02/11/2008

News / U.S. accepting applications for 'passport card'

As promised, the U.S. State Department has started to accept applications for its new "passport card" that travelers can use in place of a full passport for land and sea travel between the United States and Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean.

Presumably, cards will be available before the final passport requirement goes into effect sometime this year. In the meantime, you will need a government-issued ID plus proof of citizenship (generally a birth certificate) or a passport to re-enter the United States from those countries. Use of the passport card will be limited to border crossings by land or sea (including cruise ship); it will not be acceptable for air travel.

The initial fee is $45 for adults, $35 for children - half the cost of a full passport. If you have a passport about to expire, you can apply for a card as a passport renewal for $20. The cards will have the same validity as full passports: 10 years for adults, five years for children 15 and younger. Those who apply now will receive their cards in the spring, the State Department says.

All this fuss is a result of the "Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative," enacted in response to heightened security concerns. It requires travelers returning from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean to present "WHTI-compliant" documents for re-entry to the United States. And until now, a full passport has been the only compliant document available to most travelers.

A full-passport requirement went into effect last year for air travelers returning from these areas, and that requirement remains in effect. The purpose of the new card is to provide a simpler document for land and sea travelers - especially folks who live in border areas and cross frequently.
The new card may well be one of the first of an increasing number of "smart" cards used in the future. It is equipped with an RFID (radio frequency identification) chip that will link directly to a database when a border agent passes it near a reader. The State Department claims that the chip will contain no personal information. However, lots of people are concerned about long-term security and privacy issues with RFID smart cards - a concern that isn't going to go away anytime soon.

The main advantages of the card are that (1) it costs less than a full passport and (2) it's smaller - the size of a credit card - and easier to carry than a passport. The disadvantage, of course, is that it's for a limited area of use.

Clearly, for many travelers, the new card will not substitute for a full passport. It is useful mainly for travelers who cross a border frequently or those who know their only international trips for the next 10 years will be land or sea crossings from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda or the Caribbean.

For others, a full passport remains a must. If you fit this pattern, you can apply at any of the 9,000 places in the United States where you apply for a regular passport. For more details, log onto www.travel.state.gov and then click on "U.S. Passport Card" in the upper left of the home screen.

Ed Perkins
Article Launched: 02/10/2008 01:46:17 AM PST

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/travelheadlines/ci_8222977

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