What is a passport card

The United States passport card is an official identity and limited travel document issued by the United States federal government in the size of a credit card and may be considered as the de jure national identity card of the United States of America. It may therefore be used as an identity card for purposes other than international travel, such as domestic air travel. It is cheaper than a regular passport but its use is limited. ID which enables land travel to Mexico and Canada and additionally sea travel to the Caribbean.

It cannot be used for any international flights. What can a passport card be used for?

What are some benefits of having a passport card? Both the passport book and passport card serve as proof of your U. The US passport card is a credit card-sized identification document. It was designed for people who travel frequently between the U. Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean by land or sea. Other articles from tripsavvy.

As such, the passport card is adjudicated to the exact standards as the passport book. The passport card is a fully valid passport that attests to the U.

Applicants must provide documents which attest to their U. Jared Tharp is with Passport Services at the US Department of. A federal judge has ordered the State Department to issue a U. Almost all those giving up their U. It suggested that, after “ a steep. Passport Card (also known as a PASS Card) is a less expensive , wallet-sized version of a traditional passport—with a few travel-use conditions.

PASS Cards come equipped with a microchip that assigns a distinct number to its owner. This number, through vicinity-read radio frequency technology, matches up with a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) database to promote more secure crossings with faster queuing. Passport cards are a form of US passport that are the size of a credit card or driver’s license. If you’re thinking of going on a cruise, the passport card might be nice when you need a from of identification to get on and off the ship. But, the passport card can only be used for international travel by land and sea.

If you’re on a cruise and need to take an emergency flight somewhere, that passport card won’t be valid and could leave you stranded. The application process is the same for either the passport book or car even if you want both at the same time. See Request a File Search for more information.

How to Apply for a U. Ten years ago, the State Department began offering American citizens the Passport Card , a credit card -sized travel document that can only be used to re-enter the United States at land-border crossings or ports-of-entry by sea from select countries. You can use your passport card as Real ID to board domestic flights in the US or enter US military facilities or federal buildings.

The Passport Card is cheaper, but a full passport will allow you to travel to all international destinations, not just the Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada and Mexico, and by air as well as sea or land. You can order both a passport and passport card together for $165. Gather the information and documents you will need to apply for a passport or Passport Card : the requirements are the same for both. The US Passport Card is a fully valid passport. You can use this credit- card -sized document to reenter the United States from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean when traveling by land or sea.

It is smaller and more convenient to carry than a passport book, and it is less expensive to obtain. Paying for Passport Cards and Passport Books. Below is a brief, non-comprehensive cost breakdown of each option. As a result, a passport card easily fits into your personal wallet.

A passport card is a portable pocket sized card (similar to a credit card ) that fits in your wallet. It is something similar to a credit card in size. Which you should get, passport book vs.

You cannot use it to travel anywhere else, and you cannot use it for air travel at all.