With travel companies offering spring break packages affordable for college students, obtaining a passport is the next step in planning for a memorable vacation.

As of Tuesday, Jan. 23, all U.S. citizens are required to have a passport for re-entry into the United States from Mexico, Canada or any other place in the Western Hemisphere when traveling by airplane.

The new proposal, called the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), comes from recommendation by the 9/11 Commission and is backed by the Department of State and Homeland Security.

According to the department’s Web site, as early as Jan. 1, 2008, citizens re-entering the United States by land or sea from other counties in the Western Hemisphere may be required to present a valid passport or other documents. That would include Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

In order to receive a passport, applicants must have two photographs of themselves, proof of U.S. citizenship, a birth certificate and a valid photo ID, such as a driver’s license.

A passport costs $67 for those 16 and older, and $52 for those younger than 16.

When applying for a passport for the first time, travelers must apply in person at one of 9,000 passport acceptance facilities in the United States. They must also apply in person if their previous passport has expired and was issued more than 15 years ago, or if the previous passport was issued when they were under 16.

But poor planning can be a typical problem encountered for people getting a passport in time for a vacation like spring break.

“You need to know exactly when you need it,” said Nick Cherubini, a clerk at the Milwaukee Main Post Office. “Some airlines won’t sell you tickets without a passport.”

And there can be problems if travelers wait until a few weeks prior to their vacation to apply for a passport.

“It usually takes about six to eight weeks, depending on the volume of applicants,” Cherubini said.

Anyone who has received a passport within the past 15 years and was older than 16 when it was issued can apply for renewal by mail. Passports are valid for 10 years. Passport renewal applicants can be downloaded from http://travel.state.gov.

If the passport has been altered or damaged, travelers must apply for renewal in person.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students, along with other Milwaukee residents, can apply for a passport at local post offices, including the Milwaukee Main Post Office, the Bay View Station Post Office, the North Shore Branch Post Office and the Juneau Station Post Office.

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