Expedited Passports

Have you applied for a US passport card recently? If so, your card may be defective. The US Department of State has announced that 658  passport cards were found to be defective.

The cards in question are invalid,  which means that if you try to use them to cross into Mexico or Canada, you could find yourself in a bit of a pickle as border officers will have to use other means to verify that you are a US citizen.

How do you know if your US passport card is defective? According to the Department of State, the defective cards were all issued on March 29th. If you got a passport card on that day, check the number. If it’s between C03612551 and C03613550, you may have a defective card and will need to get it replaced.

Defective cardholders are being notified by the Department of State, so if this is an issue for you, you are probably already aware of it.  But just in case, if your passport card number falls in the range above and you have questions, you can call  the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778. That line is open between 8am and 10pm Eastern, weekdays only.

Naturally, the government is issuing “immediate replacements” for the defective cards.

Passport cards are small, wallet-sized cards that can be used as proof of citizenship for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.  However, the cards are no good for travel to countries other than those listed above, and they are no good for air travel anywhere.  For that, you need the full-sized US passport book.

If you need a US passport in a hurry, RushMyPassport can help. We provide you with clear, easy-to-follow instructions to simplify the application process. Then, we hand-deliver your passport application to the Department of State for processing in as little as 24 hours.

Apply for your US passport today!

Have you gotten one of the new US passport cards yet? If you have one, and you are driving across an international bridge into Mexico or Canada, border officials want you to take that card out of your wallet and “wave it in the air like you just don’t care” before you get to the inspection booth.

No, this isn’t some elaborate prank designed to make you look foolish for border officials’ amusement.  According to the El Paso Times,  this procedure actually helps you get through the border crossing more quickly.

Here’s how it works: about 70 feet before each inspection booth, the government has set up a sensor. Waving your card in front of the sensor allows the officer in the booth to pull up your data before you get to the booth, cutting the time for a routine crossing by about 5 seconds per vehicle.

That doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it all adds up-if everyone who crossed the El Paso border with a passport card used the system, it would save a lot of time. William Molaski, the Customs and Border Patrol port director in El Paso, told the El Paso Times that

“As more people use their cards correctly, wait times will go down. A savings of only five seconds per vehicle reduces overall crossing times by about 30 (collective) hours a day.”

The system currently only works with US passport cards, not the standard US passport books. US passport cards are small, wallet-sized cards introduced to make crossing the border easier for people who have to do it frequently.  They are only good for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, and they are no good for plane travel.

If you are on a cruise or traveling more than a short distance over the Mexican or Canadian border, it makes sense to carry a passport book with you instead of a passport card, since you would need it to fly back home in case of an emergency.

Under a relatively new law that went into effect in June of last year, passports are required for most American travelers visiting Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean.  For more information about the requirements, see the following articles:

Do You Need a Passport to Go to Mexico?

Do You Need a Passport to Go to the Caribbean?

Do You Need a Passport to Go to Canada?

If the new regulations have caught you by surprise and you needed to have your passport application in, like, yesterday, RushMyPassport.com can help. With RushMyPassport, you get personal service and attention from an experienced passport specialist, help with your application and much faster service than you can get submitting your application at the post office. In fact, RushMyPassport can have your application processed in as little as 24 hours!

Apply for your US passport today!