Expedited Passports

Need a passport to attend the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver? If you live in Seattle, you’re in luck! The Seattle Regional passport agency just announced that it will be holding a special “Passport Day” event on December 5th, to encourage local residents to apply for passports.

Since June, passports (or other WHTI-compliant documents like enhanced driver’s licenses) are required to cross over the border into Canada. So, if you want to be in the stands for the Winter Olympics in February, you might want to take the opportunity to apply for your passport at the passport office on December 5th, from 9 am to 3 pm.

The Seattle Passport Office is located at the following address:

Jackson Federal Building, 915 Second Ave., Suite 992

You will need government-issued photo ID, like a driver’s license or state ID card, both to apply for your passport and to enter the building.

The advantage of applying directly at the passport office is that trained passport agents will be on hand to assist you. You can submit a regular (6 weeks processing time) or an expedited (3 weeks processing time) application at the Passport Agency during passport day without an appointment.

However, if you need same-day passport processing, please note that you will still need to make an appointment at the passport office to submit your application. If you can’t make it to the Passport Agency office and you need your passport in a hurry, a passport expediting company can help you get your passport application processed quickly, more quickly than the government’s expedited processing option.

Here’s how it works: you fill out your passport application at a passport acceptance facility, often a library or post office. Then, you send your application and supporting documents to the expediting company for super-fast processing, often as quick as 24 hours. There’s no need to go to the passport office at all!

Why wait at the passport office? Apply for your passport today!

If you’ve ever wanted to celebrate an old-fashioned Christmas in Europe or experience springtime in Paris, now is a great time to book a flight.  Air France is running a special on flights across the pond from several different US cities, and prices start at $47o round-trip. For that price, you can catch a plane from New York City to Lisbon, Portugal. For $574, you can fly from Washington, DC to Geneva, Switzerland, and for $576 you can fly from New York to Nice, France. You can even fly all the way from Los Angeles to Paris and back again for just $758.

Smarter Travel has more details about the special and more sample fares. To get these prices, you have to book by December 3rd, but you can travel anytime through December 16th or from January 6th through March 28, 2010.Some blackout dates do apply, so make sure you read the offer information carefully.

Of course, if you want to travel to Europe soon, you will need to get a passport,  quick! Passport applications can take anywhere from 6 weeks for regular processing to 3 weeks for the government’s expedited processing.  If you need a passport quicker than that, the easiest thing to do is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. With an expediting company, you can get your passport quick, with processing times as fast as 24 hours. Plus, you don’t have to make an appointment or drive down to a regional passport agency office. All you have to do is send your documents to us using the shipping label and information we provide you, and we’ll hand-deliver them to the Department of State. Getting a passport in a hurry has never been easier!

Need to get a passport, quick? Apply with us today!

Everyone needs a passport to fly to another country. However, after January 1st, 2010, New Mexico residents may need a passport for domestic flights, too. On that date, states are supposed to be in compliance with the “Real ID” act, and Americans without Real ID-compliant IDs will not be able to fly.

New Mexico’s driver’s licenses are not Real ID-compliant, and according to this article on KOAT.com, the state is “nowhere near close.”  Lawmakers are working to pass a new bill to modify the Real ID act, enabling residents of New Mexico and other non-compliant states to continue using their driver’s licenses to fly. However, the bill hasn’t been passed yet.  According to New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Secretary Rick Homans, “The way it is right now, come Jan. 1st, residents of New Mexico and residents of about 25 other states wouldn’t be allowed to board airplanes unless they had a valid passport.”

With so much at stake, if you live in New Mexico and plan to fly after the new year, you should consider filling out a passport application. Sure, the holiday season is busy, but you need to get your application in as early as possible to ensure that you have your passport when you need it. It takes about 3 weeks for a passport application to be processed if you pay for the governments expedited service, and at least 6 weeks for regular service.

If you need your passport application processed more quickly, a private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport.com can help. An expediting service can have your application processed fast, often in as little as 24 hours, and you don’t have to make an appointment or drive down to a Passport Agency office (if you’re in New Mexico, that means driving to Arizona or Colorado).

Get your passport application in today!

Borders are, for the most part, imaginary lines in the sand.  For a long time, the border between the US and Canada was just that-an imaginary line in the dirt.  Communities grew up that straddled the border, different towns in name only.

For example, Stanstead, Canada and Derby Line, Vermont are technically two towns, but they were a single community until June of this year, when the imaginary line in the dirt turned into a real border that requires a passport to cross.

Plus, barricades have been set up to separate the towns, cutting off people that still consider each other neighbors.

In an article posted by AFP, Raymond Fluet, a resident of Stanstead, said that “It used to be a friendly place. The people on both sides of the border, they’re our parents, our friends, our cousins. This is home for all of us. But because of the crackdown, we don’t go visit as often.”

