Passport Card: Look What the Cruise Industry Got

[DandyDon]

U.S. Passport Card

Saw this in Dive Training I think it was, while I was at a local cafe. I knew the owner's son had a school trip to Galveston with the Cozumel cruise planned for the spring; her son's school group hadn't mentioned it - only that they had to have passports. This is a lot cheaper, even for first timers; she said she's pass the word to the school and loved it for him. Guess it's a great deal for someone doing their first cruise and no intention of doing more for years; kids passports & cards are only good for 5 years...

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Good for land and sea border crossings only, not by air, good for Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, Caribbean, not Central American countries like Belize or Honduras.

Caribbean Region

* Anguilla
* Antigua and Barbuda
* Aruba
* Bahamas
* Bermuda
* British Virgin Islands
* Cayman Islands
* Dominica
* Dominican Republic
* Grenada
* Jamaica (except for business travel)
* Montserrat
* Netherlands Antilles
* St. Kitts and Nevis
* St. Lucia
* St. Vincent and the Grenadines
* Turks and Caicos

THE U.S. PASSPORT CARD IS NOW IN PRODUCTION!

U.S. Passport CardWe began production of the U.S. Passport Card on July 14. To date, we have received and adjudicated well over 350,000 applications for the U.S. Passport Card. Customers who submitted an application for the U.S. Passport Card prior to production, will receive their Passport Card between now and early September.

The passport card facilitates entry and expedites 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. Otherwise, it carries the rights and privileges of the U.S. passport book and is adjudicated to the exact same standards.

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.

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 has the same period of validity 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 $20. First-time applicants 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 passport card contains a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. This chip points to a stored record in secure government databases. There is no personal information written to the RFID chip itself.

Why would I want a card if I have a passport...?!

 

[vladimir]

Why would I want a card if I have a passport...?!

I guess it makes sense if you cross a border regularly. My Hong Kong identity card allows me to breeze through immigration pretty efficiently here.

 

[DandyDon]

Oh yeah, it'll be great for people living close to borders, too - sure.

 

[DeputyDan]

Live in one country and work in the other.

Mostly for commuters and boozers oops I meant cruisers!