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Brief: Delayed Passport Cards Expected in July

May 20, 2008 — Passport cards for travel between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean have been delayed until July, according to the U.S. State Department.
Lt. Gov. Gregory R. Francis has issued an alert to residents outlining the details of the delay.
The Office of the Lieutenant Governor has been designated a passport application acceptance facility by the State Department, taking and forwarding passport applications from the territory's residents.
The State Department is issuing the passport cards to give residents of U.S. border communities a less expensive and more portable alternative to the traditional passport book since more rigid passport and traveler proof of citizenship t requirements have come into effect.
To improve efficiency at land crossings, the passport card will also include a vicinity-read radio frequency identification chip with a unique identifying number tied to government databases, according to the State Department. (For more information click here.)
Production of the passport cards will begin in June, Francis' release says. In the Virgin Islands, passport cards will be useful for travel by ferry to and from the British Virgin Islands.
"It is important to remember that passport cards are not designed to be used for air travel," Francis said.
The card is not a substitute for a passport on international flights, but can be used as identification on domestic U.S. flights by U.S. citizens, such as flights from the Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico to the U.S. mainland, according to the State Department's website.
If you want to beat the lines, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor's Passport Division is accepting applications for the passport cards now. The card has the same validity period as a passport book: 10 years for an adult and five years for children 15 and younger. Adults who already have a fully valid passport may apply for the card as a passport renewal and pay only $20. First-time applicants will pay $45 for adult cards and $35 for children.
For more information about applying for a passport or a passport card, please contact the Office of the Lieutenant Governor at 340-774-4024 on St. Thomas and St. John or 340-773-6449 on St. Croix.
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