However, according to the mayor of Stanstead, not everyone passing through town was quite so neighborly:

“There was a lot of traffic. People used these roads to smuggle drugs, tobacco or alcohol, even illegal immigrants into the United States.”

The bottom line is that the new passport regulations are here to stay. If you plan on crossing the border into either Mexico or Canada, you will need to apply for a new passport if you don’t have one already.

When you make travel plans, make sure to allow enough time for your new passport to arrive. Typically, it takes at least 6 weeks for your passport application to be processed if you request regular processing, and 3 weeks if you request the government’s expedited service at the post office.

To get your passport faster, you can make an appointment at a US passport agency office or use a private passport expediting service. An expediting service is often the most convenient option, since you don’t have to make an appointment or wait in line.

Let RushMyPassport.com help you apply for your new passport today!

Have you always wanted to be a travel writer? Do you dream of visiting Japan? Rough Guides has a new contest that could help you jump-start your career. Jaunted has the scoop: apparently, they are offering a chance to get training and experience as a professional travel writer for free. If you win the contest, you get a free trip to Tokyo, Japan. While you’re there, you’ll be doing research and writing to update the Rough Guides to Tokyo.

You’ll work with a “writing mentor” and spend 7 days traveling, staying in different hotels and working on the guidebook. Of course, all work and no play makes for a dull vacation. So, after you’re done, you’ll get a 4 day tour to yourself.

You can enter by submitting your best 500 word travel writing sample. You must write about one of the following topics:

• A Journey that Changed Lives
• Responsible Travel
• Adventure in an Unknown Culture
• A Memorable Experience Involving Food in a Foreign Country

To enter, you have to meet 3 qualifications:

• You must be over 18.
• You must not be a professional writer (curses!).
• You must have a valid US passport.
• You must be ready to go in February 2010.

What if you love to travel but don’t have a US passport? No problem-the applications aren’t due until December 21st, so you still have time to apply.

Of course, if you apply with normal processing, it will take at least 6 weeks for you to get your passport back. Expedited service from the government takes about 3 weeks. To get your passport more quickly, of course, you can use a private expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.

An expediting company forwards your application to the US Department of State for much faster processing-anywhere from 24 hours to around a week, depending on the option you choose.

Ready to make your travel writing dream come true? Apply for your US passport today!

Are you ready to get out of the United States for a while? If you don’t have a passport already, you’ll need to  apply for a new passport before you leave. When you apply for  a passport, knowing what you need before you apply will simplify the process for you.

Here’s how the passport application process works:

Unless you are renewing your passport, you will need to fill out your passport application form in person. (If you are renewing your passport, you may be able to renew by mail-read this post to see if you qualify.) Passport applications are accepted at passport acceptance facilities, usually places like libraries, county court clerks and post offices.  You can find the nearest one here.

Next, you’ll need to gather the required documents:

• Proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth, Naturalization Certificate, Certificate of Citizenship, or an undamaged US passport).
• Proof of identity (usually a driver’s license or state-issued ID card)
• Photocopy of the ID you submitted.
• Form DS-11, an application for a new passport (it’s okay to fill this out in advance. but don’t sign it until you get to the acceptance agency and an agent gives you the go-ahead. If you are applying through RushMyPassport, we require you to fill the form out online and print it, to ensure that poor handwriting does not hold up your application.)
• 2 passport photos.

You’ll also need to pay the required fees:

• For adults, a $75 application fee plus a $25 execution fee.
• For children under 16, a $60 application fee plus a $25 execution fee.
• For expedited service, a $60.00 expediting fee plus $14.95 for overnight delivery (optional, but recommended).

Currently, it takes about 6 weeks for a normal passport application to be processed and about 3 weeks for an expedited application. If you need your passport more quickly, a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com is the easiest way to go. We can have your application processed in as little as 24 hours!

Macau, one of China’s special administrative regions, is a playground for tourists and one of the richest cities in the world. Every year in November, the province is taken over by auto racing fans for the Macau Grand Prix. This year, as the New York Times reports, the race runs from November 19 to November 22nd.

Unlike NASCAR’s standard oval track, the track for the Macau Grand Prix is a little bit more exciting, with sharp turns and hills to add some spice to the race.  In fact, it is considered to be one of the most challenging tracks in the world. There’s also more than just cars: according to Wikipedia, this is the only street-circuit racing event that has both car and motorcycle races.

Of course, if you want to see the race in person, you will definitely need a passport.  If you don’t have a one already, you’ll need to get your application processed super-fast to be able to make this year’s race.

If you’re traveling within the next 14 days, you can either apply for fast passport processing at a Regional Passport  Agency office or use a private passport expediting system. Using an expediter is the easiest and most convenient way to get a fast passport. You don’t have to make an appointment or spend a lot of time driving to/waiting around in a passport office. Instead, you can go to a passport acceptance facility, like a post office or library, have your application documents “sealed,” and send them to the expediting company. The expediting company then forwards them to the Department of State for fast passport processing.

