Passport Card

The U.S. Passport Card is a wallet-sized card, which can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry. The Passport Card cannot be used for international air travel.

The card is valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for minors under the age of 16. The cost for a first time applicant is $45 for adults and $35 for minors. The cost for renewing the card is $20. Adults with fully-valid passports issued within the last fifteen years who are eligible to submit Form DS-82 by mail, will pay only $20 for a passport card.

A current or previous passport book holder, who is eligible to use Form DS-82 may apply for a passport card as a renewal by mail. First time applicants for a U.S. Passport, and those not eligible to use Form DS-82, must apply for a passport card in person using Form DS-11.

The Passport Card was designed to meet the requirements of the land and sea phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which becomes effective June 2009.

The card contains a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. There is no personal information written to the RFID chip. The chip points to a stored record in secure government databases. 

For more information on the passport card, visit the U.S. Department of State Web site.