Expedited Passports

Did you know that the first US passports were actually printed by Ben Franklin? According to this book review of “The Passport: The History Of Man’s Most Travelled Document,” the first US passports were made especially for the  United States legation in Paris, France around 1777. Franklin modeled them after the French passports of the time, and printed them from his own printing press.

However, passports did not become commonplace until 1918, when carrying them abroad became mandatory instead of merely advisable.  According to the US Department of State’s blog, passports during this period consisted of a large sheet of paper with the bearer’s photo and other information, pasted into a book cover, and were “bulky and inconvenient to carry.”  By 1926, a lighter, more durable design had been unveiled, which more closely resembles the passport books we carry today.

Additional modifications were made to the design of US passports over the years, usually with the aim of making them harder to forge. For example, background watermark images were added and the binding was tied with special knots. Today, passports contain an RFID chip to that connects to the Department of State’s database, making them even more difficult to forge. We also have the smaller, wallet-sized passport card, although it is only valid for land and sea crossings to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

When applying for a passport today, it is important to allow enough time for the government to process your request. If you apply for regular service, allow at least 6 weeks (maybe longer if the Passport Office is going through a busy period). If you apply for the government’s expedited service, expect to wait at least 3 weeks.

To get your passport faster, a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com can be a real help. With RushMyPassport.com, your application could be processed in as little as 24 hours!

Apply for you US Passport today!

Could your business benefit from some face-to-face networking with clients that are far away? JetBlue is offering you the opportunity to score some face time with clients both inside and outside of the US. The airline’s new $599 unlimited travel pass gets you unlimited flights to and from any city JetBlue flies to between September 8th and October 8th.

With the travel pass, you can visit clients across the country as well as clients in Canada, Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. The Washington Post is telling business owners that “If you’d been sidelined by travel costs, this deal could get you back out in front of customers.

Of course, if you don’t have a passport and you plan on flying outside of the United States, you will need to apply for an emergency passport to leave in September. Right now, regular passport processing takes 6 weeks or longer, while the government’s expedited service takes at least 3 weeks. JetBlue’s offer includes hefty cancellation fees if you cancel a flight that’s already been booked, so you’d be wise to make sure you have your passport in time.

An expediting service is the easiest way to get an emergency passport for business travel.  You’ll need either a copy of your itinerary showing that you will be leaving the country in less than 2 weeks or a letter from your company explaining why you need to travel internationally within the next 10 days.

With an emergency passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com, you’ll get help navigating the paperwork and benefit from extremely fast processing times, often as quick as 24 hours!

Apply for your emergency passport today!

It seems like every time you turn around, there’s a new security rule you have to remember at the airport.  Now, TSA has begun a new program called “Secure Flight,” which attempts to reduce the number of people who are misidentified as being on the government’s no-fly list for suspected terrorists. As a result, your airline will now ask you to provide your name exactly as it appears on your driver’s license or passport-whichever ID you plan to present at the gate.

The New York Times’ Practical Traveler blog has a great article about the Secure Flight initiative and what it means for you. Basically, you need to start making sure that your name is the same on all of the documents you use for travel (passport, driver’s license, frequent-flier accounts, etc).  Right now, Secure Flight is still being phased in, and small differences such as having your full middle name on your passport and your middle initial only on the ticket should not keep you from flying.

However, more significant differences between the name on your passport and the name on your ticket can lead airline security to pull you aside for the dreaded “secondary screening.” For example, going by your middle name on your ticket when your passport has your full name can cause problems when you try to board the plane, even if you go by your middle name in everyday life. Whether or not you will be allowed to eventually board the plane is a toss-up, and depends on the judgment of the agent screening you. (more…)

Divorce is almost always a stressful and time-consuming process.  It’s all too easy to overlook little things that don’t seem important now, like changing your name on your passport. However, if you are changing your name as a result of a divorce, it’s best to apply for passport services immediately so that you have an updated passport when you need it.

Since May 15, the TSA has required that the name you book your tickets under match the name on your passport (or whatever other form of ID you use for traveling.) You can view the details of the new requirements here, on the TSA blog. So, it’s important to make sure that your passport has the right name on it.

The procedure for changing the name on your passport after a divorce varies depending on how long you’ve had your passport.  Here’s how to do it if your current passport is less than a year old:

• Fill out Form DS-5504
• Send it in with the court order documenting your name change and your current passport.
• If you’ve had your passport for more than 3 months, you also need to send in new passport photos.
• Unless you need expedited passport services, a name change on a passport less than a year old is free. To expedite your name change, enclose a check or money order for $60.00.

