As of 01 June 2009 you need a passport to re-enter the United States.

 

 

Those 18 and younger only are required to present proof of citizenship, such as a certified birth certificate, naturalization certificate or a passport.

 

 

 

US Passport Cards, which cost less than a passport and should be easier to carry, will be valid for U.S. land and sea entry from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean region

 

The cards will be good as long as a passport: 10 years for an adult, five years for children 15 and younger. Adults who already have a passport may apply for the card as a passport renewal and pay only $20. First-time applicants will pay $45 for adult cards and $35 for children.

 

The card will contain a vicinity-read radio frequency identification that will link the card to a stored record in government databases. There will be no personal information written to the RFID chip. Another new option: apply for both the traditional passport and the Passport Card together on one form -- and save yourself part of the government-required processing fee.

 

If you use the new form to apply for both, the cost for a passport is the same, but you would only pay $20 for the passport card because you've already paid the processing fee.

 

Enhanced Michigan Driver's License.  Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land also is moving toward an upgraded, optional and more expensive version of Michigan's driver's license that could be used instead of a passport for Michigan residents who are U.S. citizens to go to and from Canada and other Western Hemisphere countries.

 

Still, specialty card options aside, if you think you may travel outside of Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, my advice is to bite the bullet and get a passport -- you'll still need a passport, and they're good for 10 years. You could end up paying for both.

 

More details on all of this at travel.state.gov/passport.