Get a Passport to Be Inspired by Iceland This Winter - Expedited Passports

Winter is traditionally low season in Iceland, but the “Inspired by Iceland”  campaign aims to fix that. To entice more tourists to visit Iceland during the cold winter months, the campaign encourages Icelanders to open up their homes to tourists eager to have locals show them around the country.  It has received support from no less a public figure than Iceland’s prime minister,  Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, who posted a video on the Inspired by Iceland website encouraging others to take part. In the video, Prime Minister Grimsson says,

“Now at the beginning of winter, we traditionally see fewer tourists in Iceland. This is a development we want to change…Me and my wife Dorrit will also take part here at our residence at Bessastadir, invite a good group to come here for traditional Icelandic pancakes. Dorrit also wants to treat them to vegetables we grow in greenhouses…Then we will take a scenic walk around here and see the birdlife and the majestic views.”

Pancakes and a nature walk…that’s my idea of a good time. You’re on!

Visiting the Inspired by Iceland website, it appears that a fair number of Icelanders have decided to follow the Prime Minister’s example. Musicians Mugison and Sigga would love to entertain you with traditional Icelandic music, while Ragnar would be delighted to take you on a traditional Icelandic ice cream car ride. Very hardy souls can arrange to go sea swimming with Benedikt, who promises that afterwards “you will feel like a new person.” Meanwhile, another gentleman named Ragnar will teach you how to take breathtaking photographs of the Northern Lights.

Sounds tempting, no? If you want to head to Iceland this winter, you’ll need to get a passport. Apply as soon as possible, since regular processing can take up to six weeks. The State Department’s expedited processing option will get your passport to you in about three weeks, though you’ll pay an additional $60 for the privilege.

Should you find a last-minute deal that’s good to pass up, don’t despair. There are a couple of ways you can get your passport more quickly. One is to make an appointment at a regional passport agency office. These offices can issue emergency passports within 24 hours, though there are only 24 of them to serve the entire country.  An easier option is to use a private passport expediter like RushMyPassport. We deliver your application to the Department of State for processing in as little as 24 hours, with no need to make an appointment, wait in line or travel any further afield than your local post office.

Need to get your passport quickly? Let us help!

After you apply for your new passport, all that’s left is the waiting. If you requested regular service, that’s about six weeks of checking the mail obsessively for an envelope from the State Department.

Passports are sent back via regular mail with a tracking number, but you don’t have to sign for it. So, if you’re not home when it’s delivered, there’s usually not a problem…unless, of course, someone goes through your mailbox.

That’s what Snehlata Oberoi of San Francisco believes happened to her brand-new passport. Ms. Oberoi recently became a US citizen, and one of the first things she did was to apply for a US passport. Unfortunately, Ms. Oberoi told her local ABC affiliate, it never arrived. When she checked with the State Department, though, they told her it had been delivered and gave her a tracking number.

She said:

“So I looked up the tracking number online; it said your item was delivered at 11:15 on June 17 in San Francisco…I just want to know where my passport is, who is in possession of my passport, it’s like identity theft.”

Concerned that her stolen passport could be used for fraud by someone looking to use her identity for their own nefarious purposes, Ms. Oberoi would like to propose a solution to the Department of State:

“It’s a very secure document that needs to be sent in a secure fashion; it should always be sent with signature required on delivery,” she said.

But should it? In a response to the local ABC station Ms. Oberoi went to for help, the department noted that “generally, the Office of Passport Services does not require signatures for the delivery of passports, and millions of passports are delivered every year without incident.” (more…)

As long as you treat it right, your new passport is built to last for around ten years. However, the more you travel, the more wear and tear it will show – and the greater the chance of accidental damage. A damaged passport is most definitely an inconvenience. If the damage is at all severe, the document will have to be replaced before you attempt to leave the country again. Plus, if your passport is damaged, you automatically forfeit the ability to apply for a passport renewal by mail.

If you’d like to keep your passport in good condition, these five rules should be set in stone:

1st Commandment: Thou Shalt Invest In a Case

A good case can go a long way toward keeping your passport safe, preventing it from getting crushed or bent in your luggage. You don’t have to buy anything expensive, but an RFID-blocking case can also assuage any concerns you may have about the RFID chip that comes standard in all new passports and passport cards.