If your passport is more than a year old, the procedure is somewhat different:

• Fill out passport renewal application Form DS-82.
• Mail it in with your current passport and a court order documenting your name change.
• Send a check or money order for the $75 application fee.
• Enclose 2 new passport photos. (more…)

According to this article in the Miami Herald, now is the time to score great deals on transatlantic cruises. In the fall, cruise lines move their ships from the soon-to-be chilly waters off the coast of Europe to the always-sunny waters off the Caribbean. That means that you can save big-the Miami Herald article says that many cruise lines are offering cabins for as low as $100 per night!

What can you expect on a transatlantic cruise? Well, the weather may not always be perfect, and you’ll spend several days in a row on the boat as the ship crosses the Atlantic Ocean. However, most cruise lines add ports of call to the beginning AND the end of the trip-so if you can’t decide between a European cruise or a Caribbean cruise, you can get the best of both worlds!

Of course, to take advantage of these great deals, you will need a passport.  Most of the cruises take place in October and November, so remember to apply well in advance of your sailing date to ensure you have your passport in hand.

Currently, if you apply directly through the passport office, you can expect to wait at least 6 weeks for your passport to arrive. If you apply for the government’s expedited service, you can expect to wait at least 3 weeks.  That doesn’t allow as much spare time as it might seem-if you haven’t crossed all your t’s and dotted all your i’s on your passport application, it could be rejected and you would have to apply again.

The best way to ensure that you have your passport on time is to apply for an express passport private passport expediting service. An expediting service will help you with the paperwork to make sure you don’t make any mistakes, greatly improving the chances that your passport application will be processed the first time.

You’ll get your passport more quickly, too. Expediting companies offer express passport processing times that can be as quick as 24 hours.

Don’t let the ship sail without you-order your express passport today!

In June, getting a passport became mandatory for Americans traveling to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean via land or sea. However, there is an exception: You don’t need a passport if you are traveling to these areas on a closed-loop cruise, which is a cruise that begins and ends at the same US port.

Technically, all you need to go on a closed-loop cruise to any of these three regions is photo ID and a state-issued copy of your birth certificate or naturalization certificate to prove that you are a US citizen.   In this article from The Washington Post, a representative from the US State Department also recommends bringing  legal proof of a name change, such as a marriage certificate, divorce decree or court order,  if your name has changed since your birth certificate was issued.

However, even if you don’t need a passport for your cruise, you should consider getting one anyway.  For one thing, ALL US citizens returning from Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean by air must present passports to re-enter the country.  Hopefully, your cruise goes off without a hitch-but what if there were an emergency and you did need to fly home? (more…)

The passport card is a new  type of identification that is designed to be easy to carry in your wallet. It is the size and shape of a driver’s license, but is valid only for certain types of international travel. To apply for a new passport card, you will need to use one of the following procedures:

If You Already Have a US Passport:

If you already have a US passport, you may be able to apply for a new passport card using passport renewal form DS-82. To use this option, your current US passport must be undamaged and in your possession. Also, it must be less than 15 years since it was issued, and if your name has changed in the interim, you need official documentation of the name change.  Finally, in order to apply for a passport card by mail, your passport must have been issued when you were 16 or older. If you are eligible to apply by mail, fill out the form and send it in along with:

• Your passport.
• Legal proof of any name change.
• Two recent passport photos.
• A check or money order for $20.00

If you don’t have a passport already or are otherwise ineligible to apply by mail, you’ll need to do the following:

• Fill out form DS-11, Application for a New Passport, in person at a Regional Passport Acceptance Facility.
• Pay the fees: a $20 application fee and a$25 execution fee if you are over 16, and a $10 application fee and a $25 execution fee if you are under 16.
• Submit 2 passport photos.
• Submit proof of identification and proof of citizenship.

However, before you apply for a new passport card, consider carefully whether or not you might be better off getting a US passport book. A US passport card can only be used for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean. It cannot be used to travel to any other countries, and it cannot be used for international air travel at all.

A US passport is more expensive and bulkier, but it can be used to travel anywhere, by any means. Plus, you can’t expedite a passport book-so you’ll have to wait at least 6 weeks before you get yours.

