Say “Happy Birthday” To Bermuda With an Expedited Passport - Expedited Passports

This year marks the 400-year anniversary of the discovery of Bermuda by the British. In 1609, a British fleet was carrying food and settlers to the colony of Jamestown, in what is now Virginia. However, the fleet was caught up in a storm at sea. One ship, the Sea Venture, was separated from the rest of the group and blown off course, eventually landing shipwrecked on Bermuda.

The survivors stayed on the island for almost a year, before building new ships and sailing off to Jamestown. However, the island has been a British territory ever since, and if you help celebrate its 400th birthday, you may wonder how the survivors of that shipwreck were able to make themselves leave such an attractive island.

The island is holding a 400th birthday party, with a variety of specials and travel deals. For example, according to the New York Times,  one hotel is offering $400 cash back for a stay of more than 4 nights. Another hotel is offering a package deal that costs $680 per night-not bad when you consider that it includes all 3 gourmet meals a day for a family of four!

However, if you want to celebrate Bermuda’s 400th birthday this summer, you’ll need to get an expedited passport. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which just became law on June 1st, 2009, requires that all US citizens traveling to Bermuda have a US passport. If you apply for a passport with regular processing, you can expect to wait at least 6 weeks to get it back. If you apply for an expedited passport directly through the government, it could still take at least 3 weeks.

However, by using a private passport expediting service, you can get your passport much more quickly. In fact, if you submit your application through RushMyPassport.com, your expedited passport application could be processed in as little as 24 hours. Plus, our helpful staff of knowledgeable employees will help simplify the passport application process for you.

Apply for your expedited passport today, and get ready to sing “Happy Birthday” to Bermuda!

The Department of State put a lot of effort into publicizing the changes to US travel requirements that became law on June 1st. They added a clock to US Passport Agency’s web site, counting down to the second when the new rules would go into effect. They made announcement after announcement, starting months ahead of time.

However, for all their outreach, there were at least 2 people that the State Department failed to reach with their warnings: Former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.  The two ex-presidents were asked about the new requirements during a joint appearance in Toronto on Saturday, May 29th.

As reported in the Winnepeg Free Press, here’s how they responded:

“I’ll be frank with you Frank, I don’t know about the passport issue,” Bush told the crowd of 6,000.

“I thought we were making good progress on using a driver’s licence to cross the border. What happened to the easy-pass card?”

Clinton too said he’d only heard about the passport requirement a day earlier, adding that in all likelihood most Americans were completely unaware of it as well.

Apparently, our two former presidents would have benefited from reading our blog! The new requirements were put into place as part of the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). To sum them up:

• All adult American citizens traveling to Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean must have a US passport or another document approved by Homeland Security to get back into the country. Previously, you could use your driver’s license and a birth certificate if you were crossing by land or by sea, but that is no longer the case.
• Children under the age of 16 can use a birth certificate when traveling by land or sea.
• Children ages 16-18 can use a birth certificate when traveling by land or sea as part of an organized, chaperoned group, like a sports group or school group.
• Passengers of any age can use a driver’s license and birth certificate (or naturalization certificate) if they are on a closed-loop cruise that begins and ends in the same US port.
• Air passengers of any age need a US Passport Book.

If you need a passport to travel to Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean, you should be prepared to wait. It’s currently taking at least 4 to 6 weeks to process a passport application submitted with standard processing. New passport applications submitted using the government’s expediting service take at least 2-3 weeks, and that’s if you pony up the cash for overnight shipping to and from the Passport Agency.

Can’t wait that long? A private passport expediting company is a convenient way to get your passport more quickly. An expediting company hand-delivers your application materials and then sends you your new passport. Because your application goes to the top of the stack, it gets processed much more quickly-in as little as 24 hours!

Don’t let the new passport regulations interfere with your summer vacation-order your passport now!

The slowdown in the economy has eaten holes in American wallets and reduced the amount of money available for travel.  The travel industry has taken a hit, but the silver lining is that they are trying to lure customers by offering incredible travel deals, too. Now, the governments of some of the island nations in the Caribbean on getting in on the act, offering some “economic stimulus” payments of their own to tourists, usually to the tune of around $200.00.

This post on WalletPop.com has all the details, including when the offers are valid and what you have to do to qualify for the payments.  If you want to learn more about a specific destination, check out this post on Destinations for Leisure, which profiles the best beach destinations in the Caribbean and includes most of the destinations that are offering the payouts.

Remember, except for Puerto Rico, which is a US territory, you’ll need a passport to visit these islands. Since many of the offers have expiration dates, it would be a good idea to get your passports expedited if you and your significant other/family are planning to take advantage of them.

