Expedited Passports

San Antonio residents who need to apply for new passports now have another place to go.  According to this article on Bizjournals.com, the San Antonio City Court Clerk’s office is now an official passport acceptance office. If you need to apply for a passport in person, you can now submit your application at the City Court Clerk’s office, in addition to the existing San Antonio post offices that provide the service.

Bizjournals.com quotes San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro:

“With the heavy level of travel expected this summer, I’m glad the city will help relieve the backlog and help San Antonians obtain passports in a convenient and timely manner.”

A passport acceptance facility is a passport office that accepts applications for both regular and expedited processing.  Regular processing usually takes about 6 weeks. The expedited processing option takes about 3 week.

If you need your passport more quickly, you need to go to a Regional Passport Agency office, a passport office that is able to issue same-day passports.  Regional Passport Agency offices are scattered throughout the country-if you’re in San Antonio, the nearest are in Dallas or Houston.

A more convenient way to get a passport in a hurry is to use a private passport expediting company. With an expediting company, you can simply go to the nearest passport acceptance facility to have your documents sealed. Then, you can send the documents to the expediting company and let them deal with the Department of State for you.

RushMyPassport.com will hand-deliver your application to the Department of State, for processing times as short as 24 hours. When you apply through us, you also get assistance from a trained, professional passport specialist who will answer all of your questions and walk you through the application process.

Apply for your new passport today!

You just can’t make this kind of stuff up, folks. A Delaware woman applied for a passport renewal, only to be turned down because she had apparently been marked as deceased, healthy vital signs notwithstanding.

According to NBC’s local Philadelphia affiliate, the incorrect death report came to light when Terri Penza was applying for a passport renewal at the passport office in Philadelphia.  Since she was scheduled to be in Jamaica for a family vacation in just a few days, she applied in person at the office instead of by mail.  Imagine her confusion when, during what was supposed to be a routine appointment, she was told that she couldn’t get a passport because the government thought she was deceased!

Ms. Penza had been turned down earlier in the year for a store credit card for the same reason, but she had believed that it was just a “crazy fluke” since she was, after all, very much alive.  Fortunately, she was able to get her passport renewal on time, though not without a visit to the Social Security administration to get a letter confirming that the death record had been issued incorrectly.

Experiences like this demonstrate why it’s a good idea to apply for your passport renewal as far in advance as possible.    You never what could happen to turn a perfectly normal renewal request into a long, drawn-out affair.

If you’re on a deadline, an expedited company like RushMyPassport can help get your passport application processed more quickly, so you get notified of any problems ASAP and can hopefully get them corrected. We personally deliver your application to the Department of State, for processing times as low as 24 hours, and you’ll get a trained, professional passport specialist to walk you through the process.

Also, you’ll notice that Ms. Penza had to travel from her home in Delaware to the Philadelphia passport office to get her passport renewed in time. That’s because passport agency offices that can issue same-day passports are scattered about the country. You may not have one near you. If you don’t, or if you just don’t want to take the time to drive down there, an expediting company offers a more convenient solution.

Let us help you apply for your passport renewal today!

Charles Chatman was sent to prison  for 27 years for a crime he didn’t commit. Now, 2 years after DNA evidence from the case exonerated him, he is still having trouble getting a US passport.

According to DallasNews.com, Mr. Chatman went to jail in 1981 on a rape conviction, the result of a mistaken identification.  He always maintained his innocence, but it wasn’t until 2001 that Texas state law allowed prisoners to request DNA tests of existing evidence. It took officials two more years to find the evidence in his case, and it was not until 2007 that a test was developed that was sensitive enough to use.

In 2007, Mr. Chatman was exonerated and released from prison. He began building a new life for himself, fell in love and conceived a child.  He wanted to take his partner on a cruise for Valentine’s Day, and to do that, he needed a passport.

However, even though 2 years had passed since he was released from prison, his record still indicated to US passport officials that he was a felon who had not yet completed his sentence. If you are convicted of a felony, in most cases you can get a passport once you’ve served your sentence, but if you are still under supervision, you’re out of luck.

