United States passport card

U.S. identification card

For the United States passport book, see United States passport.

"Passport Card" redirects here. For the Irish Passport Card, see Irish passport § Passport Card.

"PASS Card" redirects here. For the British Proof of Age Standards Scheme, see Proof of Age Standards Scheme.

United States Passport Card

The front of a United States passport card

The rear of a United States passport card (2008)

Type| Identity document
Travel document*
Issued by|  United States
First issued| July 14, 2008
Purpose| Identification
Eligibility| United States nationality
Expiration| 10 years after date of issue for people 16 or older; 5 years for minors under 16
Cost| $30 (adults) / $15 (minors under 16)
$35 administration fee (required for all minor's cards and passports and an adult's first passport. Only one administration fee is charged for an individual applying for both a card and book at the same time.)[1]

The United States passport card is an optional national identity card and a travel document issued by the U.S. federal government in the size of a credit card.[2] Like a U.S. passport book, the passport card is only issued to U.S. nationals exclusively by the U.S. Department of State, compliant to the standards for identity documents set by the REAL ID Act, and can be used as proof of U.S. citizenship and identity.[3][4] The passport card allows its holders to travel by domestic air flights within the U.S., and to travel by land and sea within North America.[5] However, the passport card cannot be used for international air travel.

The passport card (previously known as the People Access Security Service Card or PASS Card) was created as a result of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which imposed more stringent documentary requirements on travelers. Applications have been accepted since February 1, 2008; production of the cards began on July 14, 2008.[not verified in body] By the end of 2016, more than 12 million passport cards had been issued to U.S. citizens.[6] The card is manufactured by L-1 Identity Solutions.[7][not verified in body]

National identity cards with similar utility are common inside the European Union and European Free Trade Association countries for both national and international use, with the difference that such cards can also be used for international air travel (within the EU, the Schengen Area and several other European countries that allow entry with a national ID card).

## History[edit]

As a result of the September 11, 2001, attacks, the United States began implementing a range of measures to increase the security of its borders and its identity documents. One result of this was the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which mandates as of 2007 that a smaller, more secure number of documents verifying both identity and citizenship be used to facilitate identification and international border crossing. Previous to the WHTI, many different types of documents were acceptable to cross the border, including birth certificates issued by thousands of different authorities within the United States and Canada. As a result of the WHTI, U.S. citizens traveling to Canada would have been required to obtain a passport booklet in order to enter the United States. In order to offer a less expensive and more portable alternative to border communities and frequent travelers, the passport card was developed.

In an effort to improve efficiency at land crossings, the passport card also includes a vicinity-read radio frequency identification chip with a unique identifying number tied to government databases. Unlike the passport book, the RFID chip in the passport card is designed to be readable at a greater distance, allowing border agents to access traveler information before they pull up to the inspection station. While a biometric passport contains a chip containing all of the traveler's information in electronic format, the RFID chip in a passport card does not contain any personal information beyond the identifying number, which is used to locate records in secure government databases. To prevent the RFID chip from being read when the card is not being used, the passport card comes with a sleeve designed to block RFID while inside.[8]

## Use[edit]

### As an international travel document[edit]

U.S. passport cards can be used to enter the United States at land border crossings and sea ports of entry. It is also accepted for entry by land or sea into Canada,[9] Mexico,[10][11] and some countries and territories in the Caribbean.[citation needed] It cannot be used to travel by air to these countries, or by any means to other countries.

The Department of State stated that this limited validity is because "designing a card format passport for wide use, including by air travelers, would inadvertently undercut the broad based international effort to strengthen civil aviation security and travel document specifications to address the post 9/11 threat environment".[12]

### As personal identification[edit]

Aside from being unable to be used for international air travel, the passport card is treated as a passport for all other purposes. A United States passport card can be used as primary evidence of United States citizenship, just like a passport booklet,[13] and can be used as a valid proof of citizenship and proof of identity both inside and outside the United States.[14]

#### Within the United States[edit]

Under the REAL ID Act, the passport card is accepted for federal purposes (such as domestic air travel or entering federal buildings), which may make it an attractive option for people whose driver's licenses and ID cards are not REAL ID-compliant when those requirements go into effect on May 3, 2025.[15] TSA regulations list the passport card as an acceptable identity document at airport security checkpoints.[16]

