Customs And Immigration - Caribbean

[MMNETSEA]

To Repeat the question :- "If that card is not acceptable or prove a problem in any of the countries of the Caribbean, could someone quote chapter and verse?"

[osirissailing]

Originally Posted by MMNETSEA

To Repeat the question :- "If that card is not acceptable or prove a problem in any of the countries of the Caribbean, could someone quote chapter and verse?"

Anybody who asks for "chapter and verse" or "prove" when dealing with small countries and 3rd world countries is not connected with reality. Now that I have pissed you off - let me explain. As I have said and JeaneP has also discussed. The Passport Card is for speeding up the masses of USA citizen returnees to the USA border processing facilities. You cannot re-enter the USA without a "Passport" - no other document is acceptable for USA citizens. As stated, the huge volume of USA citizens returning from partial-day or short-duration/ frequent crossings (examples given by JeanneP) got to be ridiculous with a Passport Book. So the Passport Card was introduced with the RFID chip that reduces the processing time by 75% per returning USA citizen.

Use of the Passport Card has not been tested outside the USA as an alternative to the Passport Book. Little countries and third world countries do not have the computers and definitely do not have the RFID chip readers. And as mentioned they "need" to "smack that stamp" in your Passport book - that seems to bring them great joy in fulfilling their only purpose in life. These countries do not have any "laws - chapter and verse" addressing Passport Cards. They only have "laws" about dealing with Passports (book-form)" or the original way of drivers license, voting registration and birth certificate. Which the Bahamas still has as an option when entering. In these countries - everything is very flexible - i.e. up to the local official's discretion. Mostly all countries "knee-jerk" react to any restrictions instituted by the USA Homeland Security for their citizens to visit the USA and require corresponding restrictions - but only up to the point where it does not affect tourist income to the island.

That is why I mentioned that in the Future - the more advanced islands like the French who use all-computer entry/exit procedures that you perform yourself might be amenable to use of the Passport Card. The French islands have mostly discontinued using any government employees (C/I officials) for yacht check-in/out. You do-it-yourself and take the print-out to the proprietor/clerk of the internet cafe, boat parts store, or even restaurant which have the French computer system installed and get the print-out stamped. Simple, elegant and very convenient for us.

So bottom line - there is no "chapter and verse" in these places - and if there was - we would not have access to it except by visiting the main headquarters of the government and pestering the local staff to find and retrieve the physical book of laws and regulations. That is something none of us need to do or would even attempt to do. Given that there might be only one or maybe two places where the Passport Card would be usable and you will HAVE to have the Passport "book" for all others - why bother? The Q&A that I quoted was from the bottom of the page you linked to - and it amplifies the reasons, procedures and eligible places for its use. That is the "chapter and verse."