What is a passport card and how does it differ from the passport book?
When most people think of a passport they think of the little blue book that get’s filled with stamps of the countries you’ve visited. This is the passport book. The Passport book will allow you to travel anywhere that accepts visitors from the United States, regardless of if you’re entering by land, sea, or air. It’s the most versatile document for international travel.
What many people might not be aware of is that there is also a passport card which looks kinda like a drivers license or state ID. However, unlike a drivers license which is issued by the state government, the passport card is issued by the United States government for the purposes of travel.
Back in 2007 there was a change in travel laws, these changes required a passport to enter “next-door countries” such as Canada and Mexico. Previously a birth certificate was accepted to gain entry into many of these countries. In 2008 the U.S. State Department released the passport card as an inexpensive alternative to the passport book. The Passport Card is intended to be used in places where, before 2007, a birth certificate would have been accepted.
The Passport Card can be used for overland, or sea travel to Canada, Mexico, and a handful of Caribbean countries including Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and a few others. The passport card is a great alternative to a passport book for alaskan cruises, and some Caribbean cruises. It’s important to note that the passport card will not be accepted for Air Travel, even to a country that accepts it.
Advantages of the passport card include: It’s more durable than the passport book. It’s the same form factor as a credit card making it easier to keep on your person. And It’s cheaper then a passport book.
Travel Tip: Starting in 2023 the TSA will require travelers over the age of 18 to present a REAL-ID compliant form of identification to fly. If you have’t yet gotten a REAL-ID compliant form of of identification, or you have an issue where you don’t have your state ID available when you travel the Passport Card will work in it’s place for domestic flights.