Us government has recently introduced an innovative form of passport for the people who are not frequent international travelers. It is called Passport Cards and one of the main advantages of passport card is, it is less costly than the ordinary passport is. More over, it is a card form document which can be inserted in a valet. It is more useful for people who frequent in and around US mainly by land and Sea.
But it is always advisable to get a passport book than a passport card because no one can ever predict that when he/she would want to travel internationally. So when an opportunity to travel abroad knocks at your door, you will not get depressed of not having a full-fledged passport. Passport card can be used as a valid travel document when you travel by boat or ship to Canada, Bermuda Islands etc.
Passport card is useful to travel by land to the neighboring countries of US like Mexico, Canada, Bermuda etc.
The processing time for both passport card and the passport book is almost same. US government started issuing Passport cards only by 2008. Easiness to carry passport card is another advantage of it, where as it is not that easy in the case of a tradional passport book because it is bigger in size.
how to get a passport card
One can apply for a passport card when he renews his present passport book, if he/she wishes to have one. The validity period is same for both passport card and book, 10 years in the case of adults and 5 yrs in the case of children below 16years of age.
Passport card cost $45 for adults and $35 in the case of children under the age of 16years while Passport book cost $100 and $85 for minors respectively.
Us government has started issuing passport cards in response to the demands of the people who are living on the boarders of US.
Passport card has the advantage of radio frequency ID chip on it to check the identity of the person easily. So passport card has attained the status of valid ID document while you are in US. Passport cards can be used as an ID proof when you want to visit some federal offices and even at the time of applying for a job or to get an admission in the Universities in the US.
When compared to the conventional passport booklet the chances of misplacing or losing a passport card is less because of its portable size. The normal size of a passport card is same that of a credit card.
If somebody is least bothered about the cost part of a passport, it is best to go for both passport card and passport book.
Anyways, it is up to the individual to decide whether he needs the traditional passport book or the passport card considering both merits and demerits of both.
When it comes to practical scenario, passport book wins over passport cards because of its worldwide acceptance and validity. Whatever be the case, one needs to have a passport of either form or both which are accepted as identity proof and valid documents while somebody is on the move.