In fact, with RushMyPassport.com, your passport application could be processed in as little as 24 hours!

Need a fast passport? Apply with us today!

A lost passport can happen to anyone, and the worst part of it is that you typically don’t realize your passport is missing until you are about to leave the country. For example, the San Francisco band Girls had to cancel a show in Montreal last week after they all lost their passports.

The unfortunate band was on tour and headed for Canada when they realized they didn’t have their passports. They applied for new ones at the Boston, Massachusetts Passport Agency, but were not able to get them in time.

In a statement quoted on Chart  Attack, the  band said that  “We hung on till the last minute in case the Boston passport office could turn it around quicker but to no avail.”

If you’ve lost a passport and you have a trip scheduled in the near future, you can choose one of two options. First, you can apply at a Regional Passport Agency office, if there is one nearby. Doing this requires that you make an appointment first-they won’t let you in without one.

You also might have to drive for a while, or even catch a plane, since there are a limited number of passport agency offices in the country.

The second option is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. With RushMyPassport, you can replace a lost passport quickly without having to make an appointment or spend a lot of time driving to a passport agency office. You’ll work with a passport specialist who will help you with your application, and you’ll receive a handy checklist to help you get everything in order.

Then, we forward your passport application to the US Department of State, putting it “on top of the stack” for immediate processing. This results in processing times as low as 24 hours.

Lost your passport? Let us help you replace it!

Getting a passport can be a long, drawn-out process. As they say, the waiting is the hardest part-especially when you have a plane or a boat waiting for you! The US Department of State urges people to apply well in advance, but sometimes, unavoidable circumstances or accidents make applying in advance impossible. Here are the the top 5 reasons that you might have to rush your passport:

Reason #1: Your passport went AWOL

It’s 11:00 pm. Do you know where your passport is? No matter how careful you are about keeping it someplace safe, a lost passport can happen to anyone.  And if you don’t realize it’s missing until a week or even a few days before you are supposed to depart, you’ll have no choice but to rush your passport.

Reason #2: Sudden Need to Travel

If you have friends or family overseas, you should try to keep a valid passport at all times. You never know when something, either good or bad, will come up that requires your immediate presence in another country.

Reason #3: Your Passport is Expired

Passports are good for 10 years. That’s a long time-but sometimes it goes by more quickly than you’d think.  If you have a trip planned and don’t notice that your passport is expired until it’s too late, you could be in trouble.  Also, keep in mind that some countries won’t let you in unless you have at least 6 months left before your passport expires.

Reason #4: Application Problems

On the other hand, you might have applied for your passport in plenty of time, but if you made a mistake on the application, forget to enclose a check or a document, or submitted a photo that wasn’t up to par, you could have to re-submit in a hurry!

For more information on common mistakes, see our post: The Top 10 Reasons for Delays in Getting Your Passport

Reason #5: You Didn’t Know You Needed It Until It Was Too Late!

Recent changes in passport law have left a lot of people confused about whether or not they need a passport for certain trips. Back in the day, you didn’t need a passport to go to Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean.  Now, in most cases, you do.

No matter why you need to rush your passport, RushMyPassport can help. We will assist you with your application, providing personal help from a trained passport specialist and an easy-to-read checklist to help you navigate the required paperwork. Then, we forward your application by hand to the US Department of State, for processing times as quick as 24 hours!

Have you ever had to get an emergency passport? Share your stories with is on RushMyPassport.com’s Facebook page!

Do you like to travel off the beaten path?  Pick up a copy of UNESCO’s new travel guide for its World Heritage sites, and get inspired!

According to this article in the Detroit Free Press, UNESCO World Heritage sites are special places around the globe that are “culturally or environmentally important to the world.” The list, which includes 878 sites and is still growing, includes everything from tiny villages to ancient archaeological sites and  breath-taking mountain ranges.

There are even some tour companies that specialize in taking travelers to World Heritage Sites (which can sometimes be hard to get to on your own.) World Heritage Tours hosts guided tours for travelers to World Heritage sites all over the world. They have a large menu of options available, including African safaris,  tours of ancient Greece, tours of the Egyptian pyramids, and tours of lesser-known but still interesting historical sites like  the Caucasus region.

The US has its fair share of World Heritage sites, too. For example, Yellowstone, the Smokies and Monticello are all on the list. However, if you want to visit World Heritage sites in other countries, you will need to apply for a US passport first.

Ideally, you should apply for a US passport as soon as possible if you don’t already have one. Passport processing can take at least 6 weeks for normal processing and at least 3 weeks for the government’s expedited service.

If you need to get your passport more quickly, the easiest way is to use a private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport. You’ll get personal service from a trained passport specialist and help with the paperwork. Plus, we’ll deliver your application directly to the US Department of State for lighting-fast processing-often as quick as 24 hours!

Ready to see the world? Apply for your US passport today!