FACT SHEET:

OfficialTravelDocuments.com is a service developed to help international travelers obtain the necessary travel documents in time for their trip. Applications for New, Minor, or Lost/Stolen Passports require proof of U.S. citizenship, typically in the form of a certified copy of the applicant's U.S. birth certificate. Official Travel Documents' reliable, convenient and secure service enables travelers to easily order birth certificate services online. OfficialTravelDocuments.com is a strategic relationship with VitalChek Inc., a ChoicePoint® company and leading birth certificate processor.

OfficialTravelDocuments.com is aimed at helping international travelers for business and pleasure obtain their necessary travel documents, especially when they are needed quickly.

Features:

• Direct-to-government service enables consumers to pay government, processing and shipping fees online (other sites collect fees offline).

Benefits:

• Convenience of a Web site with direct-to-government ordering capabilities for your birth certificate needs.
• Expediting of birth certificate requests to assist in obtaining U.S. passports.
• Secure document handling.
• Tracking of orders through the process.

Statistics:

• In 2007, the U.S. government announced new legislation affecting all U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, Panama, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. According to this legislation, all U.S. citizens must have a passport establishing identity and citizenship in order to re-enter the U.S. The initiative is being implemented in phases according to the following schedule:
  • January 23, 2007 – Passport (or other accepted documents) requirement applied to all AIR travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.
    
  • Beginning January 1, 2008 – U.S. and Canadian citizens will need to present either a passport (or other WHTI-compliant document) or a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, plus proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate when entinering the U.S.
    
  • At a later date to be determined – all persons re-entering the U.S. will require a passport or other compliant travel documents, for all air, land or sea travel.
  
  For more information on this new legislation, please visit the following government web site: http://www.travel.state.gov.
  


• Currently only 20 percent of U.S. citizens possess a passport. Given the new legislation, consumers will need a resource to help them obtain required travel documents.
  
• More than 30 million people will be affected by the new legislation.
  • Mexico: estimates 15 to 16 million travelers in 2005.
  • Caribbean: estimates six million travelers in 2005.
  • Canada: 14 million travelers in 2003.
  • Bermuda: estimates 200,000 travelers in 2005.
• With travelers spending an average of $2,600 per person, the economic impact of new legislation is more than $90 billion.
• Approximately 62 million U.S. citizens traveled internationally in 2004, up 10 percent from 2003.

About VitalChek:
VitalChek®, a ChoicePoint company, is a leading provider of customized remote ordering and payment solutions for government agencies. VitalChek provides its unique bundle of services to more than 450 government agencies, including departments of health and vital statistics, courts, public utilities, state departments of transportation, motor carrier service offices, ports of entry and weigh stations.

Media Contact:
Chuck Jones
Director, External Affairs
ChoicePoint
1000 Alderman Drive
Alpharetta, GA 30005
chuck.jones@choicepoint.com

© 2005 ChoicePoint Asset Company. All rights reserved. Official Travel Documents and the Official Travel Documents Logo are service marks and ChoicePoint and VitalChek are registered trademarks of ChoicePoint Asset Company.