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has indicated that the U.S. passport card may be used in the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 process.[17] The passport card is considered a "List A" document that may be presented by newly hired employees during the employment eligibility verification process to show work authorized status.[18] "List A" documents are those used by employees to prove both identity and work authorization when completing the Form I-9.[19]

Passport cards are much less popular than driver licenses, a commonly used form of identification. As previously stated, in 2014 there were more than 12 million passport cards issued. In contrast, in 2009 there were 210 million licensed drivers.[20]

#### Outside the United States[edit]

In some countries, laws require foreign visitors and/or all adults to carry official personal identification at all times. Carrying a passport card may meet the demands of local law enforcement without the risks associated with carrying the full passport booklet.[21]

Compared with state ID cards and driver's licenses, the passport card is designed to be more universal. It is formatted to United Nations ICAO machine readable document standards, which are used on IDs around the world.[22] Also, unlike state driver's licenses, which may not even list the country on them, the passport card contains the words United States of America in its header. It also contains national symbols, such as a U.S. flag, in the background, as opposed to the state symbols found on driver's licenses. Since people abroad may not be familiar with every U.S. state, the passport card's emphasis on being from the United States makes it more understood in this regard.

## Validity and fees[edit]

The passport card shares the same validity period as the passport book: 10 years for persons 16 and over, 5 years for children under 16. As of April 9, 2018, the passport card renewal fee for eligible applicants (adults only, by mail) is US$30; first-time applicants and those applying in person must also pay a $35 processing fee, for a total fee of $65. Passport cards for children must be applied for in person; the total fee is $50, including the $35 processing fee.

Adults who already have a fully valid passport book may pay a fee of $30 to apply for the card using the passport renewal form, regardless of when the passport book expires.

A citizen or national is allowed to hold both a passport card and a passport book. Both may be applied for simultaneously by paying the respective fees for each passport, plus a single $35 processing fee for first-time and other in-person applicants.

## Card layout[edit]

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|

Figure 1: Front of Card blank artwork (2008). Figure 2: Card back artwork (2008).

The passport card is formatted according to specifications for credit card (ID-1) sized travel documents, as described in ICAO Document 9303, Part 3, Volume 1. The card contains both human-readable and machine-readable information; the latter is printed in the machine-readable zone on the rear of the card as OCR-readable text in a similar format as on the identity page of the passport book. The zone starts with the letters IP (designated by ICAO for passport card[23]), followed by the issuing country code USA and then the passport card's serial number (which is prefixed with a "C" and differs from the individual's passport book number, even if issued together). The general layout of the passport card is virtually identical to the layout of the Border Crossing Card issued to Mexican citizens with primarily the background imagery and entitlements varying between the two cards.[citation needed]

