spent weeks alerting U.S. patrons to the deadline.

"We are concerned about seeing a dent in cross-border travel, so about three months ago we started a campaign to alert our American clients about the documents they would need to meet the border requirements," said Rosa, who estimates that about 40 percent of his business comes from Michigan.

To offset the cost of acquiring an EDL, Rosa said his parlors were offering bonus points to American customers that are good at any of the five bingo locations for gifts and food.

A handy option

EDL licenses are available in four border states: Washington, New York, Vermont and Michigan. "We've averaged about 600 applications a day over the past two weeks," said Kelly Chesney, spokesman for the Michigan Secretary of State Office.

"People are very pleased that they have this option, rather than applying for a passport. The EDL is quick, handy and fits in your wallet. They're just the ticket for people thinking about last-minute travel to Canada."

The Michigan EDL is $45 compared to about $100 for a passport.

Grosse Pointe Park resident Charles DuCharme has a passport, but he also applied for an EDL.

"I don't like the idea of carrying a passport back and forth when I travel over to Canada," he said.

"Up until about a year ago, I had been using my old driver's license and a copy of my birth certificate, but then they said I had to have the original, which meant I had to go to Detroit and get a certified original."

According to DuCharme the process to apply for his EDL was pretty simple.

"It only took about 20 minutes," he said.

Travel rules increase security

Chief Ronald G. Smith, public affairs liaison for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the travel rules will increase security.

"Congress has mandated that for national security that the Department of State verify the identity of everyone coming into the country," Smith said.

"We also want everybody to know that they must have the proper documents in their possession for efficiency so we don't slow anyone down when crossing the border back into the U.S."

Anyone trying to enter the United States without the proper documents will be detained and interviewed to determine their citizenship, Smith said.

U.S. and Canadian children younger than 16 who will enter or re-enter the country will be able to present the original or copy of their birth certificate, or other proof of citizenship such as a naturalization certificate or citizenship card. The same goes for groups of Canadian or American children ages 16 through 18, when traveling with a school or religious group, social organization or sports team under adult supervision.

Dearborn residents Shelly Martinez and her husband, Greg, said they are prepared.

"We made sure we got passports because we often go over to Windsor for dining and dancing," said Shelly, co-owner of Elk Country Log Homes LLC.

"Whenever we go to Canada with friends, we always make sure that they have passports, too, but I don't think everyone is going to be that prepared."

It all comes down to a go/no go situation, said Keith Adolph, owner of the Heavenly Travels agency in White Lake Township.

"I haven't had any problems with people not knowing about the initiative," said Adolph, who draws his customers from southeastern Michigan.

"You definitely will need to have that documentation before traveling ... because you can't get back without it."

Commuting tgreenwood@detnews.com">tgreenwood@detnews.com (313) 222-2023