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US Passport Cards to contain RFID chips

Trackers-R-Us | 25.01.2008 17:25 | Free Spaces | Repression | World

The US will begin issuing Passport cards for frequent travel between the US and Mexico, Canada, the Carribbean, and Bermuda. These cards will contain Radio Frequenqy Identification Chips linked to government databases.





The following information is copy and pasted from an email sent by Elsa Rosales, Constituent Services Representative for Sen. Wyden, on Thursday, Jan 24 at 4:01pm.

U.S. PASSPORT CARD APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED BEGINNING FEBRUARY 1

U.S. citizens may begin applying in advance for the new U.S. Passport Card beginning February 1, 2008, in anticipation of land border travel document requirements. We expect cards will be available and mailed to applicants in spring 2008.

The passport card will facilitate entry and expedite document processing at U.S. land and sea ports-of-entry when arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The card may not be used to travel by air. It will otherwise carry the rights and privileges of the U.S. passport book and will be adjudicated to the exact same standards.

The Department of State is issuing this passport card in response to the needs of border resident communities for a less expensive and more portable alternative to the traditional passport book. The card will have the same validity period as a passport book: 10 years for an adult, five for children 15 and younger. For adults who already have a passport book, they may apply for the card as a passport renewal and pay only $20. First-time applicants will pay $45 for adult cards and $35 for children.

To facilitate the frequent travel of U.S. citizens living in border communities and to meet DHS's operational needs at land borders, the passport card will contain a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. This chip will link the card to a stored record in secure government databases. There will be no personal information written to the RFID chip itself.


Elsa Rosales

Constituent Services Representative

U..S. Senator Ron Wyden


Learn more about U.S. Passport Card

 http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3921.html

 http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3923.html

Trackers-R-Us