Citizens from the U.S. and Canada will have to show passports or an identification card linked to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security records to reenter the country in three years.

The terrorism attacks that occurred on Sept. 11, 2001 not only became part of the U.S. history but triggered new laws and regulations designed to maintain the country’s order and security.  

Last year, Congress passed the Intelligence Bill passed by Congress requiring a new identification system to be in effective by January 1, 2008.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is testing programs to enhance security measures for citizens and visitors, such as the US-VISIT program, the INS Passenger Accelerated Service System and the Registered Traveler Pilot Program. 

DHS US-VISIT Program Spokesperson Kimberly Weissman said US-VISIT is a biometric immigration and border management system, which enhances security, facilitates legitimate travel and trade, ensures the immigration system’s integrity and protects the visitors’ privacy. The program begins outside U.S. borders and continues through a visitor’s arrival in and departure from the United States.

US-VISIT started at 115 airports and 14 seaports in January 2004. Currently, most visitors experience US�]VISIT’s biometric procedures —the collection of two digital, inkless finger scans and a digital photograph— at the 50 busiest land ports of entry along both the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders, plus 115 airports and 15 seaports.

“Many of the entry procedures in place today at airports and seaports remain unchanged and are familiar to international visitors. When a visitor arrives through an airport or seaport, he or she is enrolled in US-VISIT as part of the primary inspection process,” Weissman said.

The Registered Traveler Pilot Program and the INSPASS attempt to reduce immigration inspection processing time for authorized frequent travelers.

INSPASS combines a hand-geometry biometric image to validate the claimed identity of an individual.

“Biometric identifiers protect our visitors by making it virtually impossible for anyone else to claim their identity or their biometrically-enhanced travel documents, such as a visa, being stolen or duplicated,” Weissman said.

According to the Transportation Security Administration, citizens of the United States, Canada, Bermuda, U.S. legal permanent residents and certain immigrants in Canada with no criminal records may be eligible to enroll in the INSPASS program, which currently operates at six international airports in Los Angeles, CA; Newark, NJ; John F. Kennedy, NY; Washington Dulles, VA; and the U.S. pre-clearance sites at Vancouver and Toronto in Canada.

Frequent eligible travelers will proceed to an INSPASS inspection line, in which the person would insert the INSPASS enrollment card and place his hand in a hand-geometry reader. The software would automatically compare the live scan of the traveler's hand geometry biometric to the image captured at the time of the enrollment.

However, travelers must be prepared to provide a valid passport to support claimed citizenship and identity. 

INSPASS enrollment is valid for two years and there is no fee for enrollment.

The required documents for entry into the United States for people traveling from North, Central and South America are a valid or expired U.S. passport and U.S. birth certificate or naturalization certificate. Travelers from Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia must provide a valid, unexpired U.S. passport to avoid delays, as stated by the Registered

Traveler Pilot Program.

“The US-VISIT Program received $340 million for fiscal year ’04, and has been appropriated $340 million for fiscal year ‘05,” Weissman said.

Recently, President Bush called for a review of the Intelligence Bill to continue with the natural flow of traffic and people re-entering the county.