Expedited Passports

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.)
• 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!

Lost a passport (or any other luggage) at the Phoenix airport lately? You might want to ask this couple if they’ve seen it. Police allege that Keith King and Stacy Legg-King had approximately 1,000 stolen bags from the Phoenix airport in their house when they were finally apprehended.

Can you imagine living in a house with that many suitcases? Even the officers that followed Keith King home after watching him steal a bag from the baggage carousel at the airport were boggled when they entered the home.   According to AOL news, one officer wrote in a court document that “The amount of luggage being stored inside of the residence was almost surreal.”

To keep your passport from ending up in the hands of people like the Kings, keep it on your person while you are in the airport. Lost passports should be reported as soon as possible to the US Department of State, by calling 1-877-487-2778.

Also, you’ll need to apply for a new passport and submit form DS-64, Statement Regarding a Lost/Stolen Passport along with your passport application. You’ll also need the following:

• Identification
• Proof of Citizenship
• Two passport photos
• The required government fees: there is a $75 application fee and a $25 execution fee to replace your lost passport, plus expedited passport service costs an additional $60.

Even with the $60 expedited service, it could be at least 3 weeks before you receive your passport. If you need it sooner than that, you have two options: make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency office, assuming that there is one near you and that you can make it by the office while they are open, or use a private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport.com.

With RushMyPassport, you get help with the paperwork required to replace your lost passport, plus we deliver your application in pers0n to the Department of State, resulting in processing times as quick as 24 hours.

Replace your lost passport today!

If you’re planning on flying overseas anytime in the near future,  you may need a fast passport name change if the name on your passport doesn’t match the name  that you usually use to book airline tickets.  The TSA’s new Secure Flight program technically doesn’t go into effect until next year, but as Joe Sharkey points out in the New York Times, it’s pretty much in effect now.

Most airlines already require that your tickets match your IDs exactly, down to the middle initial. That means that if you usually fly as John Alexander Jones, your ID needs to say “John Alexander Jones,” not John A. Jones.

Seems simple enough, right? Wrong. As the New York Times documents, it can be a challenge to get everything to match.  Airline  data entry systems are not set up to handle long names or names with hyphens and apostrophes, for example.

If all you need to do is change the name on your passport, though, you’re in luck.  If it’s been less than a year since you got your passport, just fill out form  DS-5504 and send it in, along with legal proof of your name change.  If it’s been longer than 90 days since your passport was issued, you’ll also need to send 2 new passport photos.

If it’s been more than a year since your passport was issued, you will need to renew your passport to get your name changed.

What if you need a fast passport name change?  You can pay an additional $60 for expedited service, but it will still take at least 3 weeks for you to get your new passport in the mail.  If you need a really fast passport name change, RushMyPassport is the easiest option. We submit your paperwork directly to the Department of State,  and your application can be processed in as little as 24 hours.

Need to fix the name on your passport?  Let us help you get a fast passport name change!

At RushMyPassport, we help people get new passports quickly every day. However, using our passport services is a little bit different than getting a passport on your own.  Here’s what you can expect when you apply for a passport with us:

First, after you request passport services and make your payment, you will receive an email confirming your payment,  plus step-by-instructions to guide you through the process and let you know what documents you’ll need to submit with your application.

Your order will also be assigned to a trained, professional passport specialist, who will contact you personally to make sure you understand what to do and to answer any questions you may have.

Once you have all you documents together, if you need to apply for passport in person, we can help you find the nearest passport acceptance facility (often a library, post office, or county court clerk) to “seal” your documents.

Don’t sign your application until you get to the acceptance facility and the acceptance agent tells you to, or you’ll have to start all over! Once you sign the application, the agent will seal the envelope shut using a special seal. Note: If you already have a passport and are eligible to renew by mail, this step doesn’t apply to you because you don’t need your documents sealed.

Once you have your documents sealed and all of the required information together, you’ll mail it all to us and we take care of the rest. We’ll keep you posted via email as your application is processed and your new passport is sent out.

Customer Scott Cate recently used our passport services and posted a review on his blog. Here’s what he had to say about the experience:

“All in all, I’m very happy with the services from RushMyPassport.com and I would recommend them to anyone else who finds them selves in a “OMG I need a new passport” moment like I did ”

Having an “OMG I need a new passport” moment? Apply for passport services with us today!