Expedited Passports

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!

Genealogy is a fascinating topic and a popular hobby. If your ancestors were travelers, one way to find out about them is to look up their old passport applications, if you can.  In 2007, Ancestry.com released a collection of US passport application forms from 1795 to 1925.

What can your ancestor’s US passport application forms tell you about them? Lots! Applications generally included biographical data like names and birthdates, and more personal information like occupations and physical descriptions, plus information about the applicant’s foreign travel plans.  Starting in 1914, passport applicants also submitted photos of themselves.

US passport applications from that far back often seem quite humorous today.  For example, one Ancestry Magazine staffer found a copy of her great-grandfather’s passport that described her grandfather as having a “large” nose and a “common” face. You can read her amusing account of her find here.

However, according to this Ancestry.com blog post, if you’re looking for a female relative before the ’20s, you may need to look under her husband’s name.  That’s because before the 20’s, most women simply traveled on their husband’s passport, and men filled 95% of US passport applications. However, by 1923, women were applying for passports in their own names, and up to 40% of the applicants were female.

Do you have a passport? What will your descendants learn about you from the application?

If you need a passport in a hurry, RushMyPassport.com can greatly speed up the application process for you.  We’ll help you with the paperwork and then submit your application by hand to the Department of State, resulting in processing times as fast as 24 hours.

Submit your US passport application today!

Students at Kentucky’s Centre College get an extra perk this year: the school, which strongly encourages students to study overseas, is paying for their passports, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.

Already, 85% of the student body spends at least one semester studying abroad. The college would like that number to reach 100%. To encourage as many students as possible to spend time overseas, the school runs a number of low-cost overseas study programs in various foreign cities.

In the Lexington Herald-Leader, Milton Reigelman, director of Centre’s Center for Global Citizenship, explained why the school believes so strongly in the value of studying abroad that they are willing to pay for students’ passport services:  “It kind of focuses their attention … that to be educated in today’s world, you have to do more than just read about other places, you have to live there.”

No matter where you go to school, there are plenty 0f options for studying abroad-and it really does broaden your horizons to be immersed in another culture.  However, before you can study abroad, you must have a valid US passport.

It is also important to apply for passport services well in advance of when you plan to leave. Currently, the US Department of State is processing regular passport applications in approximately 6 weeks, and expedited passport applications in about 3 weeks.  However, you should apply well before these deadlines-delays can and do happen, and an accidental mistake on your application can mean you have to start over from scratch.

Requesting passport services from a private passport expediting company like RushMy’Passport.com makes the process much easier and faster. You’ll work with a trained passport professional and get simple, easy-to-understand instructions that help you avoid common mistakes. Then, we’ll deliver your application by hand to the Department of State for the fastest possible passport services-often as quick as 24 hours!

Apply for passport services with us today!

All Larry and Gladys Williams wanted was to go on a cruise to Alaska. However, their dream was denied when they showed up  at port in Seattle without passports, according to the Dallas Morning News. Larry Williams had assumed that passports weren’t necessary for the journey, since the cruise began in Seattle and ended in Alaska.

However, the ship wasn’t sailing straight from Seattle to Alaska-there was also a stop at a Canadian port.   The final part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, a new law that went into effect on June 1, 2009, requires Americans traveling from the US to Canada (or Mexico, or the Caribbean)  to carry their passports.

Since they didn’t have the appropriate documentation, the couple was sent home.  They planned to try again this year, but the US Department of State required additional documentation when Gladys wasn’t able to present an acceptable birth certificate.  She finally has a new passport now, and they plan to set sail next year!

The moral of the story? Apply for a passport as soon as possible.  As Gladys told the Dallas Morning News, “You just never know what kind of problem you may run into. I should have done this years ago.”

If you need a new passport, an expediting company like RushMyPassport.com can assist you with the application process. You’ll work with a professional passport specialist and get detailed instructions to help you navigate the application process. Plus, we’ll forward your application by hand to the Department of State, resulting in processing times as short as 24 hours.

Apply for your new passport with RushMyPassport.com today!

An elderly woman from Texas has been denied the opportunity to get a new passport to visit relatives in Mexico, according to this report from a local ABC affiliate.

The woman, Consuelo DeLeon, is 81 years and says she was born in  small town in Texas. However, her birth certificate was filed late, approximately a year after she was born. Although she sent in both her birth certificate and her baptismal certificate, the Department of State refused to issue her a new passport due her family’s delay in filing a birth certificate.

