Department of State to Introduce Passport Card

[Irish Shark]

Note: NOT GOOD FOR AIR TRAVEL - OK for Cruise Ship Travel between the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda

Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
October 17, 2006

Department of State to Introduce Passport Card

To meet the documentary requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), the Department of State, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), today announced and submitted for public comment a federal rule proposing the development of a card-format passport for international travel by U.S. citizens through land and sea ports of entry between the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

The limited-use passport card will be adjudicated to the same standards as a traditional passport book. The rule published today proposes a wallet-sized card that would cost $10 for children and $20 for adults, plus a $25 execution fee.

To facilitate the frequent travel of those living in U.S. border communities and those traveling on commercial maritime vessels, the Department of State has committed to producing a passport card that incorporates cutting-edge technology. The technology incorporated in the proposed card was designed in coordination with DHS specifically to address the operational needs of land border-crossings. The proposed passport card would use long-range, or vicinity, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to link the card to a secure U.S. government database containing biographical data and a photograph. The card itself will not contain any personal information, and DHS will implement protections to keep the database secure.

The passport card is the core element of the PASS (People Access Security Service) System announced by Secretaries Rice and Chertoff in January 2006, and will secure and expedite travel to and from the United States.

The proposed rule is available for public viewing and comment at www.regulations.gov. For more information, visit www.dhs.gov or travel.state.gov.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2006/74083.htm

[AlaskaGolden]

Looks like this card will be available later this year:

"As early as January 1, 2008, ALL persons, including U.S. citizens, traveling between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea (including ferries), may be required to present a valid passport or other documents as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. While recent legislative changes permit a later deadline, the Departments of State and Homeland Security are working to meet all requirements as soon as possible. Ample advance notice will be provided to enable the public to obtain passports or passport cards for land/sea entries...

...The Passport Card (also referred to as the PASS Card): This limited-use passport in card format is currently under development and will be available for use for travel only via land or sea (including ferries) between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. Similar in size to a credit card, it will fit easily into a wallet."

Quoted from: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html

[Cassandra]

Does it give any details about an expiration date or anything? It's saying "limited use". So what does that mean?

I'm not for the card, sounds like its a one shot deal & then you have to get another one if its limited use. I"ll stick with my passport.

[Irish Shark]

Limited Use does not = one time

Limited Use = Note: NOT GOOD FOR AIR TRAVEL - OK for Cruise Ship Travel between the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda

Good for 10 years.