Since the State Department would not issue Mr. Chatman a passport, he was unable to take the cruise, and would have been out all of his money if the media hadn’t gotten involved.  Fortunately, once the situation was publicized, Carnival issued a credit.  Hopefully, he gets his US passport soon and he and his girlfriend get a much-deserved vacation!

This situation demonstrates why it’s important to apply for an expedited passport if you think there’s anything that could possibly go wrong.  The sooner you know that there’s a problem, the sooner you can get it fixed, and the less likely you are to miss your trip.

Apply for your US passport today!

For the past several years, traveling to Europe has been an expensive proposition. With the euro worth more than the dollar, US travelers would lose an irritatingly large portion of their trip budget at the exchange counter.

Now, the euro is falling, which means that traveling to Europe is becoming cheaper than it’s been for quite some time.  Is it time to apply for your passport renewal and book a flight?

Perhaps so.  Jaunted notes that for the euro, “a continued slide is more likely than not,” but the US dollar faces significant challenges as well. Jaunted concludes that “if you’ve got some money and time lying around, now is a very attractive moment to hop across the pond.”

Of course, to do that you will need a US passport. If you’ve let yours expire waiting for an affordable European travel deal to show up, now would be a good time to apply for that passport renewal.

Passport renewal usually takes about 6 weeks if you choose the standard processing option. If you choose the government’s expedited passport renewal option, there’s a good chance you’ll still be left hanging for at least 3 weeks.

Of course, sometimes the best travel deals are last-minute deals, like this special on flights to Europe from Aer Lingus. Fortunately, you can still take advantage of deals like this, even if you can’t afford to wait 3 weeks for your expedited passport renewal.

To get your passport even more quickly, you can make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency office (assuming, of course, that one is located close to your home). However, this can be time-consuming and inconvenient, plus many people live to too far away from the nearest office to make this option feasible.

The fastest and most convenient way to get your passport renewal done quickly is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport. RushMyPassport.com’s experienced passport specialists will personally deliver your passport renewal application to the Department of State, for processing in as little as 24 hours.

Apply for your passport renewal now!

Are you an amateur filmmaker? Do you love to travel?  If you’d like to turn your passion for film and desire to see the world into an actual career, Gap Adventures and National Geographic have a contest that will probably interest you: They are offering one lucky young filmmaker the chance to film a travel documentary about sustainable tourism in the Amazon rainforest with industry veteran Trent O’Donnell. (h/t Gadling)

Do a good job, and National Geographic will even show your video on their Nat Geo Adventure Channel. Nice!

To enter, you need to wow the contest judges with a brief, 3-minute video based on the theme “Local Encounters.”  Further instructions, from the contest website:

“Your ‘local encounter’ may be from your travels or somewhere closer to home. You should explore how this encounter changed your perspective on the world…The documentary may be compiled from previous travel videos you’ve shot.”

Once you’ve compiled your masterpiece, upload it to YouTube and then add it to WorldNomads.com.  More detailed instructions can be found here.

To enter the contest, you do need to be over 18 and have a valid passport. If you don’t have one yet, or if yours is expired, you’ll need to work fast-the deadline is August 1st.

Generally, it takes at least 6 weeks for your passport to arrive if you renew it using the standard service. You should allow at least 3 weeks for the government’s expedited passport service.

If you need your passport in less time than that, you have two options: Making an appointment for expedited passport service at a Regional Passport Agency office, or using a private passport expediting company. Of the two options, the easiest way to apply for an expedited passport is to use a private company-there’s no need to make an appointment or drive out of your way to the passport office as the expediting service handles all of that for you. 

Apply for your expedited passport today!

For most people, a lost passport is simply a major inconvenience. However, for Lindsay Lohan, it could mean 180 days in jail.

