In part to 9/11 and the Iraq War, there have been a few initial procedures that have led to new safety and travel laws. The United States particularly has cracked down on codes in order to ensure the safety of their own citizens and with the help of neighboring countries such as Canada and Mexico it has spread over their borders. The Mexican passport card is one of the newer interventions to help bring safety to all travelers to Mexico.
The Mexican passport card, otherwise known as the PASS, is a required document for travelers who expect to spend any time going back and forth over the border. Beginning in January 2008, the new laws determined that all people going from air, ground or boat must have a passport (legal and valid), Alien registration card or NEXUS card. This applies to the United States, Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, Caribbean, and Central and South America. The reasoning is to keep everything safe and protected and with the recent outbreaks of passport forgery, keeping things intact.
Many people confuse the PASS (Mexican passport card) with a regular passport. The main difference between the two is the limitations that each has. The passport card is a more limited passport that allows travelers to go by land or sea through the US, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean’s. While you can use a regular passport if you have one, it may be easier to apply for a PASS card if you just want to go between these neighboring countries. A normal passport, on the other hand, is a global travel book that allows a person to go from country to country around the world. You can use this for air travel as well as land and sea (including ferry rides).
The PASS card came into existence, at least the idea, in 2004 when the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act required the Department of Homeland Security to do something about protecting the travelers of the United States and the neighboring countries. In 2006, the PASS card was officially implemented to be the answer to the problematic situation. Not only would Mexico benefit from the card, but the US, Canada and the other countries involved would receive better overall protection.
Since the passport card has only been in existence for a few months it is still under careful watch as to whether it will be an effective tool for travel or not. The ultimate goal is to strengthen border security and make sure that there is no wrongful entry to the United States but to allow freedom and ease to those who want to legally go back and forth. The PASS card seems as if it is a reliable and legitimate solution to an international dilemma. The Mexican passport card also serves as a way for the Department of Homeland Security to act quicker and identify travelers with more ease then ever.

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