US Passport Card is the de facto United States national identity card and limited travel documents issued by the United States federal government in credit card size. Like passport books, passport cards are only issued to US citizens and US citizens exclusively by the US Department of State and in accordance with the standards for identity documents established by the REAL ID Act and may be used as evidence of U.S. citizenship The passport card's main purpose is intended for identification and to allow cardholders to travel by domestic air flights in the United States and to enter or exit the United States by land and sea between member countries of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). However, passport cards can not be used for international air travel.
Passport cards (formerly known as Card Access Security Services , or PASS Cards ) are created as a result of WHTI which imposes stricter documentary requirements on travelers. A US passport card is considered a national de jure card of the United States. Applications have been accepted since February 1, 2008; card production starting July 14, 2008. By the end of 2016, more than 12 million Passport Cards have been issued to US citizens. This card is produced by L-1 Identity Solutions.
National identity cards of similar use are common in EU countries for national and international use. Like an Irish passport card, this card uses the "IP" designation inside the unreadable machine zone (MRZ) ("P" in the MRZ standard).
Video United States Passport Card
History
As a result of the September 11 attacks, the United States began implementing various measures to improve its border security and identity documents. One outcome of this is the WHTI, which mandates that smaller and safer documents verifying identity and citizenship are used to facilitate the identification and crossing of international borders. Before the WHTI, many different types of documents could be accepted for crossing the border, including birth certificates issued by thousands of different authorities in the United States and Canada. As a result of WHTI, American citizens traveling to Canada will be required to obtain a passport book to cross the border. To offer cheaper and more portable alternatives for border and traveling communities, passport cards are developed.
In an effort to improve efficiency at ground crossings, passport cards also include radio frequency identification chips around locations with unique identification numbers associated with government databases. Unlike passport books, RFID chips on passport cards are designed to be readable at longer distances, allowing border agents to access tourist information before they pull into an inspection station. While biometric passports contain chips that contain all traveler's information in electronic format, the RFID chips on passport cards do not contain any personal information beyond the identification number, which is used to search records in a secure government database. To prevent RFID chips from being read when cards are not in use, passport cards are equipped with sleeves designed to block RFID when inside.
Maps United States Passport Card
Use
Passport cards are limited travel documents, applicable only to land and sea travel in North America (Canada, USA, Mexico, Caribbean and Bermuda). Can not be used for international air travel. The State Department pointed out that this is because "designing passport card formats for widespread use, including by air travelers, will inadvertently undermine broad-based international efforts to strengthen civil aviation security and travel document specifications to address the post-9/11 environmental threat. ".
In addition to not being used for international air travel, passport cards are treated as passports for all other purposes. US passport cards may be used as a primary proof of US citizenship, such as a passport book, and may be used as evidence of legitimate citizenship and identity proof both within and outside the United States. However, the acceptance of passport cards as identity documents by private entities and governments in the US varies greatly, due to their unfamiliarity with many people.
Under the REAL ID Act, passport cards are also accepted for federal purposes (such as domestic air travel or entering a federal building), which may make it an attractive option for people living in countries whose driving license and ID card is not a REAL ID - comply when the terms apply. TSA regulations include passport cards as acceptable identity documents at airport security checkpoints. For the purposes of a country voter identity identification initiative, passport cards have been deemed acceptable.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services has indicated that US Passport Cards may be used in the I-9 Feasibility Verification Form. Passport cards are considered as "List A" documents which may be presented by new hires employed during the process of verifying work eligibility to indicate valid employment status. Document "Register A" is a document used by employees to prove the identity and work authorization when filling out Form I-9.
Validity and cost
Passport cards will share the same validity period as passport books: 10 years for persons 16 and older, 5 years for children under 16 years old. Beginning April 9, 2018, the passport card renewal fee for eligible applicants (adults only, by mail) is $ 30; first applicants and those applying directly must also pay a $ 35 processing fee, for a total cost of $ 65. Passport cards for children must be applied directly; total cost $ 50, including $ 35 processing fee.
Adults who already have a fully valid passport book can pay a fee of $ 30 to apply for the card as an extension of the passport.
Citizens or nationals are allowed to hold passport cards and passport booklets. Any passport entitles the holder to file another form (or both forms) as a "update" by mail at the end of its term.
Card layout
Passport cards are formatted in accordance with the specifications for travel documents of credit card size (ID-1), as described in ICAO Document 9303, Part 3, Volume 1. This card contains human readable and machine-readable information; the latter is printed in the machine-readable zone on the back of the card as OCR-readable text in the same format as on the passport book's passport page. The zone starts with an IP letter (designated by ICAO for passport card), followed by the country code of the US publisher and then the Passport Card serial number (beginning with "C" and is different from the individual passport book number, even if issued together). The Passport Card's general layout is almost identical to the Border Crossing Card layout issued to Mexicans with primarily background images and rights varying between two cards.
Anti-counterfeit features
In addition to embedded RFID chips, the front of the card features a complex multi-layer hologram consisting of an American bald eagle surrounded by the words "United States Department of State" in a small font that is easy to read, subsequently surrounded by the same words repeatedly in microprint. The background of this card consists of a rich variable rich and micro print rich curve. All personal information on the card is made by laser engraving, with some key information generated in the generated tactile engraving, including the date of birth, the "US" vertical letter, passport card number, and alphanumeric sequence under the photo. A second "ghost" photo smaller than the carrier is included on the right side of the card; when thoroughly examined this ghost image is actually an approximate shadow in the original photo consisting of various letters of the cardholder's name. There is a seal embossed in the upper left corner of the card (partially overlapping photos) that depicts the front of the Great Seal of the United States. On the back of the card, a "PASSsystem" sign appears in the Optics Ink. When viewed under UV lighting, a reddish orange bald eagle in flight appeared. On a new passport card, the eagle is surrounded by a blue ring that reads "From Sea To The Sea Shining".
Use
US Passport cards may be used at land border or seaport only for states and territories of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, currently:
US Passport Card accepted for road trip by Canadian and Mexican immigration authorities. US Passport Card is not applicable for international air travel.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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