The young starlet was due back in court this morning to deal with issues related to her probation. She was also supposed to have completed 13 alcohol education classes. According to the Cleveland Leader, she had only completed 10 when she flew off to France for the Cannes Film Festival.

Now, either Lohan has lost her passport or someone has stolen it. The lost passport was not discovered in time for her to able to get a new one before her flight. The Cleveland Leader quotes her lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley:

“I was on the phone with Lindsay’s assistant the entire night and we’re doing everything we can to resolve this issue and get her back to L.A. Lindsay is distraught because it was her intention to get back to L.A. today to do more alcohol education classes today and appear in court tomorrow.”

According to the NileGuidance blog, Lohan has since received a new passport, but since she didn’t make her court date, an arrest warrant has been issued. That ought to make some footage for the tabloids, at least…

If you lose your passport or have your passport stolen while you are overseas, you need to go to the nearest US Embassy ASAP to get an emergency passport issued.

If you end up with a lost passport while you are still in the States, you must apply for a new one in person.  Regular service takes approximately 6 weeks, while the government’s expedited service takes approximately 3 weeks. If you need your lost passport replaced more quickly, you can either make an appointment at a US passport agency office or use a private passport expediting company. An expediting company is generally the easiest and most convenient way to get your passport replaced quickly.

Need to replace a lost passport? Apply today!

The warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico are the summer vacation spot of choice for many American families, supporting a tourism industry worth $20 billion per year.

However, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is growing larger every day, making tourists understandably nervous about vacationing anywhere that might be in its path. Currently, no oil has washed ashore in Florida, home of some of the most popular beaches.  However, as of Monday of last week, the Miami Herald was reporting that the oil was about 80 miles away from a “loop current” that could coat Southern Florida’s white sand beaches in oily muck.

The bottom line? Nobody is sure if or when the spill will hit Florida’s beaches.  The Miami Herald quoted Igor Kamenkovich, a professor at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science:

`It’s highly unpredictable,” said Kamenkovich. Any major changes in wind or weather patterns such as a cold front or a hurricane could change the forecast, he said.

This unpredictability is what’s scaring off tourists. On the one hand, this could be a great year to go to Florida-if the spill stays far offshore, the beaches will stay gorgeous with the added bonus of being much less crowded than usual.

On the other hand, if the oil spill hits Florida during your vacation, it’s not going to be pretty. And while many hotels are relaxing their policies on cancellations and even offering credits for future visits if the spill ruins this year’s vacation, having to cancel at the last minute is a still a huge inconvenience.

If you decide against going to Florida this year, the Caribbean has beaches that are just as pretty and is expected to remain out of harm’s way.  Apply for an expedited passport renewal (or an expedited passport if you don’t have one already), and this year could be the year you finally take that Caribbean vacation you’ve always wanted.

There are a couple of different ways to obtain an expedited passport renewal.  First, you can order expedited service for an additional $60 when you mail in your passport renewal forms.  This will cut the expected processing time from 6 weeks down to three weeks.

If you need your expedited passport renewal more quickly, the simplest and most convenient option is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.

RushMyPassport.com offers processing times as low as 24 hours, with more affordable options that take just a few days longer.

Apply for your expedited passport renewal today!

It’s already May, and that means it’s time to start shopping around for summer travel deals. Here’s how to end up with an incredible, affordable summer vacation in 3 easy steps:

Step 1- Apply for your US passport renewal

Some of the best travel deals this summer will take you out of the country. Since you now need your passport even for most trips to our neighbors in Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean, it makes sense to go ahead and apply for your passport renewal now.

Step 2- Friend/Follow your favorite airlines and hotels

One great way to get the inside scoop on travel deals is to connect with your favorite airlines or hotels on Twitter and/or Facebook. For example, CBS’ “The Early Show” reported that the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort is offering discounts of up to 40% off to travelers who “like” the resort’s Facebook page.

Likewise, many airlines announce specials on Twitter. For example, JetBlue airlines uses the @JetBlueCheeps account to broadcast discounted fares to its followers.

