The U.S. Passport Card, an alternative to traditional passports using RFID technology, is part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to increase border security.

Beginning February 1st, 2008, the United States government will begin accepting applications for new passport cards, a wallet-sized alternative to traditional passports.

The United States Department of State will issue U.S. Passport Cards to United States citizens who arrive from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean by land and sea. Traditional passports are necessary when traveling by air.

Fees and Validity for US Passport Cards

The new cards are about half the cost of regular passports, and will carry the same rights and privileges as passports. Fees and validity for the new US Passport Cards are as follows:

• Valid for adults for 10 years
• Valid for children 15 and under for 5 years
• Fee of $45 for first-time adult applicants
• Fee of $35 for first-time child applicants
• Renewal fee of $20 for passport holders
• Additional fees may apply to first-time applicants, children and lost or stolen passports

Goals and Purpose of New US Passport Cards

The cards will reduce wait time at busy border checkpoints, and are part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, an initiative aimed at strengthening border security.

The new passport cards offer convenience and affordability for travelers, along with technology. According to the State Department, the cards include a “vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip” which will link the cards to stored information in secure government databases. The RFID technology has been used successfully with Canada and Mexico since 1995.

Due to the RFID chip, manual swiping of the cards through card readers will not need to be done. The chips allow the cards to be read wirelessly, from up to 20 feet away, making physical swipes of the cards through traditional card readers unnecessary.

Ann Barrett, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Passport Services, said, "As people are approaching a port of inspection, they can show the card to the reader, and by the time they get to the inspector, all the information will have been verified and they can be waved on through".

Privacy and Security

While the chip technology offers convenience for travelers, some security and privacy concerns have been raised. According to the State Department, security and privacy protection has been built into the cards. The chips include unique numbers linked to specific information, but will not contain any biographical information such as names or social security numbers. In order to guard against hackers, secure sleeves provided by the vendors will accompany cards. State-of-the-art protection against forgery and counterfeiting will also be included in the wallet-sized cards.

Availability of new US Passport Cards are targeted for the spring of 2008.

Read more technological advances using RFID technology in Microsoft's Digital Grocery Cart aricle.

For more information, see US Department of State Passport Sheet.

Sources:

Washington Post, Ellen Nakashima, Jan. 1, 2008

US Department of State Media Note