Can I Have Both Passport and Passport Card at the Same Time?

Are you a frequent traveler? If so, knowing which documents are essential for crossing international borders can be hard. With both passport books and cards being offered by the government as acceptable forms of identification, you may wonder: Can I have both a passport and passport cards simultaneously?

The answer is yes; you can have both a passport book and a passport card. The passport book will allow you to travel internationally by air while the passport card is valid for land and sea travel between the US and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

Though they offer different benefits, having both documents may give additional peace of mind in case either.

Getting a Passport Card if You Already Have a Passport Book

If the applicant already has a passport book and is capable of utilizing form DS-82, they can apply for a passport card by using a mailing system.

Moreover, an applicant can use the same form, DS-82, when they go to apply for a renewal of their passport book at the same time that they are applying for their passport card if that is necessary. On the other hand, if you are not eligible to use form DS-82, then you will have to use form DS-11 in order to apply for a passport card.

Form DS-11 will necessitate the applicant to appear in person at their local passport application acceptance facility in order for them to obtain their passport card.

Passport cards are assembled with an RFID chip that does not comprise any personal information of the passport cardholder. However, it does have information that points to biographical information of the passport cardholder and photographs that are downloaded from government databases.