New York State’s “enhanced driver license,” which U.S. citizens may use instead of a passport for North American international travel, won approval by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Governor Paterson said.

“The development of this license will help to ease long lines at our New York-Canada border crossings, allowing commerce to flow more freely and securely in and out of the state,” Mr. Paterson’s statement said. “It represents a major step forward that will help the upstate economy and offer a convenience for all New Yorkers who travel in North America.”

The license may be used for all border crossings between America and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda, and is intended to expedite travel and commerce, the governor said in a prepared statement. Under federal law, as of June 1, 2009, passports or other secure documentation will be required to enter the U.S. from these places.

The secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, called the agreement between the state and his department “a win for U.S. citizens in New York State and a win for the security of the rest of the country.”

To obtain the license from the state Department of Motor Vehicles, New Yorkers will be required to show several documents to prove identity, citizenship, and residence. The state will be the second in the America to make the licenses available, the governor’s office said in a news release.

The document will cost $30 more than a regular state driver license, which costs from $52.50 for a 21-year-old to $85 for a 17-year-old. An original U.S. passport application costs $100.

Last year, Governor Spitzer advocated driver licenses for illegal immigrants with enhanced documents that American citizens could use as identification when traveling. Mr. Spitzer withdrew that proposal amid opposition from the public and Legislature.

Enhanced licenses will require proof of citizenship, either a birth certificate or passport, a spokesman for Mr. Paterson, Errol Cockfield, said. The license itself will feature a Radio Frequency Identification chip that will signal a border patrol officer’s computer to retrieve biographic and biometric data, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman, Amy Kudwa, said.

In Washington State, the only other jurisdiction to receive federal approval, an applicant must show state residency and proof of U.S. citizenship with a passport, certified birth or naturalization certificate or a State Department Consular Report of Birth Abroad.