Starting This Monday, Minnesota residents can apply for an enhanced driver's license or identification card that will allow them to re-enter the United States from Canada, Bermuda, Mexico and the Caribbean without needing a passport.

How it works: a vicinity Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip that will signal a secure system to pull up your biographic and biometric data for the CBP officer as you approach the border inspection booth, and a Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) or barcode that the CBP officer can read electronically if RFID isn't available. No personal info is transferred.

Minnesota is now the 5th state to offer this identification, Department of Homeland Security's Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, a Minnesota resident who is 16 or older and must have a driving record that allow them to legally operate a motor vehicle. A Social Security number and proof of residency must be presented at the time of application.

The new license will cost an extra $15 above and beyond the normal costs for getting a license in Minnesota. That makes it a much cheaper option than getting a US passport.

 

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