The U.S. Passport Card is FINALLY arriving

Will the U.S. Passport Card work for you? It could if you need to make frequent trips to Canada or Mexico. It really is a great idea. So why is it being implemented late?

As efforts have been made, since 911, to better secure United States borders, these very same efforts have done wonders to make it difficult for Mexicans and Canadians, who often have legitimate requirements for frequent visits to the U.S., to make a quick and smooth transition over the borders. In requiring Canadians to provide passports, a Canadian travel agent was quoted, in an article in the Washington Post dated April 6, 2005, that he could see the student travel business from Canada to the U.S. almost drying up.

The new policy developed out of a desire to reduce reliance on state driver’s licenses for entry into this country because of the ease with which they can be fraudulently obtained. The first phase of the new rule went into effect Dec 31, 2005, which required all U.S. citizens, traveling by air or sea, to or from the Caribbean, as well as Central and South America, to have passports.

The debacle caused by this ruling was, literally, a months’ long backlog to obtain a U.S. passport. It was disgraceful the way the Department of State was totally unprepared for the volume of applications. And once it became apparent how large the number of requests would be, it still took the State Department way to long to hire additional staff and make the necessary changes so passport processing could be handled in a more timely fashion than 4-6 months.

The next phase, which would apply these documentation rules to all air and sea travel to or from Mexico and Canada, began a year later. And the last phase, which affects the most people, took effect on Dec. 31, 2007, applying the requirement to all air, sea and land border crossings with Mexico and Canada.

To meet these new requirements for land border crossings, a lot of communities along the borders had been asking the Federal government for an alternative to the bulky passport. In response, the Department of State announced a proposal for developing a card-format passport for travel between the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. It would be a limited use wallet-sized card that would cost significantly less than a traditional passport. The media note for this card was released October 17, 2006.

Now, fast forward (if such a term is at all possible when referring to the United States government) and applications are finally, now, being taken for this card. Production will actually start next month, June, 2008. Typical of how our Federal government works, this is to help facilitate land border crossings based upon regulations implemented LAST December. If a passport card will work for you, better get in line fast.

The author and her husband have just finished visiting 6 continents. The 7th, Asia, is on the schedule. You’ll find more tips, suggestions and resources at Safe Travel Information.