Passports

Do I need a passport to leave the country? In general, yes. Exceptions include land or sea travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda, where a photo ID plus proof of citizenship might be enough for now. What else do I need? Depending on the country you visit, you also might need a visa. Contact the country's government for details. How do I get a passport? The best information is at travel.state.gov. Click on "Passports for U.S. Citizens." Under fee increases announced recently, a new passport costs $100 for adults and $85 for children younger than 16; renewals run $75. When should I apply for a passport?

In a video on YouTube, an explosion in a trash can, which appears to be wirelessly triggered by a passport equipped with a computer chip, blows away a dummy. Two caveats: That's not a real passport, and even Kevin Mahaffey, the Los Angeles security consultant who made the video, calls it "a far-out scenario." It is unlikely that terrorists or others could steal your identity or attack you through the new computer chips in U.S. passports, many experts say. But that hasn't stopped the rumors from ricocheting around the Internet.

BERLIN -- Europe edged a step closer to full integration today with the removal of many of the region's last internal border posts, a move that will entrust the European Union's nine newest members with policing its eastern frontiers. With a series of ceremonies across the continent, the nine countries on the EU's eastern edge, which joined in 2004, will take primary responsibility for screening many arrivals. European residents will be able to traverse most of the continent by road or sea without showing a passport or national ID card.

Our passports expire in March. Does the passport backlog also affect renewals? Yes, renewals are also affected by the backlog, so you should apply soon (go to travel.state.gov and click on "Passports" to find the appropriate form). Many countries require that a passport be valid for at least six months beyond a person's travel dates, and often the only way to find out which ones have this rule is by calling their embassy or consulate. How long will you have to wait to get your passport renewed?

Abeneficial side effect of new requirements for U.S. passports has been an increase in payments from child-support deadbeats. Instead of being able to take routine trips to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America, parents who have avoided their financial obligations to their children are rightly being forced to stay put - and pay up. The government collected about $24 billion in child support last year, mostly by withholding wages. That often takes time to put in place and, in many cases, child-support enforcement agencies have to help nonpaying parents - mostly fathers - secure employment to meet their obligations.

The Department of Homeland Security's failure to anticipate the impact of new passport rules for travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean has created a panic. The first wave hit congressional offices about the time of spring break. Honeymooners and graduates quickly followed. In Baltimore, much worry surrounded high-schoolers headed off on summer exchange trips. Since Memorial Day, the fear of being forced to cancel vacation plans because travel documents haven't yet arrived has grown to the point where federal lawmakers from Maryland and across the country have had to convert their offices into auxiliary passport agencies.

MOSCOW -- Former chess champion Garry Kasparov is finding out what it means to take on the Kremlin. Last month he was arrested by Moscow riot police at a pro-democracy march he helped organize and then grilled by Russian security agents on suspicion of seeding extremism. Yesterday, as he checked in at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport for a morning flight to the Volga River city of Samara to take part in a protest march coinciding with a Russia-European Union summit, a Russian police officer approached.

Immigration fraud in city to be targeted Federal officials yesterday named Baltimore as one of six major U.S. cities to host a new task force targeting immigration document fraud. Officials from the departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Labor, State, and other federal and local agencies, will join forces in Baltimore as well as in Chicago, Miami, Phoenix, Ariz.., San Francisco and Tampa, Fla. Document fraud refers to the manufacture, sale or use of counterfeit identity documents -- such as fake driver's licenses, birth certificates, Social Security cards or passports -- for immigration fraud.

We'll be visiting Acapulco, Mexico, but I'm guessing there's not much to do except read on the beach and watch the divers. Is a side trip to Mexico City worth it? And what about tap water? Is it true you can't use it to brush your teeth? There's a lot more to Acapulco than watching cliff divers. While there, visit the cultural center, Casa de la Cultura, which has a small archaeological museum and handicraft exhibit, and explore the Zocalo (town center), where you'll find crafts and food markets.

VISITORS TO THE VATICAN ARE getting a heads-up that nothing is eternal -- at least when it comes to the Holy See's museums. Admission prices just went up by a euro to 13 euros, or about $17.05, and opening hours have been cut back for visitors not affiliated with organized tour groups. JAZZ GUIDE: NYC Little Bookroom / $15.95 Hard to believe it's been several years since this wonderful guide to New York City jazz was published. During the intervening years, though, much has changed, and author Steve Dollar picks up where he left off. He discusses the new club scene in Brooklyn and the slick new Jazz at Lincoln Center, which has not only greatly increased its programming but also houses a recording studio, a broadcast center, a classroom and a jazz hall of fame.