Same Day Passport Office Opens in Vermont - Expedited Passports

Vermonters in need of a same day passport can breathe a huge sigh of relief: A new regional passport agency office just opened in St. Albans. That means that Vermonters with verifiable passport emergencies can get same-day passport requests processed in state, instead of having to drive or catch a plane to New Hampshire or Boston.

To celebrate the occasion, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the new office on Friday, March 4th. Senator Patrick Leahy attended, and explained the importance of the new office to local NBC affiliate WPTZ.com:

“Here, we’re right on the Canadian border and the idea of having a regional passport agency is extremely important. If you came in this morning with all the appropriate documentation, we could have you on your way within a few hours.”

In addition, the new passport office will benefit the economy of the town of St. Albans, Mayor Martin Manahan told WCAX.com:

“From a selfish standpoint, the traffic it’s going to bring into our downtown and the advantage our businesses are going to have in our downtown as a result of that.”

This is the 22nd regional passport agency to open in the US, and it is the first one to open outside of a major city. Regional passport agencies provide same day passport service to US citizens who need a passport for travel within the next 14 days. They operate by appointment only – to make an appointment at the Vermont passport agency, call 1-877-487-2778.

To be eligible for an appointment, you must be able to bring a copy of a travel itinerary proving that you will be leaving the country in the next 14 days. In addition to standard passport fees, you’ll also need to pay an additional $60 expedite fee for each application you submit. Like all passport agency offices, the Vermont office has limited hours of operation, so your appointment will be sometime between the hours of 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday. (more…)

The US Department of State is releasing new passport application forms on March 1st. The new forms will have some minor tweaks, such as the use of “mother or parent 1″ and “father or parent 2″ to make the application more friendly for same-sex families.

After March 1st, if you’re applying for a passport it’s important to use the new versions of the forms for the fastest service. If you print the forms yourself from the Department of State’s website you’ll have the latest version, but if you apply in person at an acceptance office (like a post office), you may be given the old forms until they are used up. However, if you care about getting your passport in a timely manner, it’s better to ask for the new forms instead.

For example, Edwina DeRosa of Alamance County Passport Services told the TimesNews.com that old forms would be offered to applicants with a warning that “the use of the old form may significantly delay the processing of the passport application.” If you don’t like the sound of that, know that the new forms will also be available at passport acceptance facilities and that the acceptance agents will offer the new forms to you as well.

Another minor change to the passport application process: You no longer have to send in 2 passport photos. Now, only one is required.

Passport processing times vary depending on how many passport applications the Department of State has to deal with at any given time. Generally, however, it’s about 6 weeks if you apply with standard processing and about 3 weeks if you expedite it.

If you can’t wait that long, you can set up an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency office or take the easy way and let RushMyPassport submit your application for you. We’ll walk you through the new paperwork, answer your questions and deliver your application to the Department of State for processing times as low as 24 hours.

Let us help you with your passport application today!

Losing a passport at the last minute is one of the most common reasons for needing expedited passport service. Passports are small and easily misplaced, and they have the tendency to disappear just when you need them most.

That’s what happened to novelist Jennifer Belle and her husband. After saying their “I dos,” the couple was ready to jump in a plane and head to Italy for the honeymoon – until they realized that his passport was missing.

Since the plane tickets and the hotel rooms were already booked, and since Ms. Belle still had her passport, the couple decided that she should go alone so that the money wouldn’t go to waste. Meanwhile, the hapless groom would work on replacing his lost passport and then join her in Italy as soon as possible.

Fortunately, this story has a happy ending, at least for Ms. Belle: her husband’s temporary absence really did make the heart grow fonder. She writes:

Honeymooning alone, I discovered what it was to be married. I experienced it more fully, had a chance to get used to it. Without him there to interfere, I could be my most romantic. We were star-crossed; he was struggling to get to me. Every bride should be alone after the stress of a wedding. I felt sorry for anyone with a groom to deal with.

Somehow, I doubt her husband was quite as sanguine about the whole affair, if only because while she was enjoying Venice, he was dealing with the hassle of trying to get his lost passport replaced as quickly as possible.

To replace a passport that’s gone missing, you’ll need:

• Proof of identity (like a driver’s license)
• A photocopy of your ID
• Proof of citizenship (usually your birth or naturalization certificate)
• 2 passport photos
• Passport application form DS-11
• Lost passport form DS-64
• $135 for passport fees, plus an additional $60 to have it expedited.

