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08 June 2008

CNN:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration on Friday temporarily waived some of its new, post-September 11 requirements for flying abroad, hoping to help irate summer travelers whose trips have been jeopardized by delays in processing their passport applications.

The change would aid those fliers awaiting a U.S. passport to meet the new rule that requires one for travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.

But it won't clear the way for travelers who haven't already applied for a passport.

There is still no passport required for Americans driving across the Canadian or Mexican borders or taking sea cruises, although those travelers are expected to need passports under new rules beginning next year.

Easing the rules should allow the State Department to catch up with a massive surge in applications that has overwhelmed passport processing centers since the rule took effect this year, officials said. The resulting backlog has caused up to three-month delays for passports and ruined or delayed the travel plans of thousands of travelers.

Until the end of September, travelers will be allowed to fly without a passport if they present a State Department receipt, showing they had applied for a passport, and government-issued identification, such as a driver's license.

Travelers showing only receipts would receive additional security scrutiny, which could include extra questioning or bag checks.

DHS spokesman Russ Knocke said the easing of the passport rule would only affect those who have already applied for passports -- not those who apply in coming days for travel later this summer.

"Individuals who have not yet applied for a passport should not expect to be accommodated," Knocke said.

The application surge is the result of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative that since January has required U.S. citizens to use passports when entering the United States from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean by air. It is part of a broader package of immigration rules enacted after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. (Read more about passport rules on State Department Web site)