Step 3- Monitor sites for deals

Many discount travel sites will send you updates by email to show you what their latest deals are. For example, Orbitz has a service called “Deal Detector” that lets you name your desired price for a specific itinerary. If the price for the trip drops down below a certain point, Orbitz will notify you by email.

Other travel websites will send you email newsletters with hand-picked travel bargains. If you don’t want these clogging your inbox, consider changing your email settings to have them routed to a special “travel” folder, which you can then review at your leisure.

While it makes sense to book ahead most of the time, last-minute deals do also come up. That’s why it’s so important to have a valid passport. US passport renewal can take 6 weeks if you apply with regular processing, and 3 weeks even if you apply for the government’s expedited processing.

If you need your passport renewal more quickly, there is hope-a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport can get your application processed in as little as 24 hours, without you having to spend a lot of time in a passport office.

Apply for your US passport renewal today!

According to this article on NorthlandsNewsCenter.com, Minnesotans will soon be able to purchase an enhanced driver’s license, which can be used instead of a US passport to cross the border into Mexico or Canada.

The new license will cost an extra $15 above and beyond the normal costs for getting a license in Minnesota. That makes it a much cheaper option than getting a US passport.

In an article on local ABC affiliate WDIO.com, Minnesota state Rep. Roger Reinert, the co-author of the bill, explained why he feels that the EDL option is important and valuable:

“Right now to cross the border, Minnesotans have to pay $100 for a passport or $45 for a passport card just to cross the border. That’s choking off economic activity and travel vital to northland communities and businesses.”

However, there are some key differences between an enhanced driver’s license and a US passport, and it’s important to know what they are so that you can make an informed decision about which document to carry.

An enhanced driver’s license is only a valid substitute for a US passport in a few specific circumstances. For example, it can be used to travel across the Canadian or Mexican border by land or sea, or to travel to and from the Caribbean by sea.

However, it can not be used for travel anywhere else. Also, unlike a passport, an enhanced driver’s license is not valid for international air travel at all. So, unless you are only planning to drive a little way into Canada, it’s a good idea to carry a US passport with you anyway. After all, what if you had to fly back?

If you need a US passport, you should apply well before you plan to leave the country. Regular passport processing takes about 6 weeks, while the government’s expedited service takes about 3 weeks. If you need it sooner, you have the option of requesting an appointment at the nearest regional Passport Agency office (if you’re in Minnesota, the closest one is in Minneapolis) or using a private passport expediter like RushMyPassport.

Of the two options for getting a last-minute passport, an expediting company is the most convenient choice. RushMyPassport will guide you through the application process and personally deliver your application to the Department of State for processing times as low as 24 hours.

Apply for your US passport now!

One of the perks of being an American citizen is that there lots of countries that you don’t need a visa to visit, or that will let you get a visa at the airport when you arrive.

However, some countries require that you apply for a travel visa in advance. In most cases, this means sending a visa application and your passport off to the appropriate embassy or consulate for the country you are visiting. But before you send your passport off, check it over and make sure that y0u don’t need to apply for an expedited passport renewal first.

Here are the most common reasons that you might need to renew your passport before applying for a visa:

• Your passport has expired.
• Your passport is still valid now, but will expire soon. The country you are visiting may require that your passport be valid for 6 months or longer past your planned date of entry. If it expires too soon, you’ll need to renew it before you can be issued a visa.
• You may need more pages in the back.  If you travel a lot, it’s important to make sure that there’s enough blank pages to accommodate the travel visa for the country you are visiting. You may need as few as one or as many as 3. Check with the embassy or consulate to see how many pages you need, or see the Department of States‘ Country-Specific Information Page.

If you do need to get your passport renewed or get pages added before you apply for a travel visa, get an expedited passport renewal if you plan to leave in the near future. The US Department of State will let you make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency if you are traveling in 4 weeks or less and need a visa. Of course, using a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport makes the process much faster and more convenient!

Apply for your expedited passport today!