Expedited Passports

When I was kid, I loved animals, so much that I managed to bug my parents into getting me that “Illustrated Wildlife Treasury” set that they used to advertise on TV.  The set basically had a bunch of different cards with pictures of animals and facts about them.  One of my favorite groups of animals in the set were the lemurs.

Lemurs are a type of primate that lives only on the African island of Madagascar. They are more primitive than monkey and apes, and their faces are often more cat-like, with enormous eyes that help them see in the dark.  Madagascar is the world’s 4th largest island, and its relative isolation has made it a hotbed of biodiversity: approximately 5% of the world’s plant and animals species are found here.

However, Madagascar’s unique environment is under threat: an entire third of the island’s native vegetation has disappeared since the 1970’s, and that’s bad news for those adorable bug-eyed lemurs.  In fact, most lemur species are now endangered.

However, you can get a passport and help protect both Madagascar’s rich environment and its people, two thirds of whom live below the international poverty line. UK-based charity Azafady offers a program called “Lemur Venture,” which Lemur Venture gives volunteers the chance to “work on an extensive range of projects from the collection of data on endangered lemur species to environmental education with local communities and tree-planting for reforestation purposes.”

To participate, you need to be willing to work and in good physical shape.  You’ll also need to do some fundraising: the US  equivalent of £1,600 for 4 weeks or £2,200 for 8 weeks.

And, of course, you’ll also need to get a passport if you don’t already have one, or renew your passport if yours has expired.  Remember to allow enough time for your passport to arrive-it generally takes 6 weeks for regular service and 3 weeks for the government’s expedited service.

If you need a passport more quickly,  the most convenient way is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. An expediting company will personally deliver your application to the Department of State, reducing the amount of time it takes to get a passport to as little as 24 hours!

Get a passport with us today!

Thinking of Tuscany, it’s easy to get lost in a daydream of bright sunshine, fields of sunflowers, excellent wine and adorable quaint villages. However, if you visit Italy during the summer “high season,”  the reality is often quite different. Those adorable quaint village squares? Packed with tourists.  Museums and monuments? Packed with tourists. Local vineyards? Packed with tourists.

In today’s New York Times,  Danielle Pergament writes that a guest at her wedding, which took place in Tuscany in the summer, described the region as “beautiful, hot and full of Americans.” This is an apt description of high tourist season in Italy.  You’ll still enjoy yourself, but you won’t leave feeling like you’ve experienced the best that Tuscany has to offer.

To avoid the crowds, your best bet is to get a fast passport and leave now, before the tourist season kicks into gear. As a bonus, the New York Times article notes that Tuscany actually gets more colorful in the winter-instead of the parched gold of summer, the fields turn a vibrant green.  You’ll also enjoy better food, as most of the local delicacies are actually in season in winter and early spring, and cheaper prices for just about everything.

To visit Tuscany, you of course need a valid US passport.  You’d better get a fast passport, too-Italy’s low season ends this month, so you need to leave ASAP if you want to take advantage of low prices and experience fewer crowds.

Normally, it takes at least 6 weeks to get a passport. If you apply for a fast passport using the government’s expedited service, you can expect to wait at least 3 weeks. If you want to leave the country sooner than that, the easiest and most convenient option is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. With an expediting company, you can get fast passport processing, in as little as 24 hours, without having to make an appointment or drive out of your way to get to a regional passport agency office.

Don’t wait-apply for a fast passport today!

The Department of State just announced that it will celebrating “Passport Day in the USA” later on this month, providing citizens with an opportunity to submit their passport applications during special Saturday hours  at regional passport agency offices and passport acceptance facilities around the country.

This is the second year in a row that the Department of State has celebrated Passport Day. In addition to being open on a Saturday, for this one day you won’t have to make an appointment in advance to apply for a passport at one of the regional passport agencies. You also won’t have to pay a $60 expedite fee or bring a copy of your itinerary showing that you plan to leave the country in 14 days. There are 23 regional passport agencies scattered throughout the country. They will be open from 10:00 am to 3:00pm.

If you don’t have a regional passport agency office nearby and you need to get a passport, check with your local passport acceptance facility to see what hours they will be open on that Saturday. Passport acceptance facilities are often located inside post offices, libraries or county clerks’ offices-you can find the one that’s closest to you here.

