All you frequent travelers might be happy to hear about this new US passport ID card. The passport card will have a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. With this technology, Customs and Border Protection inspectors will be able to access photographs and other biographical information stored in secure government databases before the traveler reaches the inspection station.There will be no personal information written on the electronic chip itself. The chip will have only a unique number pointing to a stored record contained in secure government databases. The passport card is designed for the specific needs of the northern and southern border resident communities and is not a globally interoperable travel document as is the traditional passport book.

While this card is not valid for air travel it does work for land and sea crossings between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.

Unlike the e-passport, the passport card’s RFID chip will be capable of being “vicinity read,” which “will allow CBP [Customs and Border Protection] officers, in advance of the traveler’s arrival at the inspection booth, to quickly access information on the traveler from secure government databases, and allow for automated terrorist watch list checks without impeding traffic flow. In addition, they foresee that multiple cards can be read at a distance and simultaneously, allowing an entire car of people to be processed at once.

I was surprised to find out the U.S. government expects to begin issuing passport cards this year. In fact  you can submit an application for the passport book and get the card at the same time.

Adult applicants with fully-valid passports can apply for the passport card by mail by submitting Form DS-82 “Application for a U.S. Passport By Mail”, 2 photos, fully valid passport issued within the last fifteen years, and the passport card application fee. Please check our website, http://travel.state.gov for complete details on applying for the passport card. Adults with fully-valid passports issued within the last fifteen years can apply for the card by mail using Form DS-82, at a cost of $20.

The Passport Card is formatted according to specifications for TD-1 size travel documents, as described in ICAO Document 9303, Part 3, Volume 1. The card contains both eye readable and machine readable information.  For machine reading, information corresponding to personal data is printed in the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ).  Please check the Department of Homeland Security website at http://www.dhs.gov/xtrvlsec/crossingborders/index.shtm for the latest information on travel document requirements.