DECATUR - For people who might be planning to escape the cold Illinois winter by flying to warmer international destinations, time could be running out to run an extra errand that will help in making the trip go smoothly.

Beginning Jan. 8, U.S. citizens will be required to have a valid passport for all air travel internationally. Travelers to the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and Panama previously did not need passports to enter and re-enter the U.S.; drivers licenses and birth certificates had been sufficient.

For people who do not yet have a passport, officials are recommending they do so now if they've put it off until the last minute because a passport application can typically take up to six weeks to process.

"Last year we were telling clients that they should be preparing and go ahead and get a passport," said Diana Ritter, president of Village Travel in the Brettwood Village shopping center. "The problem is if they're booking last minute, they're probably not going to be able to get a passport just because it's so close now. If they wait another month, they may not get it in time to go."

Gary Gulley, 51, of Decatur has a prepaid trip scheduled for the second week of January to Cancun. But Gulley found out about the new requirements two weeks ago and is probably going to run out of time to get one. He doesn't think he'll be able to receive a full refund for the trip.

As Gulley tried to get a passport, he found out he doesn't have a legal birth certificate but had gone to Cancun before with no problem.

"I've been in this country for 51 years. I just want to leave to go on vacation and come back," Gulley said. "I didn't know it was going to be that much hassle, otherwise I would have done it a long time ago."

Robert Beardslee, passport applications clerk at the Memorial Station post office on East Mound Road, said as people are becoming aware of the requirements, the number of people applying for passports has increased.

The U.S. State Department's Passport Services office reports receiving close to a quarter million passport applications a week, which is up 60 percent from two years ago.

Although getting a passport will cost $97, it is valid for 10 years, Beardslee said.

"It might be sort of an inconvenience or an extra added expense," Beardslee said. "But for the most part, it's just a requirement they're going to have to abide by."

Beardslee said the deadline allows for people to travel during the holidays without extra hassle.

The new requirement is part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which was approved by Congress as part of stepped up anti-terrorism measures.

"The goal of the (initiative) is to strengthen border security and provide secure and reliable documentation allowing the Department of Homeland Security to quickly, reliably and accurately identify a traveler," said Ken Spirito, director of the Greater Peoria Regional Airport.

In September, the deadline for having passports when traveling by sea and land to Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada and Mexico was extended to June 1, 2009. The requirements will not affect travel between the U.S. and its territories, including Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the National Mariana Islands and American Samoa.

When all the new requirements are in place, it means everyone will need a passport when traveling internationally, said Jerry Healy, customs agent at Decatur Airport.

For the most part, everyone seems to be taking it in stride, Ritter said.

"Everyone's aware that the security needs to be tightened," Ritter said, "and that's just another measure to take."

Travelers such as Gulley, however, aren't convinced.

"The American public is being penalized for something that is beyond our control and we can't even live the way we used to in our own country," Gulley said.

The State Department reports 70 million U.S. citizens now have passports.

GETTINGAPASSPORT

If you do not yet have a passport, officials recommend getting one now. To obtain passport photos, Diana Ritter of Village Travel recommends going to Walgreens. Application processing stations in Decatur are located at the Macon County Office Building or the Memorial Station post office on East Mound Road. Robert Beardslee, passport applications clerk at Memorial Station, said a passport will cost $97 for people over 16 years old and $82 for those under 16. Applications can take up to six weeks to process. For faster service, people can pay an additional $60 to get a passport in up to two weeks. Passports are valid for 10 years. For complete information on passport requirements, visit www.travel.state.gov.

Chris Lusvardi can be reached at clusvardi@herald-review.com or 421-7972.