Attempted passport fraud is on the rise. The new passport requirements for travel in the Western hemisphere (which begin to take effect Jan. 1, 2007) combined with proposed immigration legislation have encouraged non-citizens in the US illegally to attempt to procure passports fraudulently so they have documents entitling them to live and work in the US. They have even tried this at regional Agency headquarters!

We are instructed to remain observant, nod and smile, accept their paperwork, and write them up after they leave, then send the whole packet on to the State Department, who will investigate with special attention. Which is how it always was, though a lot fewer attempts occurred formerly.

In case any of you missed it, all air and sea border crossings into the US will require a passport from the nation of which the traveller is a citizen by the beginning of 2007. By the beginning of 2008, all land crossings will also be included.

Even infants need passports of their own. Taking passport photos of an eight-day-old is a trip, but probably the 1-year-olds are the biggest challenge. They will look anywhere but at the camera, so I have to wear my tiara to attract their attention. Oooooo, shiny...

There was a little confusion about whether a passport will be required for direct flights from the continental US to Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, or other US territories. At this point, the answer is no, but some airlines are requiring passports to board flights to or from these places.

Cruises that stop anywhere other than US ports will require passports. This generally is a good thing, since identity theft is easier with a stolen birth certificate than with a stolen passport, but there are families living astride the Canadian border who will suffer. At $97.00 for an adult passport and $82.00 for a child's, a family of four will need $358.00 worth of documents, plus photos, to drive across the border to visit Grandma and Grandpa. I suspect that the additional expense for families, and for small businesses whose employees used to travel freely, is the reason for the delay for land crossings. If the expense is spread over a year, it might not break the budget.