Expedited Passports

Travel writers are professional travelers, but that doesn’t mean they don’t make mistakes like the rest of us.  Seth Kugel, the new Frugal Traveler columnist for the New York Times, saw his new gig get off to a rough start due to one of the most common travel mishaps: a lost passport.

He described his ordeal in yesterday’s New York Times:

Yep, last week, as I prepared for my grand debut in the frugal spotlight, I realized my passport had disappeared from my São Paulo apartment. Of course, I looked everywhere – desk drawers, jacket pockets, under cushions, and eventually, methodically, in every square inch of every room, including inside my running shoes and (twice) in the shower. It was gone.

Think, Seth, think. When was the last time you had it? Passing through customs at São Paulo’s Guarulhos airport after a recent sleepless overnight flight … searching desperately for a restroom … putting it down on top of the paper towel dispenser … nooooooo!

Oops! Luckily for Mr. Kugel, someone had actually turned his lost passport in at the airport’s lost and found. Kind of restores your faith in humanity, doesn’t it?

Losing your passport right before a trip can be a blow to your self-esteem, but it shouldn’t be.  If it can happen to the Frugal Traveler, it can happen to anyone.

If you lose your passport overseas as Mr. Kugel did, you will need to apply for a replacement at the nearest American embassy or consulate. If you’re still in the States, you have a few different options for replacing your lost passport, depending on how quickly you need it.

The first option is to apply at a post office or other passport acceptance facility (see How to Replace a Lost Passport for details).  If you choose regular processing, you should have your new passport in your hands in about 6 weeks. If you pay an additional $60 plus overnight delivery fees, you’ll have it in about 3 weeks.

If you need it sooner than that, you have two options: use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com, or make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency office. Using an expediting company is well worth the extra cost for most people, as there is no need to make an appointment or wait around at the passport office.

Let us help you replace your lost passport quickly and easily, today!

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!

The idea of a World’s Fair may seem somewhat quaint, calling to mind the first Great Exposition in London, England in 1851 or the electrical exhibits at the the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. However, the practice of holding international expositions has continued to this day.  Now, as then, the expositions provide countries with an opportunity to show off, whether it be by displaying new technologies or through cultural and artistic exhibitions.

This year, China is hosting a world’s fair in Shanghai. The Shanghai World Expo started on May 1st and will continue until October 31st, 2010. The theme of the expo is “Better City: Better Life,” and as you might imagine, China has gone all out to get the city of Shanghai in the best possible shape for the event, spending approximately $45 billion to prepare the city for the Expo. The opening ceremony featured a fantastic fireworks display, and additional festivities are planned throughout the event, which is expected to attract more than $75 million people (via the New York Times).

Each country participating in the Expo has a pavilion designed to show visitors the country at its best- France has brought some of its most famous art works, including paintings by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Bonnard and Cezanne, as well as a statue by Rodin. Denmark has made its famous “Little Mermaid” statue the centerpiece of its pavilion.  According to the NileGuidance blog, even tiny Kazakhstan has managed to put together a pavilion that exemplifies its “wealth of culture and open invitation to tourists.”

If you’d like to go to the Shanghai World Expo, you might want to apply for a passport, quick.  Once your passport application is submitted, you can expect to spend about 6 weeks waiting for it if you apply with regular processing, and about 3 weeks if you apply using the government’s expedited processing.

If you need a passport more quickly, the easiest and most convenient way is to use an expediting service like RushMyPassport.com. With an expediter, you get personal, one-on-one attention from  a passport specialist to help you complete the application. Then, we deliver your application by hand to the Department of State to ensure you get your passport quick, with processing times as low as 24 hours!

Need a passport quick? Apply with us today!

Something old? Check.  Something new? Check. Something borrowed? Check. Valid passport? Hey,wait a minute…

These days, cruise ship weddings are replacing more expensive destination weddings as the ceremony of choice for budget-conscious couples who love to travel. The NileGuidance blog reports that the number of couples getting married on a cruise ship has risen by 60% in the past decade.  Cruise ship weddings are quite affordable, even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend-Carnival Cruise’s basic ceremony costs $1,195, and for an additional $600, you get a reception with your family and friends before the boat sails. Just make sure nobody tries to stow away in your cabin!

