The e-Passport permits travel internationally by any means (planes, trains, auto, ship, etc.). The passport card is only for travel to/from the U.S. from Canada and Mexico and can not be used for air travel.

The e-passport is secure and uses contactless smartcard technology following the ISO 14443 standard. It can only be read from a maxium distance of about 2 inches. It is secure and is deployed in more the 40 countries currently issuing electronic passports. There is no need to keep an e-passport in a sleeve, nor does the State Dept recommend this. They do advise that you keep you e-passport closed when you are not using it for additional security, Since it is a bookjlet, it closes by itself so that is really a non-issue. Read more at: http://travel.state.gov/passport/eppt/eppt_2788.html

The U.S. Passport Card is a wallet-sized travel document that can be used to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry. Note that it cannot be used for international air travel. It contains an EPCglobal Gen2 standard UHF RFID chip intended to expedite border crossings. The cards are controversial because many feel the RFID chips lack enough security to safeguard identities and prevent cloning and other hacking. This is the same RFID technology used to track inventory or pay highway toll. It can be read from as far 30 feet and does not include the security features that are in the e-passport. Since the card can be read from 30′, you really should keep this in the protective sleeve as advised. Read more at http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html

Some degree of security has to be installed in passports – what we had before (plain paper) just wasn’t secure enough.
Now this is demonstrating problems.

It doesn’t matter what they come up with, someone will crack it – you can’t blame the passport agencies for wanting to make that task a bit more difficult.

Is there anything these idiots can’t screw up? This is what happens when you have bureaucrats enamored with outside cutting-edge “knowledge” that’s way, way beyond their competence to evaluate. In foreign policy you get an obsessive focus on “alw…

http://www.idstronghold.com/Secure-Sleeve-for-Passports-IDSH1002-001-/productinfo/IDSH1002-001/

They’re charging $5.99 for an alloy sleeve designed for passports.

I’m not endorsing that company in any way. I’m sure there are other sellers.

RT @NewYorkology: e-passport R*not*secure;State Dept urges travelers 2 put RFIDchip passports in radio-opaque sleeves [link to post]

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