Traveling abroad? You'll need a passport to get back home

Plan ahead and get a passport if your business or leisure travel next year will take you throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Starting Jan. 1, a U.S. passport is required of all citizens entering the country by air or sea from Mexico, Canada, Central or South America, the Caribbean or Bermuda. That does not apply to people crossing the borders by car, although that provision will kick in as of Jan. 1, 2008.

It can take up to eight weeks to process a passport application, so plan accordingly. Travel-industry officials expect that turnaround time to lengthen as more people, who currently travel without a passport, apply.

Passport information is available from the U.S. Department of State. Visit its Web site, travel.state.gov/passport.