You can get passports expedited through the government, but it will still take at least month, even if you pay for overnight shipping to and from the passport office. A faster way to get your passports expedited would be to use a private passport expediting company, which can have your passports processed in as little as 24 hours. Other, more affordable expediting options are available from these companies as well, if you have a little bit of breathing room before your departure.

Go somewhere new and exciting this summer-get your passports expedited today!

Today is May 1st, which means that in exactly one month, new passport regulations will go into effect as part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. We’ve written about the WHTI pretty extensively, but since it’s about to become reality, here’s  a quick review of the upcoming changes:

• Passports are already required for air travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.  There are no exceptions, and this will continue after June 1st, 2009.
• Starting June 1st, 2009, passports will be required for land and sea travel to these locations, too. Currently, all you have to have is a state-issued photo ID and a birth certificate.
• After June 1, 2009, children under age 16 will be able to use a birth certificate instead of a passport for land and sea travel to these locations only.
• After June 1, 2009, children ages 16-18 traveling with supervised, chaperoned groups like sports teams, church groups, or school groups will be able to use birth certificates instead of passports, as well.
• Passports will still be required for all air travelers, no matter how old.
• Passengers on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same US port) may continue to use an ID and birth certificate.

To help US  citizens who travel across the border frequently, the Department of State has introduced a wallet-sized passport card that is less expensive than a traditional passport book. Unfortunately, it’s also less useful-you can only use it for land and sea travel to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean.  You can’t use it for plane travel at all.

If you need a new passport, you should apply well in advance of your scheduled departure date, preferably at least 2 or 3 months before your trip. However, if you just realized you need a passport before June 1, there are ways to get a new passport quickly.

The easiest way to get a passport in a hurry is to use a private passport expediting service. An expediting service will deliver your application to the US Passport Agency directly, so it goes to the top of the pile.  By using an expediting service, you could have your new passport on its way back to you in as little as 24 hours, with no appointments or waiting in line.

Don’t get caught without a passport after June 1-order your new passport today!

Update: Passport rules for the Virgin Islands have changed. View the latest rules here.

If your spring or summer travel plans include travel to the Virgin Islands, you may be wondering if you need a passport. The answer depends primarily on your itinerary.  First, are going to the US Virgin Islands or the British Virgin Islands?

The US Virgin Islands consist of St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John. These islands are US territories.  If you travel directly to and from the US Virgin Islands, you do not need a US passport.

However, if you stop by any other countries in the Caribbean along the way, you may or may not need a passport. Here’s the scoop: Before June 1st, 2009, American citizens traveling to the Caribbean by sea can use either a passport or a driver’s license AND a birth certificate (or naturalization certificate) to prove their identity and citizenship when they re-enter the US. However, air travelers must have a US passport.

So, if you’re on a cruise that stops in both the US Virgin Islands and another Caribbean country, you can use your driver’s license and birth certificate. If you are on a flight that has a layover in another Caribbean country on the way to the US Virgin Islands, you need a passport-even if you never set foot outside of the airport.

After June 1st, 2009, sea travelers to other Caribbean countries will need passports, too.

The British Virgin Islands consist of 16 inhabited islands and more than 20 uninhabited islands. The major islands are Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke.

The United Kingdom owns these islands.  Like other Caribbean countries, they are covered under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). So, the rules are the same as the rules described above: Before June 1st, 2009, air passengers need passports while sea passengers can use driver’s licenses and birth certificates. After June 1st, 2009 everyone needs a passport.

For more details on changing passport regulations in the Caribbean, see “Do I Need a Passport to go to the Caribbean?” (more…)

Travel requirements have been changing so quickly, it can be hard to keep track of what documents are required to go where. However, it’s important to stay up-to-date, since not having the correct paperwork can derail your trip!  One of the common questions about travel requirements involves travel to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean, countries covered under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI).

Do you need a passport for travel to Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean? Currently, it depends on how you are traveling. If you travel by plane, you have to have a valid US passport to travel from the US to any of these countries. However, if you are driving or traveling by sea, you just need to carry proof of identity (like a driver’s license) and proof of citizenship (such as your birth certificate).  No matter what method of travel you choose, it’s still a good idea to get a passport if you are leaving the country. What if you have an emergency and you need to fly back home? When it comes to foreign travel, it’s always a good idea to think like a Boy Scout!

Also, on June 1, 2009, the travel requirements are changing again. On this day, the final phase of the WHTI will go into effect, and land and sea travelers will also be required to have a passport to travel to Mexico, Canada, or the Caribbean. The only exceptions are people who have other types of WHTI-compliant identification (such as the Enhanced Driver’s Licenses offered in some states) and children under the age of 16. A passport will still be required for all international air travel.

If you need to get a new passport quickly, consider using the services of a private expediting company. An expediting company can cut through the red tape to help you get your passport quickly and easily, in as little as 24 hours!