At present, passports will be required of those crossing the U.S.-Canadian border by land or sea, beginning Jan. 1, 2008. An editorial published Nov. 21 said incorrectly that the date had been postponed to June 1, 2009.

Under current law, the actual implementation could be anytime in between those two dates. In an appropriations bill passed in September, Congress set the deadline for putting the passport requirement into force at June 1, 2009, but said it could happen sooner if the State Department and Homeland Security Department meet certain conditions involving technology, infrastructure and training for border officers. The respective agencies are still working on those requirements.