Difference Between Passport Book and Passport Card

Table of Contents

Main Difference

Without a passport or legal document, no one can travel into the territory of other country. Passport is a legal document that is issued to a citizens and non-citizens nationals of a country. It is unlawful to travel without a passport in another country. Passport is in fact the identity of a person that shows from where you belong, your short personal profile and identity number. In this regard, two types of terms passport book and passport card are widely used. To some extent both looks same but there exists some differences between two.

What is Passport Book?

Passport book is a kind of passport that is issued for international travel by air, sea or land. It enables a person to easily travel anywhere in the world, however, travel to certain countries may requires a visa. Some counties allows to keep dual passport while some allows only one and if anyone is interested in another passport than he has to withdraw its original passport. However, if anyone has more than one passport after permission than he is required to use their native passport to enter and leave the country.

What is Passport Card?

Passport card or pass card is alternative to passport that is used for international travel only by sea and land. It is a wallet-size travel document, issued to citizens and non-citizens nationals that can be used in within and outside the country. Passport card was first issued by United States to its citizens for land and sea travel within North America – Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. It is not globally recognized document for travel and used in some areas of United States only.

Key Differences

  • Passport book is valid for international travel by air, sea, or land. Passport card is also valid for international travel but by land or sea only.
  • Passport card is wallet sized document while passport book size is 5″ x 3.5″ (when closed).
  • As passport books allows more activities as compare to passport card so they tend to cost more as well.
  • Passport book is a globally recognized travel document while passport card is not a globally recognized document. It is limited to some countries only.
  • Passport book is widely used for international travel while passport card is used for United States citizens who live in border territories in the US.
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