New Travel Document Expected
Posted Dec 05, 2003

USCIS announced on November 24, 2003, that a new travel document will be produced to replace the reentry permit now used by permanent residents and certain refugees and asylees. The current document has been sometimes called a "white passport." The new document serves the interests of homeland security because it contains additional anti-counterfeiting features. The USCIS claims that the new document will also serve the interests of those seeking it because it is faster to produce. The USCIS expects to increase its daily production rate tenfold. Given the lengthy processing time for reentry permits, this would be a welcome change.

The new travel document will be light green and resemble a U.S. passport. People who have a white reentry permit, with an un-expired validity date, may continue to use the old document until its expiration date. Therefore, there is no need to cancel travel plans because of the change. The alterations in the format of the travel document do not change the use of Form I-131 for requesting issuance of the document. As mentioned in our November 28, 2003 MurthyBulletin article, New I-131 Form Introduced, available on MurthyDotCom, a new version of Form I-131 has to be used starting January 1, 2004.