United States passport card
| United States Passport Card | |
|---|---|
The front of a United States passport card | |
The back of a United States passport card | |
| Type | Identity document Travel document |
| Issued by | Department of State |
| First issued | 2008 |
| Purpose | Identification |
| Eligibility | United States nationality |
| Expiration | 10 years after date of issue for people 16 or older; 5 years for minors under 16 |
| Cost | $30 (adults) / $15 (minors under 16) $35 administration fee (required for all minor's cards and passports and an adult's first passport. Only one administration fee is charged for an individual applying for both a card and book at the same time.) |
The United States passport card is an optional national identity card and a travel document issued by the U.S. federal government in the size of a credit card. Like a United States passport book, the passport card is only issued to U.S. nationals and U.S. citizens exclusively by the U.S. Department of State. The passport card allows its holders to travel by air within the United States, and to travel by land and sea within part of North America. However, the passport card cannot be used for international air travel. U.S. passport cards can be used to verify identity and U.S. nationality. The requirements to attain the passport card are identical to the passport book.
The passport card (previously known as the People Access Security Service Card or PASS Card) was created as a result of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which imposed more stringent documentary requirements on travelers. As of 2025, more than 40 million passport cards have been issued to U.S. nationals. The card is manufactured by Idemia.
National identity cards with similar utility are common inside the European Union and European Free Trade Association countries for both national and international use, with the difference that such cards can also be used for international air travel (within the EU, the Schengen Area and several other European countries that allow entry with a national ID card).