Should You Buy Passport Card Or the Book?

buy passport card

Should You Buy Passport Card Or the Book?

As more countries reopen their borders to tourists, many individuals are eager to plan an international adventure. Unfortunately, it can be confusing knowing whether the book or card passport application process should be undertaken first.

A passport card is a small wallet-sized document designed for land and sea travel within Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and Caribbean island nations. However, international air travel requires full passport book.

Passport cards differ from state driver’s licenses in that they are intended to be universally recognized by governments worldwide. Formatted according to United Nations ICAO machine-readable document standards and featuring national symbols like the U.S. flag for easier recognition as part of United States government documents, passport cards make an impression that can’t be missed when travelling overseas.

The passport card contains a proximity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip that links back to records held within secure government databases, without storing any personal data or information about its holder. Additionally, state-of-the-art security features protect it including multilayer hologram of an American bald eagle surrounded by words “United States of America Department of State” in clearly legible font and microprint.

Passport books tend to be more costly to buy and renew, yet provide more pages than their passport card counterparts – making them a good option for frequent travelers or those planning multiple air journeys. Furthermore, their application process takes slightly longer.