In a statement on the Department of State’s website, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Passport Services Brenda S. Sprague commented on the event:

“Passport Day in the USA is a great opportunity for Americans to apply for their passports. Since it is on a Saturday, people can drop by a passport agency or their nearest passport acceptance facility and still have plenty of time to enjoy their weekend.”

Passport Day in the USA is a great opportunity if you don’t have imminent travel plans and just want to get a passport without having to take time off work. However, it is not for people with urgent travel plans.

The only expedited service available at this event costs $60 and will get you your passport in around 2 weeks or longer as opposed to 6 weeks or longer. If you need your passport sooner than that, you still have to make an appointment at the nearest regional passport agency (an acceptance facility can’t help you)  during normal business hours and bring proof of travel.

If you need to get a passport in a hurry and either can’t make it to a regional passport agency office or just don’t want to take the time, a private expediting company like RushMyPassport.com can help.

Rather than you having to take off work and drive to an agency office that could be hours away, you would simply submit your application to the expediting company and the expediting company will deliver it to the Department of State for you. We offer processing times as low as 24 hours and a level of personal attention and service you won’t find anywhere else.

Ready to get a passport? Apply for one today!

The debate over the State Department’s proposed fee hike for passport services continues, with lawmakers and State Department officials arguing back and forth about whether the new fees are justified, especially given the current state of the economy.

The LA Times notes that if the increases happen, the passport application fee will be more than double what it was in 2002.  New York Representative Chris Lee notes that the increase may not seem like that much for an individual to pay,  but would have a big impact on families, with a family of four paying around $500 just to apply for passports. The LA Times also interviewed Representative Brian Higgins, who did not mince words-he called the increase flat-out “immoral.”

In the articleBrenda Sprague, deputy assistant secretary of State for passport affairs, claims that the price hike is justified:

“We have a strong, defensible position for increasing the fees.” Costs have been rising, she said, as high-tech features make passports more expensive to produce and the department adds facilities to meet growing demand. By 2011, she said, the department expects to be operating 28 passport facilities, up from 13 just five years ago.

Other factors that were taken into account were the costs of providing services to US passport holders, including extending a helping hand to Americans who get in a jam overseas.

What do you think? Considering the services that the State Department provides passport holders, is it worth it to charge extra passport fees and to start adding charges for passport services that used to be free, like adding visa pages?

Whatever your opinion is, let us know in the comments and then go tell the US Department of State before the comment period is up on March 11th.

After the comment period ends, the new prices will probably be in place within weeks. We’ll keep an eye on the story and provide updates as it develops, but in the meantime, if you don’t want to pay the extra fees, you’d probably best go ahead and apply for passport services now.

If you think it’s expensive to get a passport now, just wait…earlier this month, the Department of State filed a proposal in the Federal Register to significantly increase passport fees to help pay for the services it provides. If you don’t want to pay the increased costs, you’d better apply for a passport, quick!

Here are the proposed changes, according to the LA Times:

Currently, it costs an adult $100 to apply for a new passport and $75 to renew a passport by mail. For a child under the age of 16, it costs $85. Under the Department of State’s proposal, a new adult passport would cost $135, while an adult passport renewal would cost $110. A child passport would cost $105.

Even more striking, the Department of State plans to begin charging to add visa pages to the back of passports. Currently, this service is performed free of charge, but under the proposal it would cost a whopping $82!

The new fee structure is not set in stone yet, but according to the LA Times the Department of State plans to move as fast as possible to begin charging the fees after the 3o-day public comment period is over.

Lawmakers in border states, like New York, are protesting the proposed increase because they depend heavily on tourism.  For example, WMBW.com quotes New York Congressman Chris Lee:

“These costs are too high. It’s going to further dampen our ability to increase traffic across our border. In just the past year alone, the tour bus traffic is down by more than 10 percent because the government imposed their new restrictions on the border that requires a passport.”

Concerned about passport cost increases?  The proposal is open for public comment until March 8th or 9th. You can put your two cents in here.

If you need to renew your passport, get a new one or just add some pages to the back, it seems like a good idea to apply for your new passport quick, before the price goes up. If you can get your passport before the increase goes into effect, it will be good for 10 years.

RushMyPassport can help you through the application process, providing easy to follow instructions that make the process go more smoothly and help you avoid common mistakes that can delay your application. And if you need your passport in a hurry, we offer processing times as low as 24 hours.

Don’t wait-Apply for your passport, quick, today!

