Washington -- Facing an onslaught of passport applications, the federal government today temporarily suspended a new rule that requires Americans to carry passports when entering the United States by air from other countries in North America.
The suspension, through September, is intended to alleviate passport-related problems through the heavy summer travel season. In lieu of passports, however, travelers must show border officials State Department receipts for their passport applications and government-issued identification documents, such as driver's licenses.
Americans entering the United States by land or sea from other North American countries do not need passports at this time, although they still must show officials government-issued identifications. The passport requirement for such travelers is expected by the beginning of next year.
Travel industry leaders immediately applauded the government's action.
"Common sense prevails," said Roger Dow, chief executive of the Travel Industry Association. "It's an important time-out that allows the machinery of government to catch up with the new laws."
The State Department issued more than 4.5 million passports from March through May and have millions more to process, according to officials cited by the Associated Press.
The new requirements were enacted in January as part of tightened border security measures in response to the threat of terrorist attacks.
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