New Passport Options

The US Department of State has begun mailing out new passport cards-these smaller, less expensive passport cards fit into a wallet. The card is being used in lieu of the larger, traditional passport book, which costs $100 for a new applicant. It is a steal at $20 if you already have a passport, and $45 for first-time applicants. The card can only be used for land or sea travel - not for air travel - in North America.

The passport card features an embedded radio transmitter that allows customs agents to quickly access passport information from government databases. This speeds up the border crossing process and allows customs agents to make better judgments regarding a person's entry into a country.

The processing time for the new passport card is about four weeks.