Soon you might not get here from there

The edict that will affect American travelers most is that "oral declarations" of citizenship will no longer be sufficient to get back into the United States at land crossings and sea ports.

As of Jan. 31, all travelers 19 and older will be required to provide documentation to enter the country. A valid passport is preferred; otherwise travelers will need a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, as well as proof of citizenship, such as an official birth certificate or naturalization papers. Travelers 18 and under will need only to have a birth certificate.

It's important to note that only official birth certificates will be accepted. That means one that has been issued by a state; hospital birth records and baptismal certificates won't do. And they will accept only original documents that have a raised seal -- no photocopies.

For people born in Pennsylvania, certified birth certificates can be obtained from the Department of Health, either at the State Office Building, Downtown, or online at www.dsf.health.state.pa.us. They cost $10 each, although there is an additional $8 service fee transaction charge if using a credit card.

The primary problem is that even if most travelers present proper documentation, each examination is certain to take longer than before, especially because all passengers in each car, bus or truck must be questioned. This extra time is likely to worsen backups at already strained crossing points, such as the three on the Niagara frontier, where entry lines now can entail an hour's wait.

And think of all that wasted gasoline.

The other big federal security change being implemented is that nearly all foreign travelers will be required to have a digital photograph taken and submit an electronic 10-finger print scan when they enter and leave the United States.

The new scanners were installed last month at Washington Dulles. By the end of January, they will be in place at nine other U.S. international gateway airports, including Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Detroit; Houston; Miami; New York (JFK); Orlando, Fla.; and San Francisco, and in the other international airports (including Philadelphia and Charlotte) by the end of 2008.

Proponents claim that in addition to providing more accurate records of visitors in the country and how long they stay, the new scanners streamline the entry process by eliminating false positives that unnecessarily delay legitimate travelers.

Of course, the opposite could also be true; inspections may take longer and lengthen incoming lines, particularly until customs' personnel get up to speed on new equipment and regulations.

In addition to any potential delays in processing passengers that may result, travel industry organizations such as The Discover America Partnership are concerned the fingerprint requirements will dissuade thousands of visitors from coming at all, contributing to an already 20 percent drop since 2001 in the number of foreign travelers who come to the United States.

This is a particularly disturbing trend considering the overall rise in global travel and the falling value of the dollar, which makes visits here much less expensive for foreigners. This represents a very significant loss of revenue because travelers wary of the new customs regulations don't just stay at home, they go other places to spend their money.

To help educate foreign travelers about what to expect and counteract this trend of increased surveillance (and perceived inhospitality), these organizations support passage of the Travel Promotion Act of 2007 (Senate 1661; House 3232). This bill would create the country's first independent, nonprofit corporation to promote tourism to the United States from around the world. It would be funded with a levy on inbound foreigners.

Considering how much other countries already spend promoting their touristic charms, it's amazing the United States has never had a national organization or budget to market itself elsewhere. (For a look at the complete 80-page proposal, visit www.poweroftravel.org/pdf/DAP_blueprint.pdf.)

Clearly, we're going to have to do a better job of putting out a welcome mat or face the prospects of increasing isolation in an ever more mobile world.