DOS Launches 90-Day Pilot Program Allowing Online Passport Card Applications
On January 24, 2012, the Department of State’s Office of Passport Services launched a 90-day pilot program allowing adult U.S. citizens living in the United States and Canada to apply for a passport card online. Those applying online are not required to mail in their current passport book. The wallet-sized U.S. passport card costs $30 for current passport book holders, and is valid for land and sea travel to and from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. It is not valid for international air travel.
To participate in the program, applicants must currently possess a valid 10-year U.S. passport book with at least 12 months of validity remaining, upload an acceptable digital photograph, and make an online payment in U.S. dollars via Pay.gov. Applications accepted through the program will be subject to the same adjudication standards as in-person or mail-in applications.
The Department of State began producing the passport card in 2008 in response to travel document requirements imposed by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Since then, more than 4.5 million cards have been issued.
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