Travel With Ease Using A Passport ID Card

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:03:42 EST

A passport ID card is the idealreplacement for traditional passport books that wear out after a whileto makes border travel more convenient for those who cross themregularly. A passport card is perfectly sized to fit in the cardcompartment of a wallet and is suitable for anyone traveling on aCaribbean cruise or to a border country.

Unfortunately, the passportcard is prohibited for international travel when using an airplane toget to the destination.

This is a very useful tool for people who reside near our bordersand enjoy the luxury of being able to travel to these border countriesat will. The card comes with an RFID chip discreetly embedded in it.Border control personnel read the information on the chip that isstored on a government database with their information.

The radio frequency ID is safe because there is no personalinformation about the cardholder on it. Only border personnel who havethe skills and permission to read the database information are allowedaccess. The card comes with a blocking sleeve to keep it from beingdamaged or being scanned when no one is using it.

These ID cards are available for any legal American citizenregardless of whether or not they have ever had a passport. Travelerscan get a passport when they fill out the necessary application, aDS-11 and turn it in ID and photos along with it. If the person alreadyhas a passport, they can get the card only at a discounted rate.

Fees for a passport card are a lot more economical than atraditional passport book. The adult fee for a first-time card purchaseis only $45.00 as compared with the adult passbook price of $100.00.Children under 16 years old can get an ID card for only $35.00. Peoplewho already have a legal passport only have to pay $20.000 when theyswitch to a passport card.

These cards last for the same length of time as a passport. Adultcards are valid for ten years from their issue date and minor’s cardsare good for 5 years. The cards do not need to be updated during theentire lifespan of the card. This makes them very convenient as theycan be placed in the wallet and carried all the time.

While people can apply for cards by mail, they will not get themany faster through rush delivery methods. New cards are only sent tocardholders by way of first class mail. If cardholders want to gettheir cards as soon as possible, they need to choose another method toget their card during the preferred time frame.

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Travel With Ease Using A Passport ID Card