In years past, the only true form of international identification was the passport. However, in the United States, a passport was not needed for border trips to Canada and Mexico. Today, laws are much more restrictive and passports are needed to cross in and out of the country regardless of how close the final destination is to the U.S. If a trip is coming up in the near future, an expedited passport card can be used in place of a regular passport.
The traveler who truly travels the world will still need a regular passport, but someone who merely visits the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada does not need an actual passport. For this type of trip, the passport card is perfectly acceptable. It is very similar in appearance to a license, except it is issued by the State Department and can be substituted for a passport for certain destinations.
Applying for a passport card is much the same process as applying for a standard passport. Actually, all of the same forms are going to be used. The entire process can be handled at a regional office or a local post office that handles passport processing. Anyone not sure of where to go can do a local Internet search and find a location near them.
The card cannot be used for flying to any of the above mentioned countries. It is strictly for land or sea crossings only and the standard passport book is still the preferred means of identification for international travel. These passport cards each contain an electronic chip that stores a unique number, linking it to a secure government server containing the information of the holder.
A passport card is extremely secure, using state of the art laser engraving and electronic coding to make it unique. The chip that is built in to the card contains absolutely no personal information that may be removed, should the wrong individual get their hands on the card. Each year the government looks to the technology sector in an attempt to make the cards even more secure.
In order to receive an expedited passport card, one must submit the same type of documentation as when applying for a standard passport. This will include items such as birth and naturalization papers along with two color photographs. There is a standard processing fee that is charged by the government along with the fees from the issuing agency being used to expedite the process.
One thing to make note of is that when applying for a passport, all documentation must be the original forms. If anything is laminated or copied, it will not be accepted. If the documents are being mailed in for renewal, be sure to use a major overnight service that will provide tracking detail and guarantee delivery.
For years, people have been taking advantage of the ability to freely cross borders to places such as Canada without passports. Because of the horrible events of the past decade, the United States has had to shore up their border policies and this is one of the changes that have been made. By using expedited United States passport card services, that planned trip scan still go off without a hitch. You should have no trouble obtaining a pasport.
