April 12, 2010
New Passport Card: It’s A Great Idea To Purchase One
Anyone who travels abroad knows that passport book doesn’t last long because they get worn out before long and aren’t too handy to transport. Many frequent travelers prefer to use a passport card instead because it is more convenient to store and access when needed. A card is sturdier and convenient to carry around and access quickly when crossing borders.
The passport card was created to accommodate those who regularly cross the border to The Bahamas, Caribbean Islands, Mexico and Canada. Travelers can cross the border several times when they use the card as an alternative to stamps or passbooks that wear out when they are used too often. The card is well suited for people who have jobs across national boundaries and commute a number of times per week.
A passport 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 cards are designed to be read at close range by readers designed for this purpose. This prohibits anyone else from scanning the card accidentally or for purposes other than the intended personnel at the border checkpoints. The card is also accompanied by a “blocker sleeve” to house it while not in use to prevent any type of unwanted scanning.
One other nice feature of the card is the overall cost as compared to a standard passport. An adult applying for a standard passport book for the first time incurs a charge of $100.00. The card, on the other hand, is only $45.00 for the same individual and has the exact same life expectancy of the regular book of 10 years.
Any traveler that has a current passport can upgrade the passbook to a card. There is a modest $20.00 fee incurred to renew the card as opposed to going through the hassle and expense of buying a whole new card. The savings and convenience are two good reasons to switch from a passbook to a card method.
There is one “monkey wrench” to consider, however that could be the deciding factor when considering a passport book or card. International travelers are not allowed to use the card when they use the airlines as their mode of transportation. These types of trips will require using the standard passbook method to take along for border inspection and crossing overseas. People tend to cross borders more often than they use airplanes to for international travel, so a lot people prefer the card for crossing borders regularly.
While more people around the world use passport books, the American passport card is easier and more convenient. The card fits snuggly in a wallet or pocketbook for easy storage and access and doesn’t wear out like the paper book. Many convenient outlets carry the card, including local pass port agency and online merchants for economical and convenient border crossing.
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The new passport card takes the place of the PASS card, previously known as the People-Access-Security-Service Card. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, in search of more suitable forms of identification, called for a change in requirements. Applications were first offered in February, 2008.
Although the process for applications began several months earlier, the new card became available in July, 2008 to the public. The current number of issued cards isn’t presently known, but as of May, 2009, in excess of 1,000,000 cards were issued.
Since the Civil Aviation Organization does not recognize the new card it is not valid for any type of international travel. Presently, the passport card is issued only to citizens and nationals in the United States of America.
The United States Department of State decided to issue this card in response to border community residents’ needs for a more portable alternative to the traditional booklet form. The card also includes a vicinity-read radio frequency identification chip with a one of a kind identifying number tied to government databases. The chip is designed to be readable at a further distance.
Another feature of the ‘REAL ID’ Act is that the card will be accepted by the federal government. It can be used in domestic air travel and for entering federal buildings. It is believed that this will be an alternative for people residing in the U. S. who possess ID cards or driver’s licenses that don’t comply. It’s also accepted by the TSA as identity at airport checkpoints.
The form, which establishes employment eligibility, also known as the I-9 form, will accept the new passport to prove eligibility to work in the United States. It is also noted that the card-passport provides identification as well as also authorizing eligibility to work in the U. S.
The renewed card will be valid for a period of ten years for adults 16 and over and five years for children under 16 years of age. The renewal fee is $20. The initial first-time applicant fee will include an additional $25 processing fee. First time applicants as adults need to pay $120.00. First time applicants as minors will pay $95.00.
Any adult who has a valid passport book can pay a fee of $20 in order to apply for the American passport card. A citizen or national is allowed to possess both the passport card and the booklet. In either form, it entitles the holder to apply for the other form (or both forms) as a ‘renewal’ by mail at the end of the period. Soon passport application identification will be practical and at hand in a card! This will make traveling internationally much easier and this means less worry when traveling.
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March 9, 2010
US Passport Card - Apply For A Pass Port Today
One thing that many people are now worried about is the documentation that they will need when traveling on a cruise or to places like Canada or Mexico. For years, we never needed a passport to Canada, but obvious happenings over the last decade have changed all of that. Today, anyone that is leaving the country needs some type of passport documentation.
Prior to 2009, the restrictions on travel were not so strict. As long as the border country was the final destination and the travel was going to be solely by land, anyone could pretty much get in and out of the country with nothing more than a drivers license. As long as the identification was government issued and valid, there would be no problems.
