U.S. passport card

What the passport card is and is not

The passport card is a credit card-sized travel document issued by the U.S. Department of State. It fits in a standard wallet, proves U.S. citizenship and identity, and carries the same validity period as a passport book — 10 years for adults 16 and older, 5 years for children under 16.

What it cannot do: get you on an international flight. The card is not valid for international air travel to any destination, including Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean. Airlines will reject it at the gate. This is the document's defining limitation.

What surprises many travelers: the passport card qualifies as a REAL ID-compliant document for domestic air travel within the United States. TSA accepts it in lieu of a state driver's license or ID at airport security. A wallet-sized document does meet federal ID requirements for domestic flights — the book and card are equal in that respect.

The card contains an RFID chip. At land border crossings, CBP operates dedicated Ready Lanes that process RFID-chipped documents faster than standard lanes. Frequent land border crossers gain a practical speed advantage that a standard identification document does not provide. The State Department recommends using a shielding sleeve when the card is not in use, since the RFID chip can be read remotely without removing the card from your wallet.

Where the passport card is accepted

The card is accepted for entry into the United States at land border crossings and sea ports of entry from four destinations: Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and some Caribbean countries. At land crossings, RFID-equipped Ready Lanes process cardholders faster.

The card is not accepted for international air travel anywhere. That includes flights to Canada, Mexico, and Caribbean islands — destinations where the card works fine by sea or land. Flying to Cancún requires a passport book. Taking a cruise that departs from a U.S. port and stops in Nassau does not.

The card is also not accepted for travel to Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Australia, or any other destination not listed above. If there is any chance you will need to fly internationally or visit a destination outside the covered list, you need a passport book.

Domestically, TSA accepts the passport card as a valid REAL ID-compliant ID for U.S. flights. It also works as a government photo ID for most everyday purposes — federal buildings, financial institutions, and similar contexts that require government-issued identification.

Passport card fees

The fees below are set by the U.S. Department of State. Per the State Department's fees page (last updated March 19, 2026):

The $35 execution fee is paid to the acceptance facility, not the U.S. Department of State. Children under 16 cannot renew — they must apply as first-time applicants in person regardless of whether they previously held a card. Renewal by mail follows DS-82 eligibility rules; see the full fee schedule for complete details.

Applying for both a book and card on the same application saves $35. You pay one execution fee, not two. The combined application fee for both documents is $160 for adults (not $165) — the State Department charges $130 for the book and $30 for the card. One $35 execution fee on top brings the first-time adult total to $195.

How to apply for a passport card

First-time card applicants use Form DS-11, the same form required for a first-time passport book. At the top of DS-11, a checkbox asks whether you want a book, a card, or both — check the card box or both boxes. You must appear in person at a passport acceptance facility; DS-11 requires in-person signature witnessing and cannot be mailed in.

If you already hold an adult passport book, you can apply for a card by mail using Form DS-82, treating it as a "renewal" even if you have never held a card before. The State Department explicitly allows this. Same eligibility rules apply as for renewing a book by mail: the book must be undamaged, issued when you were 16 or older, and not expired for more than 15 years.

Processing time is the same as for a passport book — the State Department does not offer faster turnaround for cards. Current estimates are at the processing times page. One practical detail: if you apply for both book and card on one application, they ship separately. The card often arrives before the book. Do not treat receipt of the card as confirmation that the book is on the way on the same timeline.

Expedited service is available for card applications and adds $60 to the application fee, the same as for books.

Who should get a passport card

The card is a good fit in four situations. You cross the U.S.-Canada or U.S.-Mexico land border regularly. You take cruises that stop in the Caribbean or Bermuda. You want a compact government photo ID that fits in a wallet. You already have a passport book and want a backup document that costs $30 to renew.

The card is not useful if you fly internationally — at all. A single international flight to Canada, Mexico, or anywhere else requires a passport book. The card will not get you through departure security. If there is any chance of international air travel in the next decade, get a book.

First-time applicants who are uncertain about future travel should get the book, not the card. The book covers every scenario the card covers, plus all international air travel. The card covers a meaningful subset. Choosing only the card to save $100 at application can cost more later if circumstances change.

That said, getting both at the same time costs $30 more than the book alone. One shared execution fee means the card is nearly free when added to a simultaneous book application. For most first-time applicants who have any reasonable expectation of crossing a land border in the next decade, applying for both is the practical choice.