Since 2004, anyone traveling outside of the United States, including Canada or Mexico, must carry a valid passport. For many travelers, applying for and having a valid passport is a fairly straightforward process – submit the application with fees and receive a passport in the mail six to eight weeks later. What many travelers do not realize is that what they have in their hands is much more than an identity and citizenship verification.
A passport book is more than a government issued ID and collection of stamps. Instead, it is a snapshot of a traveler’s full identity and what precautions (if any) need to be taken with their handling. With the changing roles of passports, the rules surrounding them have also adapted, meaning that a passport is more than just a travel document. Here are five facts you may not have known about your passport.
Passports are required for all international travel (type of)
With the adoption of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, passports are required for all forms of international travel: air, land and sea. But what type of passport is required can be based on the mode of transportation that travelers take.
Travelers who fly to a different country on a plane, whether commercial or private, must have a passport for their travels with no exceptions. However, those traveling by land and sea can get away with a government-issued passport card, which costs less than a full passport book.
Additionally, travelers who have an Enhanced Driver’s License from their state can enter the United States from a land or sea crossing without incident. Currently, only five states bordering Canada offer improved driver’s licenses to motorists. Until the EDL is a regular part of the trip, plan to carry a passport.
That it is possible to obtain a passport on the same day of travel
Although it may seem unlikely, qualifying travelers can apply for and receive a passport the same day. The process only applies to a limited number of travelers who can legitimately demonstrate that they need a passport for an imminent trip.
Travelers with immediate travel plans (within the next 48 hours) or traveling in case of life or death emergencies can receive their passport by applying directly at certain locations of the Department of State Passport Agency, such as the location in Washington, DC. prove your emergency before the Agency accepts your passport application. Emergency passports are subject to a $ 60 issuance fee, as well as any other fees required to call service. However, it may be better to simply apply for a second passport and reduce the chances of losing an original passport.
Soon it will no longer be possible to order bonus pages for passports
When frequent international travelers run out of pages in their passport books, the easy solution is to request additional passport pages. Travelers simply submit their passport to the State Department with their application, pay the required fees, and receive a passport with additional pages added. However, that program will end in 2016.
At the end of 2015, the State Department will no longer allow travelers to request additional pages. Travelers planning additional international travel will have two options: apply for a second passport or apply for a larger 52-page passport on their next renewal.
Passports connect travelers with their confirmed identities
While this may seem like an obvious point, modern passports have multiple layers of protection to link a traveler to their identity. Today, biometric passports contain RFID chips that carry a number of traveler identification factors, including (but not limited to) fingerprint information, data for face-scan cameras, and even data for iris-reading cameras.
While a passport can in theory be forged, identity thieves will have a hard time passing biometric checks. More than forty nations that issue biometric passports (including the United States) participate in ICAO’s international PKD program, reducing the possibility of fraud.
Embassies can issue emergency passports in the worst case
Although the U.S. Embassy has limitations on what they can do for travelers, those who lose or have their passports stolen can request an emergency passport for their trip home. Those travelers who have created an emergency kit that includes copies of their passport and relevant information can often find the process straightforward.
While many embassies prefer to issue replacement passports, travelers can receive emergency passports to return on impending trips. Once back in their home country, many nations will allow those travelers to return their temporary passports for full replacement.