The new 2009 law requires passports for any travel outside of the U.S. This law applies to land, sea, and air travel. Although this law was implemented nearly 8 years after the September 11th attacks of 2001, many people point to 9/11 as the motivation behind the law.
According to the U.S State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, the new border laws are part of a widespread attempt to tighten border security and curb illegal immigration. Since it is often times easier to illegally enter border nations like Mexico and Canada, it would be conceivably possibly for a terrorist or otherwise unsavory character to enter a boarder nation and then cross into America with a fraudulent driver’s license. Passports are more difficult than driver’s licenses to counterfeit and are therefore better for security.
Although the law would seem to make perfect sense, many of the citizens on the bordering states are up in arms about the inconvenience that has been posed to them. There are outcries that it is ridiculous to have to carry a passport to Canada when we have traveled so freely in the past. These same people are not taking the time to consider that these border countries are the very means by which terrorists have previously entered our country.
The State Department and the Department of Homeland Security maintain that these new regulations are the best way to curb the flow of dangerous illegal immigrants. Although the new law is certainly inconvenient to some, the benefits of the added security outweigh any personal inconvenience. Still, the Department of State is offering some new innovations to make the transition a bit smoother.
One of the new items available to travelers is the passport card. It conveniently fits right into a regular wallet and does not have the bulk or size of a standard passport. Anyone traveling on a round trip Caribbean cruise or heading into Canada or Mexico by land can now use this instead of carrying their passport around with them all the time.
It is clear that rush new passports will be required to enter border countries from now on. Given the obvious national security advantages, it seems quite unlikely that the U.S. government will have any reason to change these laws in the near future. Luckily, innovations like the USA Passport Card make the mandatory carrying of a passport to Canada and Mexico a bit more convenient.
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January 14, 2010
New Passport Card Can Be The Greatest Step To Get Your Pass Port
People may be more familiar with the former name for a passport card, the People Access Security Service Card, or PASS card. The new passport card is an alternative to a passport in order to meet the requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.
Although the process for applications began several months earlier, the new card became available in July, 2008 to the public. The current number of issued cards isn’t presently known, but as of May, 2009, in excess of 1,000,000 cards were issued.
Potential applicants to obtain the new passport card should be aware that it’s not suitable for all sorts of international travel. This is because the CAO fails to recognize this card to be used for such purposes. Too, the new passport card is available to citizens and nationals only who are living in the country legally with documentation.
The United States Department of State decided to issue this card in response to border community residents’ needs for a more portable alternative to the traditional booklet form. The card also includes a vicinity-read radio frequency identification chip with a one of a kind identifying number tied to government databases. The chip is designed to be readable at a further distance.
Also, the card is being issued in a sleeve that prevents the chip being read when it’s not being used. This card will be valid for entering the US from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and also Bermuda. This will be valid at land or border crossings and sea ports. It won’t be valid for air travel. The TSA has announced that it will honor the card, as identity, at security checkpoints at airports. It can also be used within the United States for air travel and to enter federal buildings. This could be an option for people who are settled in the United States possessing driver’s licenses that aren’t compliant.
The new and handy ‘passport’ card will be legal for entering the United States from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean. The card-passport will be only valid at land, seaport or border crossings. It will not be valid for other air travel. Another feature is that the passport ‘card’ can be used for the form required for employment eligibility (I-9). This has been authorized by the US Citizen-Immigration Services. This means the card qualifies as a List A document for new hires’ employment eligibility. So now this convenient card can prove eligibility for any prospective employee seeking work in the United States.
The total charge of $35 will provide a card valid for five years. Renewal fees will be $10. An adult, 16 years of old and older will pay the same $25 processing fee along with $20 for the passport. Renewal fees are $20. The card will remain valid for 10 years. For first-time applicants who are adults, the cost will be $120.00; for first time minor applicants, the cost will be $95.00. For a wallet size card, the cost is $25.00 when you apply for both documents at the same time.
For adults who wish to purchase a U.S. passport card, the cost is $20 if they already have a valid passport. If you wish to hold both this card as well as the book, and you are a citizen or a national, you will be allowed to possess both. So now American passport identification will be easier and more convenient with a smaller, compact and handy US card passport! This was a wonderful idea that many will find easier. One less thing to worry about when traveling.
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