WASHINGTON, DC (CMC):

The United States Department of State says a new passport card, designed to expedite travel to the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico, is proving to be very popular.

The department said over 350,000 Americans have pre-ordered the wallet-size identification cards, which is not valid for air travel, but can be used for land and sea crossings.

"Beginning in June 2009, travellers will be required to present documents proving both citizenship and identity when entering the US through a land or sea border," it said. "For Americans, who drive to Canada or Mexico or cruise regularly to the Caribbean, but who do not expect to fly abroad, the passport card is a cheaper, smaller, more portable alternative to a conventional passport book."

The new passport card is the size of a US driver's license, and has a photo and identification information on it. It also contains a chip that allows border officials to instantly retrieve travellers' data. The passport cards are valid for 10 years.

The State Department said customers who submitted an application for the passport card prior to production would receive it between now and early September.

It said the new passport card is in keeping with the Western Hemisphere travel initiative, resulting from enactment of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

The act requires all American travellers to present a passport or other document that denotes identity and citizenship when entering the US.

"The goal of the initiative is to strengthen US border security while facilitating entry for US citizens and legitimate foreign visitors by providing standardised documentation that enables the Department of Homeland security to quickly and reliably identify a traveller," the State Department said.