2nd Commandment: Thou Shalt Check Thy Pockets Before Doing Laundry

Hands down, the most common accident that can befall a passport is an accidental drowning in a washing machine. Always check your pockets!

3rd Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Bend Thy Passport

Don’t test the limits of your passport’s flexibility. Let’s face it, lots of people fidget when they’re nervous or bored, and what are you most likely to have in your hands as you wait in that long Customs line? That’s right…your passport! Bending it or flipping the pages repeatedly can cause the laminate to start to peel, though.

4th Commandment: Thou Shalt Keep Thy Passport Away From Animals and Small Children

Aside from the washing machine, your passport’s prime natural enemies are pets (especially dogs) and small children. Both are instinctively destructive and like to chew on whatever random foreign objects they encounter. Your passport is just another piece of rawhide to your pup! (more…)

From the “not-too-bright criminals” file:

A Clarksville, Tennessee man had it all planned out: he would rob a bank, pay off his family’s bills, and then flee south of the border. Unfortunately, he forgot one minor detail: that perfect getaway to Mexico now requires a passport. If you plan to make your great escape by plane, you’ll need your passport before they’ll let you board. Driving across the border beyond the 20 to 30 kilometer “border zone” also requires a passport. Plus, you are required to show your passport when you re-enter the US.

I don’t know if Mr. Fred Emile Berquez Jr. had been watching too many old action movies or what, but obviously the whole “rob a bank and flee across the border” thing has gotten a lot more complicated since the golden age of Hollywood.

To give credit where credit is due, he did manage to rob the bank successfully. However, he neglected to get a new passport first. Naturally, the bank robbery attracted a good deal of publicity. So, in an attempt to get out of town quickly without leaving his family high and dry, Mr. Berquez paid off three months of overdue rent and his electric bill, then drove to Paducah, Kentucky to try to get a passport. After speaking with his presumably very angry wife, however, he realized he had no shot at making it to Mexico and was going to have to turn himself in. Clarksville Police Department Spokesman Officer Jim Knoll explained what happened next in the Leaf Chronicle:

“He had already spent a large amount of the stolen money and decided that he might be able to recoup some of it by gambling at the casino boat. That idea did not work out so well, and he lost all of the remaining money except for $100, which he used to get back to Clarksville and turn himself in to police.”

Whoops.

For more about passport requirements for travel to Mexico, see Do You Need a Passport to Go to Mexico?

Remember, as long as you’re traveling across the border for a legitimate and LEGAL purpose, RushMyPassport can help you get a passport quickly when necessary. We hand-deliver your application to the Department of State, putting it on the top of the stack for processing in as little as 24 hours.

Get your new passport quickly today!

Canada and Mexico, our nearest neighbors, are popular destinations for Americans looking to get away from it all for Labor Day. If you’re planning to cross the border during the three-day weekend, the nice folks at US Customs and Border Patrol have some words of wisdom for you: don’t forget your US passport. Passport books are required for US citizens who seek to cross into Mexico or Canada by air. If you’re traveling by land or sea, you’ll need one of the following: a passport book, a passport card or a membership in a trusted traveler program like NEXUS or SENTRI.

Having your passport ready when you approach the border crossing can definitely speed things up, but keep in mind that no matter how prepared you are, it still may take longer than usual to get across. In a CBP press release, Acting Port Director Marty Raybon reminds vacationers that “Holidays are always a busy time at our border crossings as travelers enjoy a little vacation time. We want to work with our travelers so that they know how to be ready to cross so that we can facilitate their travel.”

In addition to having the right documents, one way to keep yourself from spending too much of your precious vacation time waiting in line at a checkpoint is to check the border conditions before you go. The CBP provides this information on its website. Use it to find the most advantageous time to cross.

If you need a passport for an upcoming trip to Canada or Mexico, RushMyPassport can help. We’ll walk you through all the paperwork to ensure you have the documents you need to make the application process go smoothly. Then, we’ll hand-deliver your paperwork to the Department of State for priority processing, often in as little as 24 hours. Don’t let your lack of a US passport ruin your holiday- contact us today!