The Mexican government just announced that they will hold off enforcing new regulations requiring US citizens to show their passports to get into the country, at least in some areas. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, the new rules will go into effect on March 1st for other parts of Mexico, but not for Baja California, because “Mexico lacks the infrastructure to enforce the regulations at busy ports such as San Ysidro and Otay Mesa.”

That means that US citizens going for short-term visits to Mexico and entering through crossings such as Tijuana or through ports like San Ysidro and Otay Mesa will not need to present passports to enter Mexico.  Cruise ship passengers in Ensenada will also be exempt.

However, you should pack a passport anyway-even if you don’t need one to get into Mexico, you will likely need it to come home.  In June of 2009, new passport regulations went into effect for US citizens returning from Mexico by land or by sea as part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Now, passports are required to return from Mexico by land or by sea, except in a few special circumstances, like for children. See “Do You Need a Passport to Go To Mexico?” for more details.

Trying to re-enter the US without a passport is no fun, unless you like getting questioned by border officials and having to wait while they try to determine whether or not you are, in fact, a US citizen. It’s true that if you are a US citizen they have to let you in eventually, but why not avoid all of the hassle?

Oh, and if you are flying to Mexico, you absolutely have to have a passport-they won’t let you on a plane without it. Driving or cruising south of the border without a passport also means that you can encounter difficulties if you need to fly back due to an emergency.

So, if you plan on traveling to Mexico, go ahead and get a shiny new passport if you don’t have one already.

If you need your passport quickly, the fastest and most convenient way to get one is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. We’ll help you with the application and personally deliver your paperwork to the Department of State for processing times that range from 24 hours to a little over a week, depending on which option you select. Compare that to regular passport processing times of 3 weeks for the government’s expedited service and 6 weeks for regular service.

Let us help you apply for your new passport today!

It’s almost Valentine’s Day. In honor of the annual love-fest, why not plan a trip to one of the romantic cities described below? Each of the cities below is famous for having a romantic atmosphere that makes falling in love seem effortless-so much so that all 5 of them have been used as settings for some of the classic love stories of the silver screen:

Paris, France:  Paris’ reputation as the “City of Love” has made it the city of choice for romantic flicks-think Last Tango in Paris, An American in Paris, and Gigi, among many, many others. Walk along the Seine, climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and don’t forget to share a bottle of wine and some excellent chocolate with that special someone!

Rome, Italy- Used as a setting for romance movies both old (like Roman Holiday) and new (like When in Rome), a visit to the Eternal City is even better when you share it with someone else.

Casablanca, Morocco- The scene of the classic romance Casablanca is still a romantic city to visit, thanks to its mild climate and gorgeous architecture.

London- What could be more romantic than strolling through the streets of London, the scene 0f Shakespeare in Love, and many of Shakespeare’s plays as well?

Rio de Janeiro- The scene of Notorious, a 1946 romantic thriller featuring Cary Grant and Ingrid Berman, Rio de Janeiro features world-class beaches and stunning scenery.  For a romantic afternoon activity, take the glass-paneled cable car up Sugarloaf mountain.

To get to any of these cities, you need more than a taste for romance and adventure. You also need a US passport. RushMyPassport makes applying for your US passport easy and fast. We help you through the application process, providing clear, easy-to-understand instructions and a handy checklist that makes gathering the appropriate documents a breeze.

Then, we hand-deliver your passport application to the Department of State, resulting in processing times that range from 24 hours to a little over a week, depending on the option you request when you sign up.  Compare that to the normal processing time of 6 weeks for regular passport processing and 3 weeks for the government’s expedited service, and you can see why our service is the most convenient way to get a US passport quickly.

Apply for your US passport today!

According to DallasNews.com, starting March 1, 2010, Mexican border officials will begin asking to see US citizens’ passports before they leave the US.

You may be asking yourself, “What else is new?” After all, technically passports have been  required for US citizens traveling to Mexico since June 1st, 2009, when the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) went into effect. However, the WHTI requirements only require US citizens to show their passports when they re-enter the United States. The Mexican government didn’t care if you had your passport or not, so you could get across the Mexican border without it-you would just run into trouble trying to get back into the US.

The US government also can’t keep you from re-entering the US as long as you are a US citizen. They can just detain you until they have verified your citizenship. So, as long as you were willing to risk being held up for hours on the way back in, you could hop over the Mexican border without a passport.

In some cases, US citizens have been unaware of the new requirements, and assumed when they were allowed across the Mexican border that they must have had all of the documents they need to get back.  Read an Oklahoma newspaper columnist’s account of just such an incident here.

