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 News from Around the Americas | October 2006 
U.S. Studies Passport Card for Canada, Mexico
 Reuters
| | The State Department said the card itself would not contain personal information but would link to a government database that would contain a photograph and biographical data. |
The U.S. State Department on Tuesday proposed developing a wallet-sized "passport card" that would allow U.S. citizens to travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and parts of the Caribbean.
The card is designed to speed the travel of the millions of Americans who go to Canada and Mexico by land as well as those who visit some Caribbean nations from cruise ships.
At present, such travelers typically do not need passports and the card - if developed - would create a new travel document that would be more secure and uniform than a U.S. drivers' license or birth certificate, a U.S. official said.
The State Department said the card itself would not contain personal information but - using radio technology - would link to a government database that would contain a photograph and biographical data.
The proposal - which is being submitted for public comment before it can be carried out - was criticized by Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record), a Vermont Democrat, who said in a statement it would "risk the personal information of millions of Americans."
The State Department said obtaining the proposed card would cost adults $45 and children $35. In contrast, applying for a passport costs $97 for adults and $82 for children under 16 |
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