DeLeon’s situation illustrates the importance of applying early for a passport. It also illustrates why it is a good idea to apply with expedited processing, even if you think you have enough time to just pay the regular application fee.  Circumstances beyond your control, like those of Ms. DeLeon’s, could cause the State Department to deny your application or to request additional documentation.  Mistakes made in the paperwork during the application process can also cause the State Department to turn down your application. The bottom line?  The earlier you know there is a problem, the better your chance of being able to fix it before your trip.

A private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport.com can help. With an expediting service, you get personal service from a trained passport specialist and a checklist to help you avoid mistakes. Plus, you get much faster processing times-depending on the package you order, your application could be processed in as little as 24 hours!

Don’t wait-order your new passport today!

Do the advantages of studying abroad outweigh the disadvantages? Although attending a semester of school overseas isn’t for everyone, there are clear advantages to studying abroad, and the disadvantages can be minimized with careful planning, according to this article on NBC26.com.

The article states that studying overseas offers the following advantages to international students:

• Mastering a new language.
• Having an increased sense of independence and self-reliance.
• Developing a sense of respect for other cultures.
• Having an advantage in the job market. (In today’s global economy, employers want to hire people who are familiar with foreign cultures and can speak other languages).

But what about the disadvantages, such as being alone in a strange country? These can often be overcome with careful planning. For example, purchasing health insurance and legal insurance can help students stay safe, even if the trip does go awry. Financial aid and scholarships may transfer, making studying abroad more affordable. And, of course, the internet offers a variety of ways for students to connect with friends and family at home.

Traveling abroad is often a supremely stressful experience if you are going it alone for the first time, but the sense of achievement you get from successfully navigating foreign train schedules or from communicating in a new language can be truly life-changing.

Of course, before you can embark on a semester abroad, you need a US passport. Make sure to allow enough time before you are scheduled to leave to receive it in the mail. Regular processing often takes at least 6 weeks, while expedited processing can take at least 3 weeks.

If you need a US passport in a hurry, the easiest way to go is to use a private passport expediting company. An expediting company will personally deliver your application to the Department of State for faster processing-often in as little as 24 hours!

Don’t get left behind-Order your US passport today!

Have you ever wished you could disappear onto your own private island? Who hasn’t dreamed of sitting underneath a palm tree, an ocean away from the rest of the world? Of course, uninhabited islands are rare these days. However, CheapOAir Buzz has a list of the next best thing: some gorgeous islands that also happen to be very sparsely populated. Even better, you won’t have to weave a rope out of your back hair and lasso a sea turtle to get away, a la Captain Jack Sparrow.

The islands featured include Tristan da Cunha, a British territory in the South Atlantic, Kiribati, an island nation you probably had no idea existed,  Attu Island near Alaska, and the Pitcairns.  Each set of islands has its own brand of rugged beauty.

None of these islands are owned by America, so if you want to visit, the first step is obtaining a passport. When you apply for a passport, remember to allow enough time for it to arrive before your trip. Obtaining a passport with regular processing usually takes about 6 weeks. Even with the government’s expedited processing, you can still expect to wait at least 3 weeks.

The easiest method of obtaining a passport is to use a private passport expediting company.  Expediting companies like RushMyPassport.com make obtaining a passport easy. You’ll get help with the paperwork, personalized attention and service, and much faster processing. In fact, you can often get your application processed in as little as 24 hours!

Apply for your passport today!

When you apply for a passport, you need to be able to convince the government of two things: you are who you say you are, and you are a US citizen.  Usually, this is easily accomplished by submitting proof of identity and proof of citizenship.

The following documents can be used to prove your identity:

• An old US passport in good condition.
• Naturalization certificate.
• Valid driver’s license issued at least 6 months ago.
• Government-issued ID
• Military ID

These documents can be used to prove that you are a US citizen:

• An old US passport in good condition.
• A certified birth certificate with a raised or embossed seal
• A Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth (if you were born overseas to US citizen parents)
• A naturalization certificate or a certificate of citizenship.

What if you don’t have any of the above documents? The best thing to do is to obtain them before applying, but what if you can’t? In that case, you may have to use secondary documents to prove your identity and/or citizenship. Even if you have the right primary documents, if the Department of State has doubts about your application, they may request that you submit secondary documents to provide more proof. For example, people delivered by midwives along the border with Mexico have been  asked to submit secondary documentation along with their birth certificates due to concerns about midwives falsifying  birth certificates.

Secondary documents that prove US citizenship can include:

• Baptismal certificate
• Hospital birth certificate
• Census record
• Early school record
• Family bible record
• Doctor’s record of post-natal care

You may also need a Birth Affidavit form signed by someone who witnessed your birth (preferably an older blood relative).  Secondary documents that prove identity can include a combination of signature documents (such as a credit card, social security card and library card) and a signed, notarized affidavit from someone who is willing to vouch for your identity. (more…)

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!