US govt gives green light for high-tech licences at border
WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has confirmed that enhanced driver’s licences will be accepted as passport alternatives at the Canada-US border, according to a report in the Toronto Star. Chertoff made the announcement in a speech to a trade symposium hosted by the US Customs and Border Protection agency.
The move comes as a welcome change for both truckers and travellers alike, since passports are pricy and harder to obtain. The high-tech driver’s licences that will contain proof of citizenship like passports do, according to the Star. Nexus cards for frequent travellers and American passcards with special identification chips will also be accepted at land and sea crossings, the Star reported Chertoff as saying.
The final rule on the so-called Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, due soon, is expected to endorse them, says the Star. The new security program is scheduled to go into effect as early as next summer.
–with files from the Toronto Star
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