Talk:United States passport card

Inability to be used for air travel, standards and links with European ID cards
Does anyone know why the passport card cannot be used for international travel? The Dept. of State claims it has something to do with ICAO standard, but this arguemnt is unconvincing. I checked the statement and it is true that many other nations issue credit card sized IDs (like the US Passport Card) which can be used for international air travel.

In addition, the ICAO even issues its own guidelines concerning credit card identity documents (ICAO Document 9303, Part 3, Volume 1). The ICAO has nothing against the use and expansion of this format. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.181.126.48 (talk) 12:14, 11 November 2008 (UTC)

Examples: Switzerland issues credit card sized IDs which can be used for international air travel to almost all other European nations, including the UK, Ireland (not part of Schengen), countries not in the EU (Norway, Iceland), and countries outside of Europe (Turkey, Egypt). There are many other examples (Germany, Estonia, Austria, etc.)

I would say that whether or not the "cards" are valid depends less on the ICAO and more upon whether the issuing government and the government of the country to be visited accept the document for purposes of verifying identity.


 * You are perfectly correct, it is nothing to do with the ICAO. EU citizens can travel freely within the EU, all they need is national identity card to prove they are EU citizens. And this, by extension, applies to any non-EU countries which are in Schengen (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland). Of course, within one country you can also fly without a passport, it is up to the government and airlines to decide what identification (if any) is needed at check-in. All Intra-Schengen are handled as "domestic", there are no border controls, the identity check is a security check done at check-in.
 * Question: If the US card can't be used for air travel, how can you use it to get to the Caribbean or Bermuda? Is there a ferry service? TiffaF (talk) 06:45, 5 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Answer: No, but cruise ships travel to the Carribean from the United States. APS221 (talk) 07:38, 2 January 2010 (UTC)

As the "opposition" section still (after one year of being tagged) has no references, I suggest it be deleted. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jaimiethedog (talk • contribs) 11:43, 24 May 2009 (UTC)

Suggestion to rename article "U.S. Passport Card"
Perhaps the article should be renamed "U.S. Passport Card" to ensure that it is the world-wide view and not US-centered.
 * Like mentioned by anon, it seems to be the equivalent of European identity cards, so it would be logic to link them, or even merged this into identity card as it's exactly what it is. &#65293; Cy21 ➜ discuss 09:56, 25 March 2010 (UTC)
 * I agree with the renaming proposal. The passport card as such is defined in ICAO 9303 part 3 on page xvi as:

A td1-sized card which may be issued in place of, or in addition to, a passport book and which one or more receiving states agree to accept as a passport. The also mention a specific commission on it. So this article is about the US card specifically... L.tak (talk) 11:59, 20 August 2010 (UTC)

Acceptance of the passport card as the proof of identity inside and outside of the USA
This is a statement supported only by the link to the US embassy in Germany, but practically such acceptance varies much among different private and even governmental entities. From my personal experience, my passport card was rejected by several banks, by a California notary and even by TSA employees. In addition, it is not accepted as a stand-alone identity document by the Washington Department of Licensing and by GRE test clerks because it does not contain a signature of the holder. Thus, stating that it can be used as a proof of identity is inaccurate. Also, it is not endorsed as a full proof of identity by the Department of State - an issuing agency. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.45.14.71 (talk) 04:03, 29 October 2010 (UTC)


 * I agree. My family members do not qualify for any DMV documents in our State(how is that legal)? So I use my passport card. With a verified US Birth Certificate, Social Security Number Card, a US Department of State ID, an A-list I-9 document, and the ultimate proof of being an American, probably 70% of places will not accept my passport card. What is it good for?-Presidentbalut (talk) 00:14, 29 December 2013 (UTC)
 * Is this card still poorly accepted inside US as an identity doc? I find it curious that driver's ID card are more accepted than passport cards... --Bouzinac (talk) 10:55, 24 October 2018 (UTC)
 * Many places that examine IDs give their ID checkers an explicit list of what is acceptable and what is not. This is likely to apply to bars, pharmacies, notaries public, hardware stores (some places require proof of age to buy spray paint) and so on. It can talk a long time for all these entities to update their lists. And in areas of the country not near a land border, there is little incentive to have a passport card, so people will not be used to seeing them. Jc3s5h (talk) 13:23, 24 October 2018 (UTC)

Updated Example Photo
There is a newer and updated photo of a U.S. Passport Card example on the government's website where the previous example photo was retrieved. Found at: http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html

I tried to upload it but I see that the Wikimedia Commons file for the previous photo is link to a fair amount of pages. I am not experienced enough to update this photo. Does anyone have the ability to update that file with the new photo? — Preceding unsigned comment added by King Clawson (talk • contribs) 20:01, 29 February 2012 (UTC)

"Intaglio"
"Most of the information on the card is printed as intaglio (raised) print," but intaglio is actually sunken below the surface. I am not familiar with this artifact, but someone should correct this. J S Ayer (talk) 03:19, 20 January 2013 (UTC)

De-facto or de-jure?
Compare what is stated in Identity document and in United States Passport Card (introduction). Identity documents in the United States doesnt state which. -Inowen (talk) 02:26, 24 February 2018 (UTC)
 * It isn't a national identity card... de jure or de facto. No US citizen or resident is required or expected to have one.
 * The body of the article clearly cites that its a nation identity card A United States passport card can be used as primary evidence of United States citizenship, just like a passport booklet, and can be used as a valid proof of citizenship and proof of identity both inside and outside the United States. Whether or not its required, it still is one. -  Galatz Talk  14:06, 10 April 2018 (UTC)

I have edited the lead section to avoid saying the passport card is a De jure national identification. Such wording implies that possession is mandatory, and that federal law requires widespread acceptance. In fact it is optional, is possessed by a fairly small minority of adults. Federal law and regulations only requires its acceptance in a few situations, such as the limited international travel scenarios described in the article, domestic air travel, access to certain federal facilities, and filling out Form I-9. Beyond that, its up to the choice of the government organization, corporation, or private individual concerned.

I have also marked this sentence as dubious:

"The passport card's intended primary purpose is for identification and to allow cardholders to travel by domestic air flights within the United States and to enter and exit the United States via land and sea between member states of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)."

The citation supporting this claim is a dead link. I suggest it is unlikely that the US State Department, which is responsible for passports and related documents, would create a card, the primary purpose of which is unqualified identification. Creating a general purpose ID card is outside the remit of the US State Department. I do not belive whoever added this statement correctly interpreted the cited source, back when it was still available. Or more likely, the editor who originally added the cite interpreted it correctly, but some later editor altered to his/her liking without bothering to read the citation. Jc3s5h (talk) 20:13, 23 October 2018 (UTC)
 * I used the Wayback Machine to find the State Department web page as it existed in 2014, and have edited the article to agree with what that page said. Jc3s5h (talk) 20:31, 23 October 2018 (UTC)

I will add another reason the passport card should not be considered de jure identification. The State Department may deny or revoke a passport or passport card for an American citizen or national if the State Department wishes to inhibit the ability of the person to travel internationally, because the person has seriously overdue taxes, or because the person has overdue child support payments. Also, courts may require those with an upcoming criminal trial to surrender their passports or passport cards to make it more difficult for them to flee the country. But a de jure identification would be available to everyone. Jc3s5h (talk) 16:23, 12 November 2020 (UTC)

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