However, you can expedite a new passport. The easiest way to do this is to use a private passport expediting service. An expediting service like RushMyPassport.com can help you with all the paperwork and will hand-deliver your passport application to the Department of State. Your new passport could be on its way back to you in as little as 24 hours.

Where can you go to apply for a passport renewal in New York City? Actually, most people are eligible to renew their passports by mail and do not have to go to the New York Passport Office. There’s no need to apply in person unless one of the following statements are true:

• Your old passport has been lost or stolen. You must turn it in with your passport renewal application.
• Your passport was issued when you were under the age of 16 or was issued more than 15 years ago.
• You have changed your name on your US passport and you don’t have legal documentation of the name change.

If any of the above statements apply to you, you are not eligible to renew by mail and must apply in person at a Passport Acceptance Facility, usually a library or a post office, for a brand-new passport.  If you are eligible to renew by mail, you can fill out passport renewal form DS-82 and send it in to the US Department of State. You’ll need to include the following documents:

• Your old US passport.
• Two passport photos
• Legal proof of any name changes since you got your last passport, i.e. a court order, marriage certificate or divorce certificate.
• A check or money order for the $75.00 application fee, plus an additional $60 if you need your passport expedited.

Easy enough, right? Well, as that old song goes, “the waiting is the hardest part.” If you apply with regular service, you can expect to wait at least 6 weeks for your new passport to arrive in the mail. If you apply with the government’s expedited service, it will take at least 3 weeks.  (more…)

If you still don’t have plans for Labor Day, why not take a trip across the border into Canada? Expedia has some wonderful specials available for Labor Day from Canadian hotels.  For example,  you can get a room at the Imperial Inns and Suites in Niagara Falls for just $56 per night. The Canadian side of the falls has casinos, wine tours, the Criminals Hall of Fame Wax Museum and the Guinness Book of World Records Museum.

Or, if you’d prefer to stay in Toronto, Delta East has rooms from $88 per night. In Toronto, you can see famous landmarks like the CN Tower,  cruise mighty Lake Ontario,  tour local breweries or spend some time at the Toronto Zoo.

However, if you want to take advantage of these Labor Day deals, you’ll need to invest in a fast passport if you don’t already have one.  Since June 1st, a passport, or another approved form of ID like a passport card or an Enhanced Driver’s License, is required for US citizens returning from Canada.

If you apply for a passport directly through the government, expect to wait 6 weeks or more if you select their regular service and at least 3 weeks if you select their fast passport service. If you need a fast passport before Labor Day, your best bet is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. Not only will you get personal attention and service from a passport professional, you’ll also cut your passport processing time significantly, to anywhere from as little as 24 hours to a little over a week, depending in which option you choose.

For professional, fast passport service, order your passport from RushMyPassport.com today!

Have you always wanted to travel the world, but never been able to come up with the dough? These days, if you aren’t afraid to talk to strangers or to get your hands dirty, there are lots of ways to take your US passport around the world for cheap.

1. Working on an Organic Farm: If you volunteer with WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms), you can arrange to work at an organic farm overseas in exchange for food and lodging. Volunteer for weeks, months or even years…it’s up to you (and your host).

2. CouchSurf Across the Globe:  If you aren’t afraid to depend on the kindness of strangers and you don’t mind crashing on an unfamiliar couch in another country, couchsurfing can help cut your travel bills.

3.  Lead a hiking tour: Get out your hiking boots and lead tour groups across Europe with HF Holidays. In exchange for leading groups of hikers on walking tours, you get to explore the Old World for free!

4. Work from the road: If you have a laptop and an internet connection, you can often work remotely while you travel.  To break free of the cubicle, check out the Digital Nomad job board on Almost Fearless.

5. Join the Peace Corp: If you have 27 months to spare, want to travel and don’t mind working hard to make a difference in a local community, the Peace Corp might be for you.

Of course, to do any of these things, you will need to have a US passport. Make sure you apply well in advance-it takes at least 6 weeks to get a US passport if you apply with normal processing, and at least three weeks if you apply with the government’s expedited processing service.

If you’ve found the opportunity of a lifetime, it’s a good idea to order your passport through a private passport expediting service.You’ll benefit from more personal customer service, faster tracking of your passport application, and much faster processing times. In fact, with an expediting service like RushMyPassport.com, you can get your passport application processed in as little as 24 hours!

Order your US passport today!