Brides - Consider Exotic Puerto Rico for a Destination Wedding or Honeymoon

Puerto Rico has quietly become a wonderful place for brides to not only say, "I do" but also as a place to experience a magical honeymoon.

Until recently, a lot of travelers didn't want to hassle with a passport to visit Puerto Rico, but with the WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) taking effect, you will need a passport no matter where you travel.

If you or your spouse-to-be were born in Puerto Rico - it would make it a very special experience to be married in the country of your birth. There are 5-star resorts to have your wedding ceremony as well as plan a glorious honeymoon.

You will need a passport to enter and leave Puerto Rico and if you were born in PR and you need a certified copy of your Puerto Rico birth certificate, we can help you with that as well as obtain your passport.

If you're considering having your honeymoon in Puerto Rico, let us help you get your travel paperwork together - you have enough going on planning a wedding!

Updated Travel Regulations June 2009!

If you've already booked a trip to Puerto Rico, make sure that you have a bead on the new travel restrictions that are going into effect in June 2009.

The major change for travelers from the United States will be that they will need a passport after June 1, 2009 to re-enter the country. This means if you visited a country you previously didn't need a passport for such as the Caribbean, Mexico, Canada or Bermuda either by air or ship, you will now need a passport to come back into the United States.

Failure to have a passport will result in being denied re-entry until a passport is acquired. The passport process in Canada and Mexico can take weeks and in Bermuda it can take up to 3 months on the average. If you don't want to extend your vacation (and let's face it - your boss really will mind) - make sure you have your passport up to date and have it with you whenever you travel.

What Exactly are Puerto Rican Passports?

Image by stuart.mundy via FlickrIf you ever came across the phrase 'Puerto Rico passports', you would have definitely wondered whether Puerto Rico is an independent country. Well, it is not. Puerto Rico is an integral part of the United States of America and its residents are US citizens. If this is so, how and why has this phrase been used?

Many people are not aware that the USA has two major commonwealths: (1) Puerto Rico, which was always considered a highly advantageous military location in the Caribbean for America, and (2) Northern Marianas. Besides these, there are 12 unincorporated territories or possessions out of which only four are inhabited: US Virgin Islands, Guam, Midway Islands, and American Samoa. The residents of these US Commonwealths and possessions, except for those of American Samoa, are all US citizens. The latter are only US nationals, but not US citizens.

Puerto Rico has always been one of the most wanted destinations for tourists from all over the world. During the 1930s however, this amazing island was far from popular. The reason was that a large group of terrorists was caught during that period, where the majority was found in possession of ids and travel documents issued in Puerto Rico.

The false documents, particularly the Puerto Rico passports and Puerto Rico birth certificates, which permitted these terrorists to travel as US citizens throughout the world, caused immense embarrassment and pain to the citizens of Puerto Rico as they unexpectedly became synonymous with nefarious activities. The phrase 'Puerto Rico passports' had been coined at that time. Many people, even travel agencies, still harbor the misconception that such documents, which are supposedly issued in Puerto Rico, were and are outside the jurisdiction of the United States.

The truth was that in the past, no American required a passport for traveling back and forth to the Caribbean. There are no such documents known as Puerto Rico passports. However, with effect from 23 January 2007, US citizens were required to present a valid US passport or any equivalent travel document such as Air Nexus Card, passport card or US Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Document when they re-entered the United States by air.

Under the directives of WHTI (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative) from 1 June 2009 onwards, these rules would be extended to all US citizens who travel to Bermuda, Caribbean, Mexico, Central, and South America regardless of whether they travel by air, land, or sea. Such travel would require that all US citizens carry a valid passport, WHTI approved document or passport card when they return to the USA.