USA Passport Card – It Shouldn’t Be A Hard Thing To Do

When you travel out of the United States, you need to bring a US passport with you, especially when visiting counties that require this document. Typically, you’ll bring your passport book, however, there are destinations that allow you to use the United States passport card . These destinations are part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI), which includes Canada, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Mexico. In this article, we’ll show you how to get a passport going to these destinations.

First off, let’s talk about what a passport card is. This is for those who are looking for a cheaper and more convenient alternative to the passport book. Unlike passport books that can be quite thick, passport cards are thin and can easily fit into your wallet.

The american passport card is great if you are all about your convenience when traveling. The passport card has radio frequency identification (RFID) chip in it that enables US Customs officials to scan your information without you having to pull it out of your pocket. This may sound like a small thing but it does help speed up the processing of your travel.

A passport card is also a cheaper alternative to the typical passport book. The fee for applying for a passport card is only about half of the passport book’s price. However, the use of passport cards are only allowed for travel to the WHTI destinations by land or sea. If you are going to travel to these destinations by air, you will then be required to submit your passport book.

Now, how do you apply for a passport card? Doing this depends if you already have a passport or not. If you are already a passport holder, or if you already had a passport before, then you can fill in Form DS-82, and submit it along with other requirements you need to fulfill. Filling in the DS-82 allows you to send your application for a passport card by mail.

However, if you haven’t had any passport before, then you will need to submit the Form DS-11. Unlike the DS-82, you will have to submit this form in person to the passport office. That’s why it’s important that you already familiarize yourself with the requirements you need to submit even before applying, so as to save you valuable time.

If you travel to various destinations regularly, then you’ll likely want to be flexible when it comes to your travel. You can get the flexibility you want if you apply for both a passport book and passport card. That way, you can use your passport card when visiting WTHI destinations then use your passport book to other destinations. What’s more is that you can get a considerable discount if you apply for both types of passports at the same time.

To summarize this information, you need a US passport card when traveling to WHTI destinations. Look into this alternative before your next trip.

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