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The U.S. Passport Card can be used to enter 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.

 

How to apply

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All U.S. citizens may apply for a passport card. If you already have a valid U.S. passport book, you do not need to have a passport card in addition to your passport book to travel internationally. If you are interested in applying for a U.S. passport card and you have a U.S. passport book and are eligible to use Form DS-82, you may apply for the card by mail.

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• You can use Form DS-82 to renew your passport book at the same time that your apply for your passport card. To find out whether you qualify to use Form DS-82 and apply by mail, please visit Renew a Passport.

  • To find out more on passport application requirements and where to apply in person, please visit our First Time Applicants page. 

 

If you are interested in applying for a U.S. passport card but you have never had a U.S. passport book or are not eligible to use Form DS-82, you must apply in person using Form DS-11.

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• All passport cards will be returned using First Class Mail. Passport cards cannot be shipped to you using overnight delivery.

 

Security

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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 stored records in secure government databases.

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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.