According to SmartMoney.com, the average wedding in the US costs between $21,000 and $24,000, making the cost of a cruise ship wedding seem downright frugal in comparison. Plus, you don’t have to worry about planning your honeymoon-just sail off into the sunset once you’ve said your vows.

If you’re sailing out of the country, one must-have cruise ship wedding accessory is a US passport. Since June of 2009, a passport has been required to cross the border into Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean by land or sea. Technically, you can get by with just a driver’s license and birth certificate if you are sailing to one of those three regions and your cruise begins and ends at the same US port.  However, passports are required for all international air travel, so you’re much better off if you have one with you just in case something comes up during the cruise and you have to fly back.

Applying for a passport usually takes approximately 6 weeks for regular service and three weeks for the government’s expedited service. You can get an expedited passport more quickly bu using a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.  We provide detailed, clear instructions to help you complete your expedited passport application; and then we hand-deliver it to the US Department of State.  With our service, your expedited passport could be on its way back to you in as little as 24 hours!

Apply for your expedited passport today!

If you live in El Paso, keep a close eye on your US passport.  According to local TV station NewsChannel9,  stolen passports are on the rise as thieves target US citizens for their travel documents.

In a story published on March 17th, the station advised that the local passport office had noticed a trend of people being mugged not for cash or jewelry, but for their US passports.  On April 19th, they reported that the trend had continued, and that according to supervisor at the local passport office, about 6 of every 10 passport forms filed were filed to report a stolen passport.

No matter where you live, if you own a passport it is important to know what to do if it is lost or stolen.  Below are the steps for reporting and replacing a stolen passport:

Step 1: Report the Theft

To report a stolen passport, you have two choices.  You can call 1-877-487-2778 and speak to representative between 8am and 10pm Eastern Time, except on weekends and holidays. Or you can fill out form DS-64, Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport.

Whichever method you choose, your passport will be permanently invalidated once you report it stolen.  If it turns out it wasn’t stolen and you find it the next day, you won’t be able to use it to travel.

Step 2: Apply for a New Passport in Person

To apply for a new passport, you must go to a passport office in person with the following documents:

• Proof of identity (the original and a photocopy)
• Proof of citizenship
• 2 passport photos
• The appropriate fees
• Passport Application Form DS-11
• Passport form DS-64, Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport

After you submit your application, you will need to wait for your new passport to arrive in the mail.  This can take anywhere from 6 weeks if you submitted it with regular processing to 3 weeks if you requested the government’s expedited processing.

If you need it sooner, you can make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency office during their business hours to get it replaced immediately. However, a private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport.com is usually much more convenient-no need to take off work or drive to a passport office (in many cities and towns the nearest office is hours away by car), and your application can be processed in as little as 24 hours.

Stolen passports stink, but replacing them doesn’t have to. Apply with us today!

A Massachusetts woman whose purse was stolen lost more than her wallet-she also lost her passport, complicating her plans to adopt  a little girl from Ethiopia.

According to WBZTV.com , Colleen MacRae was shopping inside a Home Depot store when a man distracted her and then made off with her purse. Inside was her passport.

The lost passport is potentially more than an inconvenience-it also puts her and her husband’s plans to adopt a child in Ethiopia next month in jeopardy.

As Mrs. MacRae explained to WBZTV:

“Anybody who has ever been through the adoption process knows having to change one number on your home study, your application, your dossier, means possibly getting lost. It could mean that some bureaucrat is going to put that wall down on you and prohibit you from adopting all together.”

Since there is so little time for Mrs. MacRae to replace her lost passport, Senator John Kerry’s office has stepped in to try to speed the process up.

