What You Need To Know About Passport Cards
If you are a frequent traveller to Canada and/or Mexico, a Passport Card might be a handy thing for you to purchase. The U.S. Passport Card has been in production by the U.S. Department of State since 2008, and can be used to enter and exit the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry, and is more convenient and less expensive than a passport book. The passport card cannot be used for international travel by air.
If you are an adult (aged 16 or older), your passport card will be valid for 10 years, and if you are a minor (younger than 16), you can get a passport card that is valid for the next 5 years.
In order to get a Passport Card expedited through Fastport Passport, you must come in person to one of our locations. We can expedite the passport card to you in as little as 2-3 business days as long as you are also renewing or applying for a new passport. You can purchase a Passport Card with us in conjuction with your DS-11 Form (aka Application for a New U.S. Passport, which can be used for minors’ passports OR adults’ passports) or the DS-82 form (aka the Application for a Passport Renewal)
To increase speed, efficiency, and security at U.S. land and sea border crossings, the passport card contains a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. There is no personal information written to the RFID chip. This chip points to a stored record in secure government databases.
With RFID technology, Customs and Border Protection inspectors will be able to access photographs and other biographical information stored in secure government databases as the traveler approaches an inspection station.
The passport card uses state-of-the-art security features to prevent against the possibility of counterfeiting and forgery. A protective RFID-blocking sleeve is provided with each passport card to protect against unauthorized reading or tracking of the card when it is not in use.
If a Passport Card is something that would be useful for you, or if you are in need of a New or Renewed passport within 14 days or less, please visit our website or any of our locations. You may chat live with one of our passport experts on our website on Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm EST.
