Have US passport, want a US Passport "Card"

Passport Book: Valid for all domestic travel as well as international travel by air, sea or land. Passport Card: Valid for all domestic travel including when entering the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry.

In Europe, your Global Entry Card has the same validity, that being an identification card issued by your home country ... which I'm some countries meets the requirement that you have something that fits that definition on you at all times. But read the language of each country rules.

But it doesn't replace a passport for travel to Europe. If they want your current passport I presume they will issue you a new passport that matches the card?

Yes, basically what they are saying is renew your passport now, pay the renewal fee, and they will send you a new Passport and a Passport card.

As was mentioned, the passport card in Europe is not an official replacement for your passport. It might satisfy Police or others doing a spot check, but they are not obligated to accept it, and could still fine you in those countries that require you to carry your passport on you. Same with any other form of ID.

I think BillTN already has a valid passport and is now asking whether he can get a passport card without "renewing" his current valid passport. According to the State Dept. website the answer is yes. Presumably there is a mechanism for obtaining the card without getting a hole punched in the current valid passport.

Can I get a passport card if I already have a passport book?
Yes. If you already have a passport book and you are eligible to use Form DS-82, you may apply for a passport card by mail as a "renewal" even if it is your first passport card.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/card.html, it's the second FAQ. Hope that helps.

Spam post just above has been reported

I'll take another try at this, but given the response so far, and what I think is vagueness on the state dept website regarding this, I will probably not try for the card until my current passport book is about to expire.

Like I said, I HAVE a valid US passport that is valid till 2032. What I am asking is, can I get a passport card and keep my current passport book, or does "renewal" in this case mean the passport book is punched with the hole so marked invalid so they can send a card.
If I check the "Passport card" on the form and send in $30 and my passport book, will I get the book back intact + the card?

If they invalidate my current passport, then really to have both, you have to pay the $130+$30, thus getting a new passport book as well. If so, there is no way to obtain just a card and keep the book you already have...

From the webpage: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/card.html

Can I get a passport card if I already have a passport book?
Yes. If you already have a passport book and you are eligible to use Form DS-82, you may apply for a passport card by mail as a "renewal" even if it is your first passport card.

If I check the "Passport card" on the form and send in $30 and my passport book, will I get the book back intact + the card?

In theory, the passport book you send in as proof of citizenship would only be cancelled if they issue a new passport book so you should get it back. The passport card is an addition. However, I understand your hesitation as they don’t explicitly state this on their website. I have both a passport card and a passport book, but I got them at the same time. They have different identification numbers on them, but the same expiration date. There is a customer service number on their website; you could try calling to confirm.

By the way, when I renewed I got 3 separate mailings (new passport, passport card, and old passport) on different dates.

Reminders for Contacting Us
Representatives are available Mondays through Fridays 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time, or on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. We close on federal holidays.
Our primary number is 1-877-487-2778.

I agree the website leaves a lot to be desired regarding what happens with a current passport book when it is sent in to get the card as an 'add on'.

It makes no sense that they would 'punch' a perfectly good passport, but the government does not always act what one would call 'a common sense' manner.

I would go to the bathroom , get a fresh cup of coffee, have a crossword puzzle or 2 at hand and call. Waiting until 2032 seems unnecessary. I have the card and just ordered it when doing the renewal of the book, so have no personal experience of the situation OP is in.

Posted by Laura I have both a passport card and a passport book, but I
got them at the same time. They have different identification numbers
on them, but the same expiration date.

That seems odd that they would have different ID numbers. Or am I missing something?

I was surprised that your US Passport number changes every time you renew it. My US state driver's license number doesn't change.

???

That seems odd that they would have different ID numbers. Or am I missing something?

Every passport book has a unique id (so you get a different number if you renew or replace). The same thing is true for the card. This would be stronger for security purposes (e.g., you lose or replace a passport and the old number is invalid and can’t be used again) so I suspect that is why they do it.

I don't cross the Canadian border enough to need it and I haven't crossed the border with Mexico since 2001. A card is good for land border crossings, not really useful for anything else (maybe as an ID to leave for a bike rental?). The card works well for people who cross a land border regularly, usually business travelers/workers

I have no definitive answers, but one can presume that if you are sending in your passport book as proof of citizenship, etc. for the passport card, and only include the $30 to "renew" the passport book rather than the fee that includes the passport book as well, you would get your passport book back intact. Ultimately, posing the question to the State Department via their customer services would be the only definitive answer (of course unless someone on this site has direct knowledge).

According to this site - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/renew.html#Step%20Three - if you are applying for a card for the first time, and you have a passport book, you MUST submit the passport book, but that SAME passport will be returned to you. Here is the info (unfortunately badly formatted due to this site). The bolded items apply to you. Follow the link above to see formatted info.

When you renew by mail or in person, you must submit your most recent passport(s) with your application. We will return your most recent passport book or card in a separate mailing. The most recent passport may not arrive for up to 8 weeks after you get your new passport. Learn below what document to submit based on what you want to renew:

Document (s) you want to renew (What to submit)

Passport Book and Card (Passport Book and Card)

Passport Book (Passport Book)

Passport Card (Passport Card)

I want to get my first card but only have a book (Passport Book)

I want to get my first book but only have a card (Passport Card)