Many great novels and short stories involve travel. It’s easy to see why; when you leave behind everything that’s familiar and step out into the unknown, all the key ingredients of an exciting plot are waiting for you. To quote JRR Tolkien, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

Do you have a favorite travel story? Why not actually walk in your favorite characters’ footsteps? For example, here are four great stories that you could plan a trip based on:

The Odyssey

Okay, so you probably won’t want to be on the road for as long as Odysseus was, but there’s no reason you can’t plan a trip to Greece that includes some of the more prominent stops on along his path. In fact, New York Times travel writer Matt Gross recently went on just such a quest. Instead of Scylla and Charybdis, he faced down Greece’s somewhat capricious ferry system to visit several different islands on his way to Ithaca. Here’s how he described the experience: “There was a regularity to the joy of discovering these new places, each so similar, none identical.”

Eat, Pray, Love

“Eat, Pray, Love”-based itineraries are becoming a bit of a cliché. However, with a list of countries that includes Italy, India and Indonesia, it’s hard to go wrong with Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir as a guide.

Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe Island is the island where Alexander Selkirk, the real-life Robinson Crusoe, was marooned for four years, inspiring the classic story by Daniel Defoe. Although it’s no longer deserted, the island, located off the coast of Chile, is an intriguing vacation destination: beautiful, remote and generally overlooked by tourists.

Around the World in 80 Days

One of the classics of the travel fiction genre, the protagonists of “Around the World in 80 Days” start in London and travel through Egypt, India, Hong Kong, Japan and the US before ending up back where they started. Methods of travel include steamship, train, elephant and even a sleigh. This being the 21st century, however, you can simply take a plane.

No matter where your favorite book takes you, if you’re leaving the country you will need a passport. Since it can take six weeks or longer to process your passport application, you should apply as soon as possible. You can expedite your passport application for an additional fee of $60, but be aware that it will still take three weeks for your passport to arrive.

For speedier service, you have two choices: making an appointment at one of the country’s 24 regional passport agency offices, or use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport. We hand-deliver your application to the Department of State, for processing in as little as 24 hours with no need to make an appointment or wait in line at a passport agency office.

Contact us today to get your passport quickly and easily!

Seattle residents who need an emergency passport should be sure they head to the right address. Earlier this month, the office moved from its previous location in the Jackson Federal building to a new location in the Fifth and Yesler Building. The move reflects the increased demand for emergency passports in the Seattle area since they became required for most travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. According to the Seattle Times, the new office is roomier and has more service windows.

The Seattle Passport Agency is one of 24 regional passport agency offices sprinkled throughout the US. These offices serve as emergency passport offices for US citizens who have booked an international trip within the next two weeks and require a new passport or a passport renewal for travel.  You are also eligible to use the office if you are traveling within the next four weeks to a country that requires you to apply for a travel visa before leaving the US.  Here’s how it works:

• Make an appointment: all passport agency offices are open by appointment only. To reserve your appointment, call 1-877-487-2778. The passport office has limited operating hours of 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, so if you work first shift, you may need to ask for additional time off to make the appointment.
• Come to the new office, located at in suite 600 of the Fifth and Yessler building at 300 5th Avenue in Seattle. Be punctual: if you miss your scheduled appointment time, you’ll have to reschedule.
• Bring all of the documents needed to apply for an emergency passport or passport renewal. For details, see How to Apply for a New Passport and Passport Renewal: A Step-by-Step Guide. Call the National Passport Center at 1-877-487-2778 if you have any questions about what to bring.
• Bring proof of travel, such as a flight itinerary. For car trips into Canada, see What Can I Use as Proof of Travel When Driving to Mexico or Canada?
• At the office, pay the required fees.

As long as you have all the paperwork in order, you should be able to get an emergency passport from the passport office within 24 hours.

However, if you can’t  make it to the agency office or you just don’t want to fool with making an appointment, there is a more convenient option: using a private expediting company like RushMyPassport. We personally deliver your application to the Department of State, for processing in as little as 24 hours, with no need to make an appointment or wait in line. If you are applying for a new passport, you’ll need to go to a post office or other acceptance facility to have your documents sealed first, but that’s it. If you’re eligible to apply for a passport renewal by mail, you don’t even have to do that.

Need an emergency passport? Apply the easy way with RushMyPassport!

