The passport card is the wallet-size travel document that can only be used to re-enter the United States at land border-crossings and sea ports-of-entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. The card provides a less expensive, smaller, and convenient alternative to the passport book for those who travel frequently to these destinations by land or by sea. The passport card cannot be used for international travel by air.

A U.S. passport book is your ticket to international travel. It allows you to travel anywhere by any means of transportation and is not limited like the card.  The passport book also allows you access to U.S. consular services and assistance while abroad. Most importantly, it allows you to re-enter the United States upon your return home.