You’ll need to apply in person at a passport acceptance facility, like a post office. If you need your passport in less than two weeks, you should make an appointment at the nearest regional passport agency office or use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.

RushMyPassport will personally deliver your application to the Department of State, for processing times as low as 24 hours.

Need to replace a lost passport quickly? We can help!

I know it seems impossible, with the Midwest being pummeled by snow like it is at the moment, but spring is just around the corner. That means that it’s time to start making Spring Break plans, booking rooms and buying tickets.  One item to think about: Will you be staying in the US this Spring Break, or traveling outside of the country? If you have the resources, there are actually quite a few great last-minute deals on trips available at the moment. Here are 5 worth rushing your passport for:

Kids Stay Free at Club Med

Book by February 28th, and you can take a family vacation at one of 32 Club Med resorts around the world. For each adult reservation you make, one kid can stay free.

Fly to the Bahamas for as Low as $198 Round-Trip

Via Orbitz, Airtran is having a sale that can get you from Houston, Texas to Nassau, Bahamas for $198 round-trip. Book now to stake out your place in the sun!

Fly to Europe or Iceland for $219 One Way

Iceland Air will fly you to London or Copenhagen for $219 each way, as long as you don’t mind being routed through Iceland. Of course, if you’re not sick to death of snow, you could just go to Iceland and bask in the warmth of their hot springs.

Four Nights in the Bahamas for $299, Including Air

CheapCaribbean.com has a 4-night vacation package in the Bahamas up for grabs for $299 including air.

Paris in the Spring for $699 Including Air

If beach vacations aren’t your thing, Virgin Vacations has a 6-night vacation in Paris for $699 per person, including round-trip air, hotel and breakfast.

Ideally, if you plan to leave the country for Spring Break, you’ve already applied for your passport. If you don’t expedite the application, it takes at least 6 weeks to process. Even if you do pay the Department of State an additional $60 for expedited service, you should still allow at least three weeks.

For faster service, in most cases the easiest way to rush your passport is with a private expediting service like RushMyPassport. We offer processing times as low as 24 hours with no need to make an appointment at a passport agency office or travel out of your way to get there.

Need to rush a passport? Talk to us today!

For most people, applying for a new passport is a minor inconvenience. However, for singer and actor Ben Vereen, best known for his roles as “Chicken George” in the miniseries Roots and as Mayor Ben on Zoobilee Zoo, the quest for a passport unearthed a family secret that no one had ever revealed to him: he was adopted.

Vereen recently recounted his story for BlogTalkRadio.com. It started when he got invited to tour with Sammy Davis, Jr. at the age of 25:

“I didn’t have a passport so he told me to send for my birth certificate. I didn’t think about the fact that I didn’t have one or there were no baby pictures of me. Turns out they didn’t have my birth certificate under the name Ben Vereen but they had Essie Middleton as the mother of Benjamin Vereen.”

When he questioned his mother about it, she revealed that he was adopted. Despite having the birth certificate, it took him decades longer to actually get up the nerve to track his birth family down. He told BlogTalk Radio,

“The whole idea of hearing my older sister’s voice for the first time was just amazing. We were both nervous seeing each other for the first time. Now she’s always on my case. I also discovered I have a brother, Jimmy, and (another, called) Eugene…Both mothers have since gone on (died), so finding aunts and cousins and a whole slew of people who are now in my life and my children’s lives is wonderful and very rich.” (more…)

Starting in May, the number of passport offices in your area may become fewer. As reported on local Maine news website WLBZ2.com, “The State Department will no longer allow offices that process vital records like a birth certificate or marriage license to process passports or passport cards.”

In Maine alone, 25 passport acceptance facilities will be forced to stop accepting passport applications as of May 1st, 2011. The new regulations are designed to make passport fraud and identity theft more difficult.

Fortunately, neither post offices nor libraries handle birth certificates, marriage certificates or similar records. So, if your local post office or library accepts passport applications, they should be able to continue doing so. You can always find a list of the passport acceptance offices close to you by looking online at the US Department of State’s website.

Of course, it’s important to make sure that you’re applying at the right type of passport office to meet your needs. Passport acceptance facilities offer two types of service: routine service and expedited service. Routine service generally takes at least 6 weeks, and you should allow at least 8 weeks. Expedited service costs an additional $60 and gets your passport to you in about 3 weeks.