In California, deep-sea fishing boats crossing into Mexican waters have found themselves on the hook instead, as the Mexican  navy boarded them and checked their passengers’ passports. According to SignOnSanDiego.com, the sport-fishing boats believed that they were complying with existing regulations that allow anglers to take short fishing trips of a day or less into Mexican waters, as long as they have a Mexican fishing license. However, one of the boats reported being turned back when an angler on board was unable to produce a valid US passport.

Michelle Gandola, a spokeswoman for the Sportfishing Association of California, told SignOnSanDiego that the Association had contacted the Mexican government for clarification:

“We’re trying to get some kind of official statement from the Mexican government. But as far as we know, no new Mexican regulation or policy has come out about passport requirements on sport boats. All we know is that a few of our boats were boarded, and passengers were asked to produce passports. We’ve been operating in Mexico for over 50 years and have had great relations with Mexico. Our hope is that we can work this out and that it’s just a slight hitch that can be taken care of so we can get back to operating without any additional requirements.”

Still, for now, if you plan to go on a sport-fishing trip that includes a dip into Mexican waters, you should probably bring a US passport. Getting one will take six weeks if you apply with regular processing, and about three weeks if you pay an additional $60 for expedited processing.

If you have a trip booked, one way to avoid rescheduling is to make an appointment at the nearest regional passport agency office. For fast service without an appointment, another option is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.

Need a US passport? Apply with us today!

Losing a passport overseas is a frightening, frustrating experience. Being famous has its perks, however, as singer John Grant, formerly of the Czars, found out last week.

According to News.com.au, Mr. Grant was all set fly from the UK to Ver0na, Italy for an upcoming show, when he realized he’d lost both his passport and his photo ID. He went straight to the US Embassy in London to get an emergency passport, but of course they won’t give passports to any random person who walks in off the street. You do need some form of identification.

That’s where being a celebrity came in handy for Mr. Grant. He was able to use a photo of himself in the Times newspaper as proof of identity. He recounted the story to News.com.au:

‘I said to the security guards, “I haven’t got any ID, but here I am on the front page of The Times today”. They read it, and I saw the look on their faces change from delight to horror as they realised that they had a drug-addicted pervert standing in front of them. Then one of them said, “It’s good enough for me. I doubt you’ve gone to all the trouble of printing a copy just to fool us”.’

Mr. Grant got his passport, and as he explained to the BBC, “In about a half hour I was on my way back to the airport to catch a later flight to Verona and ended up making our stage time, so it all worked out really well.”

Stateside, of course, it doesn’t matter who you are: if you apply to replace a lost passport, you’ll need both proof of identity (such as a driver’s license or state-issued ID) and proof of citizenship. You’ll also need one passport photo and a completed copy of passport application forms DS-11 and DS-64 (explanation regarding a lost or stolen passport). (more…)

For many Americans, submitting your passport application during the week can range from a minor annoyance to well-nigh impossible. Unfortunately, many places that accept passport applications are closed during the weekend. To make it easier for families to apply for a passport, three years ago the federal government began holding “Passport Day in the USA.” The event, which allowed people to submit passport applications at federally operated regional passport agencies as well as some local passport acceptance facilities, was an instant success. Tens of thousands of people came out to take advantage of the extra operating hours and apply for passports.

This year, Passport Day was originally scheduled for April 9th. However, due to the potential for a government shutdown, the event had to be cancelled at the last minute. Fortunately, it’s been rescheduled, with travel blog Jaunted reporting that the date is now set for September 17th.

If you decide to submit your passport application during Passport Day, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you need to allow enough time before your trip to receive your passport back in the mail. Normally, passport agency offices handle emergency passport requests for people traveling within the next 3 weeks, often issuing documents the same day or overnight.

However, on previous Passport Days, emergency passport applications were not accepted during the extra Saturday hours. Instead, applications were subject to standard processing times of six weeks for regular processing and three weeks for expedited processing with an additional $60 fee.

For faster service without the need to travel to a passport agency office, you can use a private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport. If you need to apply in person for your passport, you will have to go to your nearest post office (or another location that accepts passport applications) and get your application “sealed,” but then all you have to do is send it to us. We hand-deliver it to the Department of State, for processing in as little as 24 hours.

Submit your passport application today!