### Anti-counterfeiting features[edit]

In addition to the embedded RFID chip, the front of the card features a complex multi-layer hologram consisting of an American bald eagle surrounded by the words "United States of America Department of State" in a small clearly readable font, further surrounded by the same words repeatedly in microprint. The card's background consists of interweaving smooth curves rich in variable color and microprint. All of the personal information on the card is created by laser engraving, with some key information produced in raised tactile engraving, including the date of birth, vertical letters "USA", the passport card number, and an alphanumeric sequence underneath the photograph. A second, smaller "ghost" photograph of the bearer is included on the right side of the card; when closely inspected this ghost image is actually an approximation of the shading in the original photo composed of various letters from the card holder's name. There is an embossed seal in the upper left hand corner of the card (partially overlapping the photograph) depicting the obverse of the Great Seal of the United States. When viewed under UV lighting, a reddish-orange bald eagle in flight appears. The eagle carries thirteen arrows in one talon and an olive branch with thirteen leaves and thirteen olives on the branch. The eagle's image is 3-dimensional, with the flying figure poised above the shield from the Great Seal. In its beak, the eagle clutches a scroll with the motto E pluribus unum ("Out of Many, One").[citation needed]On the rear of the card, the "PASSsystem" mark appears in optically variable ink, and the number, "C########", is a raised tactile engraving.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Passport Fees". travel.state.gov.
2. ^ "Passport Card". travel.state.gov. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
3. ^ Passport Application Form DS-11 (Accessed December 2, 2013)
4. ^ "Passport Card". Travel.State.Gov. U.S. Department of State - Bureau of Consular Affairs. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
5. ^ "U.S. Passport Card". U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. Archived from the original on June 4, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
6. ^ "Passport Statistics". travel.state.gov. United States Department of State. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
7. ^ Passport Card & Border Crossing Card Solutions Archived March 1, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 24, 2011
8. ^ U.S. Passport Card. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
9. ^ Visitors to Canada, Canada Border Services Agency, September 27, 2018.
10. ^ Forma Migratoria Múltiple (FMM), National Migration Institute of Mexico.
11. ^ Mexico, U.S. Department of State, December 17, 2019.
12. ^ US Government Printing Office (October 17, 2006). Federal Register, Volume 71 Issue 200. US Government Printing Office, October 17, 2006. Retrieved on 2010-08-04 from http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2006-10-17/html/E6-17237.htm.
13. ^ "42 CFR 435.407 - Types of acceptable documentary evidence of citizenship". LII / Legal Information Institute. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
14. ^ "Passport Card".
15. ^ "DHS Announces Extension of REAL ID Full Enforcement Deadline". USDHS. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
16. ^ Driver's License or Passports Preferred ID at Checkpoints, retrieved May 30, 2008.
17. ^ "USCIS Informs The Public That New Passport Card Is Acceptable For Employment Eligibility Verification". USCIS.
18. ^ "List A Documents That Establish Identity and Employment Authorization". USCIS. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
19. ^ "Form I-9 Acceptable Documents". USCIS. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
20. ^ Office of Highway Policy Information (2011). "Our Nations Highways: 2011". US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. `{{cite web}}`: `|author1=` has generic name (help)
21. ^ [dead link]Good Neighbor Insurance (March 29, 2017), Why you should get a U.S. Passport Card when you travel, archived from the original on September 26, 2020, retrieved March 31, 2019
22. ^ "What is a Machine-Readable Passport? (Updated 2018) – info.viselio.com". Retrieved March 31, 2019.
23. ^ see page V-11 of ICAO9303 part 3 Archived March 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine

## Further reading[edit]

* Advisory and technical committee for communications and transit. Replies of the governments to the enquiry on the application of the resolutions relating to passports, customs formalities and through tickets. Geneva: League of Nations. 1922. OCLC 46235968.
* Holder IV, Floyd William (Fall 2009). An Empirical Analysis of the State's Monopolization of the Legitimate Means of Movement: Evaluating the Effects of Required Passport use on International Travel (M. P. A. thesis). San Marcos: Texas State University. OCLC 503473693. Docket Applied Research Projects, Paper 308.
* Lloyd, Martin (2008) [2003]. The Passport: The History of Man's Most Travelled Document (2nd ed.). Canterbury: Queen Anne's Fan. ISBN 978-0-9547150-3-8. OCLC 220013999.
* Salter, Mark B. (2003). Rights of Passage: The Passport in International Relations. Boulder, Co: Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN 978-1-58826-145-8. OCLC 51518371.
* Torpey, John C. (2000). The Invention of the Passport: Surveillance, Citizenship and the State. Cambridge studies in law and society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-63249-8. OCLC 59408523.
* United States; Hunt, Gaillard (1898). The American Passport; Its History and a Digest of Laws, Rulings and Regulations Governing Its Issuance by the Department of State. Washington: Govt. print. off. OCLC 3836079.

## External links[edit]

* Fact Sheet: Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) Passport Card Technology Choice: Vicinity RFID Release Date: October 17, 2006
* Fact Sheet: US Passport Card Release Date: January 8, 2008

* v
* t
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National identity cards

Africa|

* Cape Verde
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Asia|

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Europe|

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Economic Area
& Schengen Area|

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Other Europe|

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North America|

* Caribbean Netherlands
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South America|

* Argentina
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Biometric identity cards () are indicated in italics.
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