As of March 1st, this will no longer be an issue since the requirements to get into Mexico will be the same as the requirements to get out of Mexico.

So, remember-starting March 1st, if you want to go to Mexico, you will need a passport to get across the border.  According to DallasNews.com, it is not yet clear whether or not closed-loop cruise ship passengers and children under the age of 16 will be exempt from Mexico’s new passport requirements as they are under the WHTI. We’ll keep you posted once that information is available.

Remember, applying for a passport takes at least 6 weeks if you apply for regular processing, and at least 3 weeks if you apply for the government’s expedited service.  If you have a trip to Mexico coming up sooner than that, a private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport.com offers the easiest solution, with processing times as low as 24 hours.

Apply for your new passport today!

Still looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve?  Here are 4 good reasons to get a rush passport (if you don’t already have one), book a flight to Germany and celebrate New Year’s Eve (otherwise known as “Silvester”) in Berlin.

One of the Largest New Year’s Eve Parties in The World

You want to be somewhere memorable when you wave goodbye to the awkwardly-named decade of the Aughts, right? Where better to bid the decade farewell than one of the world’s largest open-air New Year’s Eve parties?

Every year, over a million people come to the Berlin Open End New Year’s Eve party, an extravaganza complete with food, music, drinks and fireworks.

German Beer

Sure, champagne is the traditional fizzy alcoholic beverage of choice for New Year’s Eve, but German beer is world-famous.

Cheesy Music

This year, folks attending the Berlin Open End party can celebrate the future with the cheesy pop music of yore.  Musical performers include the ABBA Celebration Band and Right Said Fred. Wait, you don’t remember Right Said Fred? Maybe this will ring a bell:

“I’m too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts!

I’m too sexy for your body, too sexy for your body, no way I’m disco dancing!”

Oh yeah, those guys…I used to have that album on a  quaint musical device called  a “cassette tape.”

Fireworks

The New York Times’ InTransit blog has an informative post up about the New Year’s Eve celebration in Berlin, including recommendations for smaller parties if you don’t want to attend the Open End blowout. The commenters on the post also pointed out that New Year’s Eve in Berlin is an “orgy of fireworks.” In addition to the big fireworks show, expect to have firecrackers go off around you or even be used as missiles. Stay away from those super-flammable synthetic fabrics, mmm-kay?

If you want to leave the country for New Year’s and you don’t have a passport, you’ll need to submit a rush passport application. At this point, your choices are to get an appointment at a Regional Passport office or to use a private expediting service like RushMyPassport.com.  An expediting company is often a more convenient choice, since you don’t have to make an appointment or wait in line.

With RushMyPassport, you simply complete your application and forward your application package to us via Fed-Ex. Then, we deliver it by hand to the US Department of State, for processing times as fast as 24 hours.

Celebrate the New Year in style-let us help you rush your passport today!

There’s something satisfying about being first at something, don’t you think?  If you’d like to cross the finish line into 2010 first, before most of the world’s population, consider catching a plane to Australia to catch the New Year’s bash in Sydney, which bills itself as the New Year’s capital of the world. While 2010 technically starts in New Zealand, Sydney will be the first of the world’s major cities to say goodbye to 2009 and welcome in 2010.

Sydney also puts on a spectacular show for New Year’s Eve, one that’s worth flying out for. There are two sets of fireworks: the 9 pm family fireworks especially for families with small children will give your little ones something to dream about, and Sydney claims that the midnight fireworks display is the “world’s most epic.” In between is the Harbour of Lights parade, where selected boats parade around Sydney harbor festooned with a dazzling array of multicolored lights.

To learn more about Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebration, check out the official website.

Of course, to travel to Australia you will need a US passport. If you don’t have one, you’ll need to get one fast-2009 is disappearing rather quickly!

If you apply for a fast passport using the government’s expedited service, you may be out of luck.  It could take up to 3 weeks for your passport to come back, and New Year’s Eve will be long gone by then.  Once you have tickets, you could also try to set an appointment at the nearest Regional Passport Agency-but be aware that there is no walk-in service. You have to get an appointment, and if you don’t live in a city that has an office, you could also be looking at some serious driving time.

If you need a fast passport before New Year’s Eve, the easiest way to get one is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport. An expediting company will hand-deliver your paperwork to the Department of State for amazingly fast passport processing-often in as little as 24 hours!

Need a fast passport? Apply with us today!