If you need your passport more quickly, your options are to either to visit a regional passport agency office or to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport. There are only 21 passport agencies in the entire US right now, so depending on where you live you may find that a passport agency office is much less accessible than a passport acceptance office. If that’s the case, a private passport expediting company is probably going to be more convenient for you.

We deliver your application directly to the Department of State, resulting in processing times as low as 24 hours! Plus, you don’t have to make an appointment like you would at a passport agency and you’ll have access to a passport specialist to walk you through the process.

Can’t get to a passport agency office? Let us help!

El Paso residents in need of emergency passport services will soon be able to obtain one close to home. The new El Paso passport agency office is expected to be open in March, and the Department of State held a pre-opening event this week to celebrate. At the event, Jacqueline Harley-Bell of passport operations explained the how the new office will help citizens of El Paso and surrounding areas:

“When they go to acceptance facilities, which are the post offices and clerks of court, it normally takes them anywhere from 4-6 weeks to get the passport book or card processed. It’ll be more convenient for them having a passport agency in their own backyard.”

So what’s the difference between an acceptance facility and a passport agency office? As Ms. Harley-Bell noted, acceptance facilities have a much longer processing time. When you apply at a an acceptance facility, you can choose from regular or expedited processing. Regular processing takes about 6 weeks, but even if you pay the additional $60 for expedited processing at an acceptance facility, you’re still stuck waiting two to three weeks for your passport to arrive.

Passport agency offices like the one currently being built in El Paso offer emergency passport processing. If you need a passport for travel in two weeks or less, you qualify for an appointment at a passport agency office. However, the closest passport agency office to El Paso that’s open right now is the one in Tucson, and that’s 319 miles away!

The new office will be more conveniently located, obviously, but will it be the best option for everyone? Not necessarily. Passport agencies tend to have very limited hours of operation, and are only open on weekdays, which can make them inconvenient for people who work during the day. They are also open by appointment only, and you can’t just walk in.

In contrast, using a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport is much easier. There’s no need to make an appointment or take off work to get to a passport agency office. Just send your application and supporting documents to the expediting company and they’ll deal with the Department of State for you.

When you use RushMyPassport, you also get walked through the application process by your own passport specialist, and we offer turnaround times as low as 24 hours.

Get in touch to apply for an emergency passport the easy way!

Ahhh, Wal-Mart in December…screaming children, endless lines to check out, and shopping cart traffic jams blocking the aisles. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

Wal-Mart may be the quintessential American Christmas shopping experience, but this time of year makes me dream longingly of Europe’s Christmas markets. A tradition that started in Germany and has now spread all over Europe, Christmas markets feature lots of food, drinks and unique items to fill your family’s stockings. There’s also glühwein, hot mulled wine that’s often fortified with brandy. If that won’t get you into the holiday spirit, I’m afraid you must be an incurable Scrooge.

According to Wikipedia, the tradition of the holiday market dates back to 1294, with the city of Vienna’s “December Market.” Here’s the scoop on 5 of the oldest and/or most popular holiday markets today:

• The Nuremberg Christmas Market runs until Christmas Eve. The Nuremberg Christmas Angel presides over the ceremonies, which attract about 2 million people each year. Canned Christmas carols are strictly verboten.
• The Dresden Christmas Market dates back to 1434 and is one of the oldest holiday markets. It also runs until Christmas Eve. Highlights include handblown glass, handmade candles, traditional handmade toys, wine punch, rum punch, and a list of delightful-sounding goodies like stuffed apples and deep-fried cheese balls. Also, Santa goes through the market once a day and delivers a toy to each and every child. Magical.
• Stuttgart’s Christmas Market is probably the largest in Europe. It’s also one of the most heavily visited, attracting around 3.5 million people every year.
• The Christmas Market in Birmingham, England is the largest in the UK. Like the other markets, it features lots of German goodies, live music and presents.
• The Fira de Santa Llúcia, in Barcelona, Spain, has been held since 1786. It is famous for amazing handcrafted sculptures made of cork. Another claim to fame: little figurines of people relieving themselves. Called caganer, these figures are commonly placed in nativity scenes.

