A U.S. proposal to require passports from everyone crossing the Canada-U.S. border has been scrapped in favour of a new security card.
The so-called PASS (People Access Security Service) card is the size of a credit card, costs half of what a passport would, and will contain a special ID that could be read metres away at border crossings, according to administration officials.
It’ll be required by Jan. 1, 2008, from all Americans, Canadians and Mexicans arriving in the United States over land.
"We're talking about, essentially, the kind of driver's licence or other simple card identification that almost all of us carry in our wallets day in and day out," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
"This new People Access Security Service, or PASS system card, will be particularly useful for those citizens in border communities who regularly cross northern and southern borders every day as an integral part of their daily lives."
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