PASS Card
 The
Department of Homeland Security recently developed the
U.S. Passport card.
This new passport card is also referred to as the PASS card, and is a limited
use passport in a wallet sized format. The PASS card
went into production in July, 2008, and as of January 2009, over 760,000
Americans have ordered their PASS card, or U.S. Passport card. Once the
Department of Homeland Security receives the U.S. Passport card application,
individuals can expect to receive it 3 weeks.
PASS cards are considered an acceptable proof of
identification. Other acceptable forms of identification as deemed by the U.S.
government, include passports, the Mexican “laser visa,” and the SENTRI, NEXUS and FAST cards,
which are used along the northern border. The validity is
currently suggested to be 10 years for individuals aged 16 and over, and 5 years
for children aged 15 and younger. However the PASS card, or U.S. Passport card
is not valid for international air travel, and a U.S. Passport is accepted.
Former
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and DHS secretary Michael Chertoff touted the
PASS card program as a traveler-friendly solution to the tightened border
credential requirement.
The PASS cards aim to provide U.S. citizens with a travel credential
that costs less than a full size passport and is
more convenient to transport. The
passport card, or PASS card, is
issued by the State Department but security regulations are determined by the DHS (Department of Homeland Security).
The PASS card is
only valid for land and sea travel between the United States and Canada,
Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. It is especially beneficial to business
travelers and other individuals who live in border communities and travel
frequently (by land or sea) between the United States, Canada and Mexico. The
PASS card is also a less expensive alternative to a
regular sized United States
passport. The PASS card has become very popular with
cruise ship passengers, as it can be used for cruise ship
travel between the United States and Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
The PASScard is only available to United States citizens. Individuals who are not
yet United States citizens are encouraged to apply for
U.S. citizenship as soon
as possible. Applications for U.S. citizenship are available for download.
The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative has the following implementation phases:
- January 23, 2007
- January 31, 2008
- June 1. 2009
The purpose of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is to strengthen
border
security by requiring visitors and United States citizens to provide secure and
reliable documentation which identifies the individual and his or her
citizenship. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is based upon the
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which requires the
Department of Homeland Security and Department of State to develop an
identification plan for individuals entering the United States.
The first phase (January 23, 2007) of implementation is only related to air travel between the
United States and Mexico, Canada, Caribbean, Bermuda, and Central and South
America. All United States citizens must now possess a valid U.S.
passport in
order to fly to any country outside the United States.
The second phase of implementation took effect on January 31, 2008. Effective,
January 31, 2008, all United
States citizens must possess a valid identity document (e.g. U.S.
drivers
license) and citizenship document (e.g. U.S.
birth certificate) to cross land
borders and sea borders between U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the
Caribbean region.
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