In a surprise move today, the US Federal Government eased passport restrictions by waiving the requirement that required American Citizens to have passports when reentering the country from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

The change should ease a long backlog of applications, triggered by the new rules, that had disrupted many summer vacations.

Under the new rules, citizens will be able to fly without passports to and from those areas through Sept. 30 if they can show a receipt verifying they have applied, according to U.S. officials. [Read More...]

I’ve heard complaint after complaint about both the passport requirement and how long it takes to get a passport after applying. Although the lift is temporary, it will make summer vacations to Canada and Mexico possible for many that would have had to forgo the opportunity.

The Canadian government has also been swamped with passport applications by Canadians because of the requirement that Canadians now have passports to enter the US. There was a flurry of discontent in the Canadian media this morning about the fact that the US had not extended the deadline for Canadians to enter the US as well. But as the Canadian government has no control over US policy, the Harper government announced this afternoon that they would be easing passport requirements:

Beginning this summer, Canadians will be able to renew their passports without submitting proof of citizenship or a guarantor declaration, Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said in a news release.

The guarantor process will also be simplified so that most citizens can act as guarantors for first-time applicants. Currently, only professionals in certain occupations can do so.

The changes are partly aimed at easing a huge backlog of passport applications in the wake of new U.S. rules that require Canadians to have passports to cross the border. [Read More...]

So, it looks like travelers on both sides of the border will have an easier time getting around this year. It’s good to see government working for the people. That said, if you’re looking to take a trip to Canada, you’d better do it sooner than later, because as the US dollar drops like a rock, the Canadian and US dollars are expected to be on par with one another by year’s end!