The regular passport looks like a small blue booklet. Inside you'll find your identifying information and your picture, along with blank pages for immigration stamps from foreign countries. You need to apply if you are getting your first U.S. passport, if you are seeking your first U.S. passport as an adult, if your passport was lost or stolen, if your name has changed since your last passport or if your previous passport was issued more than 15 years prior to your application for a new one. To apply, you will need to show evidence of U.S. citizenship. This can be accomplished with a previously issued passport, a certified birth certificate, a consular report of birth abroad, a naturalization certificate or a certificate of citizenship.
An E-Passport, or electronic passport, looks the same as a traditional passport but has an electronic chip embedded under the back cover. This chip stores the data recorded in your passport, including your passport picture, a chip identification number and a digital signature to keep the information from being altered.
The passport card is more portable and less expensive than a traditional passport. It was designed to meet the travel requirements of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. However, it is good for travel only to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda when making a land-based or water-based border crossing. A passport card can not be used for entry into a any foreign country when traveling by air.
