|
|
| | |
|
 |
| US Passport Card |
|
|
U.S. PASSPORT CARD APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED BEGINNING FEBRUARY 1
|
|
|
The US passport card is designed for the specific needs of border resident communities and is not a globally interoperable travel document as is the traditional passport book. The passport book is the appropriate travel document for most international travel. |
U.S. citizens may begin applying for the new US Passport Card. Processing of the card can not be expedited at this time. We expect passport cards will be available for expediting services in the near future.
The US passport card will facilitate entry and expedite document processing at U.S. land and sea ports-of-entry when arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The US passport card may not be used to travel by air. It will otherwise carry the rights and privileges of the US passport book and will be adjudicated to the exact same standards.
The Department of State is issuing this US passport card in response to the needs of border resident communities for a less expensive and more portable alternative to the traditional US passport book. The card will have the same validity period as a passport book: 10 years for an adult, five for children 15 and younger. For adults who already have a US passport book, they 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.
To facilitate the frequent travel of U.S. citizens living in border communities and to meet DHS’s operational needs at land borders, the US passport card will contain a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. This chip will link the card to a stored record in secure government databases. There will be no personal information written to the RFID chip itself. . |
About the US Passport Card:
The Department of State has developed a Passport Cardas a more portable and less expensive alternative to the traditional US passport book. The passport card is a basic component of the PASS (People Access Security Service) system announced by Secretaries Rice and Chertoff in January 2006, and will meet the specific requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)to secure and expedite travel.
WHTI is the Administration’s plan to implement a provision of the Intelligence Reform Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which requires citizens of the United States, Canada, and Bermuda to have a passport or other designated document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. According to the Department of Homeland Security, other documents such as registered traveler cards (NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST cards) will be acceptable under WHTI. |
| |
| | |
|
|
|