Whether you have a lost passport or a stolen passport, the replacement process is the same: First, you must report the lost passport to the Department of State at 1-877-487-2778 between 8 am and 10pm, Monday through Friday.  This invalidates the passport so that no one else can use it.

Then, apply in person for a new passport. You must submit the following documents:

• Form DS-64: Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport
• New Passport Application Form DS-11
• Proof of identity
• Proof of citizenship
• 2 passport photos
• Appropriate fees: Currently, it costs $100 to replace a lost or stolen adult passport and $85 for a child passport (minors under age 16). However, these fees are likely to increase in the near future, so be sure to check the Department of State’s web site.

It usually takes 6 weeks to get your new passport back in the mail for regular passport processing and 3 weeks if you use the government’s expedited processing.

However, if you need your passport sooner, you can either make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency office, or use a private passport expediting service. The latter option is quicker and easier-considering the cost of taking off work and getting to a passport office if there isn’t one nearby, the extra expense is usually worth it and you may even save money in the long run.

Replace your lost passport today!

A new 24-hour passport office will be opening in Portsmouth, New Hampshire later this year.  The office will be located at the National Passport Center in Portsmouth, which has 840 employees but is not open to the public yet.

Starting in October, workers at the center will be able to assist customers who need emergency passport services by issuing US passport books and US passport cards on site.  This will be a relief to many New Hampshire residents, as previously obtaining 24-hour passport service required a trip to Boston or Connecticut.

Fosters.com quotes U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen discussing the announcement:

“The new services available in Portsmouth will help New Hampshire residents who need an expedited passport get the help they need in a more convenient place, and I’m glad these services will be available this year.”

One important point to keep in mind, however, is that residents who need 24-hour passport services will not be able to simply walk in to the Portsmouth passport office and get one. Before you can be seen at the office, you need to make an appointment during business hours. If you work during the day, expect to have to take some time off work, too- Regional Passport Agency offices are  not open on evenings, weekends or holidays.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of making an appointment and traveling to the passport office or you simply can’t take any more time off work, there is another way to get your passport quickly.

By using a private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport.com, you get passport processing times as low as 24 hours without having to make an appointment, take time off work or drive to a Regional Passport Agency office.  Plus, you get personal service from a trained passport specialist, reducing the likelihood of common mistakes that can hold up your application.

Need 24 hour passport services? We can help! Apply with us today!

Is your passport due to expire within the next 6 months to a year?  While you may not feel like shelling out the extra cash for a new one, it’s still a good idea to go ahead and get it renewed. In many cases, a passport with an expiration date 6 months or less in the future is almost as useless as one that’s expired.

Consider, for instance, the case of Charles Herman. According to the Chicago Tribune, he attended a friend’s wedding last year in Uganda.  Before he went, he researched the country’s visa requirements at the US State Department’s website. His passport was good for just a little less than 6 months, and the Department of State website said that it only needed to be good for 3 months.

However,when he tried to board his flight, he was told by the airline that he needed to have at least 6 months left on his passport, not three. Instead of letting him get on the flight to Uganda, the airline made him fly into Kenya instead, at an additional cost of $855.66.

Yikes! The airline then refused to refund the price difference, even after Mr. Herman referred them to the incorrect information on the Department of State’s website (which has since been corrected.)

The moral of the story, according to Steve Lott, a spokesman for the IATA, is to check multiple sources for your travel requirements. Mr. Lott told the Tribune:

“If there’s a dispute, if you get mixed messages or mixed information, the ultimate authority here is the country you’re going to,” Lott said. “Make sure you get something in writing, and make sure you cross reference with your airline.”

One way to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you is to renew your passport more than 6 months before it expires.  Of course, it’s easy for your passport expiration date to creep up on you, and it can take up to 3 weeks to get your new passport back in the mail even if you apply for expedited service.

Using a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport is the way to go if you need to get your passport renewed in a hurry and you want to avoid the hassle of making an appointment and driving to a Regional Passport Agency office. We hand-deliver your application to the Department of State, so you can renew your passport in as little as 24 hours!

Renew your passport with us today!