Passport Cards Speed Border Crossings
January 5, 2009 by Gennaro
Filed under Travel News
Over 700,000 Americans have ordered passport cards. The wallet-size cards were created by the Bureau of Consular Services in order to provide quicker border crossings for Americans entering or exiting Mexico, Canada, or the Caribbean. Cards are not valid for international air travel.
Border Crossing © blmurch
Passport cards are less expensive than passport books, costing $45 (valid for 10 years) for first-time adult passport applicants and $35 (valid for 5 years) for minors under 16 years old. The card is ideal for those who regularly travel across the land or sea borders of Mexico, Canada, or the Caribbean. This is also the best option for Americans who were previously using their driver’s licenses to enter the previously mentioned destinations according to Yahoo! News.
Read about the Québec Winter Carnival or new rules for visa-waiver travelers entering the United States.
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Gennaro Salamone is the founder and editor of Enduring Wanderlust. Feel free to contact him with questions, comments, or inquiries with reference to contributing a travel article or photograph for publication.
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Barcelona, Spain
Passport cards sounds a goods idea.
Caribbean, here we come!
wow, passport card will certainly makes our lives easier to travel! btw, thanks for the comment, please wait for my review on puerto galera, one of the snorkelling site here in the philippines.
cheers,
snow
Dear Bloggery
@ sima
I knew that was coming
@ Snow
Looking forward to reading it
Better than finding somewhere on my person to put the passport. They should make the actual passport a bit smaller too.
@Real
That would be great. Perhap electronic stamps will come into play at some point making the passport card universal
OK, so if you are driving past one of these, what looks like a tollgate from your picture, is the passport card completely automated in that all you need do is swipe it or do you physically have to present it to a human. I reckon it would need a human factor so as to not smuggle passengers through the system.
@Sire
The idea is that it will be easier for Americans to cross thru the borders with the passport cards. There will still be a human factor, but more convienent to carry. The point was that Americans were able to cross these border with a driver’s license a few years ago. Then it was changed to a passport and now this. Easier to carry, I guess. And cheaper for those who don’t want to pay for a passport.
I though that was how it worked, but I just wanted to make sure. Thanks for the clarification.
I’m being stupidly stubborn in refusing to get a card or passport, but I know I’m going to need it one of these days. I’m close enough to the Canadian border, and relatively close to Niagara Falls, and I love going over to the Canadian side. I’ll get there eventually; thanks for the info.
@Sire
No problem
@Mitch
It can’t hurt to have it. Never know when something will come up. Montreal is a great city with one of the better jazz festivals and plenty to do. Pretty close too.
True Gennaro. I’m only 5 hours from Toronto, but at one point less than 2 hours away from another border of Canada. I’ll get there; “stubborn” is one of my bad habits. lol
@Mitch
We all have our bad habits