July 13, 2010
Passport prices will increase as of July 13, 2010. First time passport books for adults will be $135, with renewals now costing $110. Kids under 16 years of age will be $105.
Passport cards are going up as well, first time adult car will be $55, renewals $30, and kids under 16 years will be $40.
Begining in June 2009, travelers will be required to present a single Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) compliant document denoting both citizenship and identity when entering the United States through a land or sea border.
The passport card will facilitate the frequent travel of Americans living in border communities by utilizing a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. With this technology, DHS' U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers will be able to access photographs and other biographical information stored in secure government databases before the traveler reaches the inspection booth so that inspection can be facilitated. For privacy protection, no personal information is stored on the electronic chip itself. The chip will have only a unique number pointing to a stored record contained in secure government databases.
"We are pleased to offer Americans a choice of documents, the traditional passport book, and now the passport card, to meet their personal needs for international travel," said Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Janice L Jacobs. "The passport card is the newest addition to the Department's long history of providing secure, reliable services to the American traveling public."
"We've been working closely with the U.S. Department of State to be able to provide another type of secure identification that is vital to protecting our nation's borders," said Home land Security Assistant Secretary for Policy Stewart Baker. "The new passport cards will help facilitate legitimate travel while allowing our frontline personnel to focus more on those who may pose a threat."
The Passport Card is available for $45 for the first time adult applicants and $35 for children under 16. Adults who currently have valid passports can apply for the passport card by mail for $20.
For information on how to apply for U.S. Passport Card or the traditional passport book, please visit the following website: travel.state.gov.
Media Release dated July 22, 2008
BELLEVUE TRAVEL NOTES:
So, what does this mean to you?
Living in Nebraska like we do and most of our clients do, we still need passport books. We usually have to fly to anywhere international. If you were in New York, Washington State, Minnesota, Texas, California or any other border state and you drove over the border several times a year- it would be well worth it to get the passport card if you don't plan on flying internationally at all.
The passport book and card are both good for ten years for adults and five years for children 15 years and under. You won't save any money getting the passport card instead of the passport book if you travel by air to another country. YOU MUST HAVE A PASSPORT BOOK TO TRAVEL BY AIR BACK INTO THE U.S.A.