jbond007
02-14-2009, 09:09 AM
The government has introduced passport cards designed to speed border crossings by U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, and the State Department is preparing to handle an onslaught of up to 30 million applications as the deadline nears when Americans won't be able enter the country from Mexico or Canada without a passport.
The government approved the wallet-size cards as a cheap and convenient alternative to passport books. They may be used only by citizens returning to the United States through land or seaports from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean. Air travelers must carry full passports.
The cards emit a radio signal picked up by Customs and Border Protection officers at checkpoints. The signal provides inspectors with a file number linked to passport data on each cardholder.
The cards are handy for frequent border crossers, and cost just $45 for a first-time adult applicant, rather than the $100 fee for a passport book. The cards cost $20 for adults who already have a regular passport.
Brenda Sprague, deputy assistant secretary of State for passport services, said the cards contain information identical to what is found in a standard passport, and are just as secure. About 850,000 cards have been issued nationally.
Once the new system is in place, Sprague predicted, lines at Arizona border checkpoints may be shorter because inspectors can verify passport cards more rapidly than birth certificates and other documentation now accepted.
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The government approved the wallet-size cards as a cheap and convenient alternative to passport books. They may be used only by citizens returning to the United States through land or seaports from Mexico, Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean. Air travelers must carry full passports.
The cards emit a radio signal picked up by Customs and Border Protection officers at checkpoints. The signal provides inspectors with a file number linked to passport data on each cardholder.
The cards are handy for frequent border crossers, and cost just $45 for a first-time adult applicant, rather than the $100 fee for a passport book. The cards cost $20 for adults who already have a regular passport.
Brenda Sprague, deputy assistant secretary of State for passport services, said the cards contain information identical to what is found in a standard passport, and are just as secure. About 850,000 cards have been issued nationally.
Once the new system is in place, Sprague predicted, lines at Arizona border checkpoints may be shorter because inspectors can verify passport cards more rapidly than birth certificates and other documentation now accepted.
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