Of course, to get to a Christmas market before Christmas Eve, you’ll need a last-minute flight deal and an express passport if you don’t already have one. Express passports can be obtained at a Passport Agency office, but given that there still only 21 of them open to the general public in the entire US, a private passport expediting company like RushmyPassport is probably a more convenient option.

We deliver your express passport application to the Department of State, for processing times as low as 24 hours. Beat that, Santa!

Apply for an express passport today!

“If I could work my will, nephew, every idiot who goes about with “Merry Christmas” on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.” — Ebenezer Scrooge

It’s officially the holiday season and while most of us are (fortunately) less bitter than Mr. Scrooge, wanting to get away from it all is actually a fairly normal reaction. I love Christmas in theory, but in practice the packed shopping malls and obnoxious Christmas music usually have me saying “Bah, Humbug!” halfway through December.

If Ebenezer Scrooge were alive today, he’d probably apply for a fast passport and cool his heels somewhere far away until the holiday season is over. If you want a ticket away from all of the hustle and bustle that is Christmas-time in America, you have several possible choices. For example, according to this article on NewsChief.com, a winter cruise is a great way to escape. Since decorations and dinner are handled for you, you get the best of the season without all of the work. The article quotes Ben Carpenter of Winter Haven, Florida, who says “”The holidays are the best time to take a cruise. I’ll golf on four islands this season and share festivities with brand new friends each year.” While it’s certainly not a miserly way to celebrate the holiday, it isn’t traditional, either.

Or, you could go a step further and go somewhere where Christmas is not celebrated at all. Over at AlmostFearless.com, Christine Gilbert is spending the holidays in Thailand. She writes:

“If you travel to the other side of the world, the holiday season means absolutely nothing. That’s all it takes. A move to another country, another life, and suddenly, that big-deal-holiday that you’ve celebrated every year of your life evaporates. It’s gone. “

For me personally, Thailand sounds particularly inviting whenever I’m out and about and hear those annoying “Alvin and the Chipmunks” Christmas carols.

But if you want to escape the holiday madness, you’ll need to get a fast passport if you don’t have one already. Normal passport processing takes about 6 weeks, while expedited service through the Department of State takes 2 to 3 weeks. For truly fast passport processing, you have two options: make an appointment to apply in person at a Regional Passport Agency office, or use a passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. Let us handle the appointment with the passport agency for you, and you’ll have more time to do last-minute shopping and send out cards. Just try not to gloat about spending Christmas, lest your Christmas Eve pad thai turn into the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

Need a fast passport for the holidays? Let us help!

According to Canada.com, Manitoba NDP MP Jim Maloway has been on a mission to lower passport application fees, not just for Canadians but also for US citizens. The idea is that lower passport application fees would enable more people on each side of the border to afford passports, which would encourage cross-border tourism.

Apparently, Maloway introduces his petition to lower passport fees about once a day. Every day, he reads the following resolutions issued by the Midwest Legislative Conference over the summer:

“RESOLVED that the Midwestern Legislative Conference calls on President Barack Obama and…[the Canadian Prime Minister] to immediately examine a reduced fee for passports to facilitate cross-border tourism; and be it further RESOLVED, that…[the Conference] encourage the governments to examine the idea of a limited-time two-for-one passport renewal or new application. To be a fair process, these passport fees have to be reduced on both sides of the border. Therefore, the petitioners call on the government to work with the American government to examine a mutual reduction in passport fees to facilitate tourism and, finally, promote a limited-time two-for-one passport renewal or new application fee on a mutual basis with the United States.”

You’ve got to admire the gentleman’s persistence, but unfortunately the US State Department seems to be moving in the opposite direction. Passport fees increased over the summer, plus fees were added for previously free services like adding pages. For example, applying for a new adult passport now costs $135 instead of $100. Submitting an adult passport application now costs $110 instead of $75.

Applying early can minimize your costs. You’ll need at least 6 to 8 weeks before your trip for normal passport processing. If you don’t have that long, you’ll be stuck paying an additional $60 fee on top of the normal application fees in order to get it three weeks’ time.

If you have less than 3 weeks, RushMyPassport is a convenient alternative. We’ll assist you with your application and then personally deliver it to the Department of State for processing in as little as 24 hours. Plus, when you consider the time and money that you’d have to spend to take off work and travel to a Regional Passport Agency, you may very well find that we are the most cost-effective alternative as well as the most convenient.

Let us help expedite your passport application today!