The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism in the US is following up with its travel partners to ensure they realise what travel documents are needed to enter the Cayman Islands via air travel in lieu of a passport.
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The US has relaxed its passport rule for summer travel, through 30 September, 2007. This means that US citizens travelling to the Caribbean who have applied for, but have not yet received a passport, can now temporarily enter and depart the US by air with a government issued photo ID and official proof of application for a passport.
However, passengers need to remember that they still have to comply with the Cayman Islands’ requirements for entry into the country.
‘Our team on the ground in the US will be following up with airlines, travel agents etc. to be sure that there is clarity on this issue,’ said Kathryn Jackson, manager of Public Relations with the Department of Tourism.
Having checked out the requirements with the Cayman Islands’ Department of Immigration, DoT confirmed that US citizens travelling to the Cayman Islands must have either a valid US passport, or an original birth certificate (or a certified copy), along with a government issued photo ID and copy of proof that they have applied for a US passport.
Both Delta Airlines and American Airlines confirmed to the Caymanian Compass that they are telling their customers to follow the guidelines for entry for the country they visit with regard to entry documentation.
Tim Wagner, spokesman, American Airlines said the airline’s agents are telling travellers that until 30 September US citizens may travel from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda to the United States with government-issued photo identification and a proof of application for a US Passport document. This proof of application document cannot be used for travel from the United States to other countries that require specific entry documents. The information is available on AA.com.
‘American only requires that travelers have the appropriate documentation to enter the destination country and to return to the originating country. In this case, in order to return to the United States, the travelers will need both a government issued ID and proof of passport application.
‘To get into the Cayman Islands, the travelers will need a birth certificate and government issued ID. So, for the roundtrip, the travelers will need all three documents. Or, they could use a valid passport, of course.’
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