The 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 card may not be used to travel by air. It will otherwise carry the rights and privileges of the U.S. passport book and will be adjudicated to the exact same standards. You may apply for one or both, depending on your travel needs.
The Department of State is issuing this passport card in response to the needs of border resident communities for a less expensive and more portable alternative to the traditional 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. Adults who already have a fully valid passport book may apply for the card as a passport renewal and pay only $30. First-time applicants will pay $55 for adult cards and $40 for children.
To facilitate the frequent travel of U.S. citizens living in border communities and to meet Department of Homeland Security operational needs at land borders, the passport card will contain a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. This chip will point to a stored record in secure government databases. There will be no personal information written to the RFID chip itself.
Note: A previous passport book holder,
eligible to use
Form DS-82,
may apply for a passport card as a
Renewal.
First time applicants
for a U.S. Passport, and those not eligible to use
the DS-82, should apply for a passport card using
Form DS-11.
