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Anyone that has used a passport book for any period of time knows that they wear out, need new pages frequently and are not really convenient to carry around. A U S passport card can be the perfect alternative to carrying a standard one, particularly if the individual travels frequently across close borders for business. There is no need to refill it when the pages are used up and it fits neatly in any wallet or cardholder.

The original idea behind the U S passport card was to make it easier for people who regularly cross the border going into Canada, Mexico or the West Indies. People can go across national lines a number of times without having to replace their worn passbook or stamps. The card is ideal for those who travel across cross borders several times a week for work or business-related reasons.

A U S passport card has a vicinity-read radio frequency ID chip embedded in it. This chip connects the cardholder with a computer database that contains their necessary travel information that would ordinarily be in a standard passbook. No personal cardholder information is contained on the chip, so the card is safe to use.

These travel cards are to be read close up by people who are trained to read these kinds of cards. This way, no one else can read the card besides the designated personnel at the border locations. The card is meant to be stored in a blocker sleeve when it’s not being used so it won’t be scanned by accident.

One of the most attractive aspects of the card is that it is more economical than a traditional passport. The standard passport book charge for an adult who is getting one for the first time is $100.00. An adult can get a card for more than half the price at $45.00 for the same 10-year life span the passbook lasts for.

Any current passport holder will be thrilled if they choose to switch over to the card rather than the book. The card for them is only a $20.00 fee and is applied for as a renewal rather than a brand new one. Between this and the elimination of ever needing extra pages for frequent travel should be among the deciding factors in choosing this method.

There is one prohibitive factor involved when deciding whether to switch to the card from the book. The card is not valid for international travel requiring the use of airlines. For these trips, it will still be necessary to use the book and have plenty of pages available to cover the entire itinerary. As this is done infrequently, the card is still the preferred method for frequent border crossing for many people.

While the book is more familiar to people and recognized the world over, there is no more convenient method in existence than the passport card. This eliminates the wear and tear the paper book takes while coming in a more convenient size for carrying. These can be easily applied for by either going online and searching out a provider or visiting a local passport agency office.

If you are going to travel outside of the US, then you will need to have a passport with you. There are two types of passports you could use: the passport book or the passport card. In this article, we’ll be talking about the latter example. We’ll help answer all your questions related to passport cards, including what a Passport card is.

Compared to the regular passport book, the New passport card is cheaper and a lot more lightweight. Its wallet-size features make it easy to store and relatively harder to lose than the larger passport book. Aside from that, applying for a passport card is also less expensive, around half of the passport book’s price.

But take note that you can only use your passport card in limited destinations and modes of travel. Your use of the passport card is only allowed in destinations that are included in the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative or WHTI. Countries and regions that are included in the WHTI are Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Bermuda. Outside of these destinations, you will have to present your regular passport book.

Once again, you can only use your passport card if you’re traveling by sea or land. Now what if you’re planning to travel to WHTI destinations by plane? You cannot use your passport card in this instance. Therefore, you’ll have to present your passport book.

However, if you travel to both types of destinations (WHTI and non-WHTI areas), then you could opt to apply for both types of Passport card as well. This allows you to travel to one destination and meet the necessary documents needed to get there. That way you could travel by land to a WHTI area one day, then travel to an Asian country in the next. Plus, there’s also a huge discount if you apply for both passports.

Now how do you apply for a US passport card? If you already have a passport book, or had one in the past, then you can apply for a passport card through the mail. When applying by mail, you will have to fill in Form DS-82. This applies even to those getting their passport cards for the first time. On the other hand, if you haven’t had any passport before, or should the passport require it, you will have to fill in Form DS-11, which is for first-time passport applicants.

The great thing about having a passport card is that it’s so convenient to use. This is mainly because of the radio frequency identification (RFID) chip that’s embedded on your card. Now all the US Customs have to do is to scan your card, and they will get all the information they need to provide proof of your identity and citizenship.