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The U.S. Department of State is now accepting applications for the new Passport Card. Applications are being processed in limited numbers now and full production will be in effect this summer. This wallet sized card holds most of the same privileges as the U.S. Passport Book except it can only be used for land and sea travel. The new Passport card cannot be used for air travel.
The new U.S. Passport Card can be used for travel between the United States and Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda. It may not be used for travel to any other foreign countries. The regular Passport Book will remain the main form of documentation for travel to other countries.
There are several advantages of the new U.S. Passport Card. It is less expensive to obtain and smaller and more convenient to carry. It easily fits in most wallets and was created for those who cross the border on a regular basis by land and sea.
NEW PASSPORT CARD FOR MEXICO IN 2008
The new U.S. Passport Card contains an electronic chip that allows Immigration officials to access photographs and other biographical information on the card holder. The chip itself contains no personnel information; it only allows the official to access information stored in a secure government database.
Passport Cards can be obtained as a stand alone document or can be obtained along with a regular Passport Book. The U.S. citizenship documentation necessary to obtain the Passport Card is the same documentation that is needed to obtain the regular Passport Book.
The application fee for the new U.S. Passport Card is $45 for adults and $35 for children under 16 years of age. Adults with valid Passport Books can apply for the Passport Card at a cost of $20. The time frame for processing applications is the same as for Passport Books, about four weeks. Expedited services to process the Passport Card application more quickly are currently unavailable.
Further information on the new U.S. Passport card can be obtained on line at www.travel.state.gov.
Carlos Fiesta's Hot Tip
The new U.S. Passport Card is a good tool to have even for people who currently hold a U.S. Passport Book. For those short trips across the border travelers can leave their regular passport at home and just slip their Passport Card into their wallet. This is a quick and easy way to provide the legal documentation necessary to re-enter the Unted States from any border crossing into the United States from Mexico.