Passport card applications are currently being accepted in anticipation of land border travel document requirements.  Based on current projections, the U.S. Department of State expects to begin production of the passport card in June, and be in full production in July.  

The U.S. passport card will facilitate entry and expedite document processing at U.S. land and sea ports-of-entry when arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.  The card may not be used to travel by air.  It will otherwise carry the rights and privileges of the U.S. passport book and will be adjudicated to the exact same standards.

The Department of State is issuing this passport card in response to the needs of border resident communities for a less expensive and more portable alternative to the traditional passport book.  U.S. Passport Cards are valid 10 years for adults age 16 and older, and 5 years for children age 15 and younger.

To facilitate the frequent travel of U.S. citizens living in border communities and to meet the Department of Homeland Security's operational needs at land borders, the passport card will contain a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip.  This chip will link the card to a stored record in secure government databases.  There will be no personal information written to the RFID chip itself.