A card holding apparatus of the present invention includes a seal member 12 that is provided so as to surround the periphery of a contact terminal portion 11. When a lid 3 is positioned in a closed position with a smart card 100 retained by the lid 3, the seal member 12 comes into close contact with the periphery of a terminal 101. Thus, even when foreign matter such as water or dust intrudes into a space between the lid 3 and a housing 1, adhesion of such foreign matter to contact terminals 11a or the terminal 101 can be prevented.