Expedited Passports

El Paso residents who need passports should be aware that the County District Clerk has temporarily stopped accepting passport applications due to confirmed cases of swine flu in the area.

According to this report from a local Fox News affiliate, the office decided to stop accepting passport applications after 7 cases of swine flu were reported in the district, and will remain closed “until further notice.”

The office was already experiencing long lines as area residents struggled to get their passport applications filled out in time for the June 1st implementation of the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.  After June 1st, a passport or a passport card will be required to return to Mexico by land or sea.

If you live in El Paso and are worried about getting a passport, there are other places you can apply. The US Department of State has a listing of all the passport acceptance facilities in the El Paso area.  You may want to call these facilities before you start driving, to make sure that they are open and to check on current wait times.

Right now,  according to the US Passport Agency,  getting a passport takes at least 4 to 6 weeks. If you need your passport sooner than that, a private expediting company is your best bet. An expediting company can forward your application to the US Department of State personally. This results in processing times that can be as fast as 24 hours, so you can still beat the June 1st deadline.

Let RushMyPassport.com help you with getting a passport today!

Wedding season is almost here! May and June are two of the most popular months for couples to tie the knot.  While many couples look back on their wedding day as the happiest day of their lives,  planning the wedding is another matter entirely. The months before the wedding can test the patience of even the most committed couple. One way to cut down on pre-wedding stress is to have a destination wedding.

Destination weddings are easier to plan because most of the planning is done for you.  Venues that offer destination weddings will typically take care of food, the cake, decorations and the ceremony itself.

The first step in planning a destination wedding is to choose a destination.  This excellent post has some great ideas for destination weddings abroad.  Imagine getting married on the gorgeous Mediterranean island of Crete, or holding your ceremony surrounded by the ancient grandeur of Venice!

While having your wedding in another country may seem extravagant, it’s often not much more expensive than having a wedding near home simply because you can pare down the guest list. Plus, there are a lot of great deals available on airfare and hotels right now.

The most popular type of destination wedding is probably a beach wedding…after all, how can you be stressed out with the sound of the ocean in the background? Gadling reports that Ritz-Carlton resorts have an excellent destination wedding special right now that includes a free ceremony, spa treatments and a romantic breakfast for the lucky couple, and a free three-night stay for your one-year anniversary!

(more…)

If you are applying for 24 hour passport processing, you don’t have any time to spare. You simply cannot afford to have anything go wrong after you submit your application! The following checklist will help you avoid common mistakes so that your 24 hour passport application is accepted the first time.

Check Your ID

If your driver’s license or state ID card was issued less than 6 months ago, you will need to include 5 additional forms of secondary ID as backup.  Here are some examples of acceptable proof of identification.

Check Your Birth Certificate

Your birth certificate must be certified, with a raised, embossed, engraved or multicolored seal.  If you live in California or Texas, you need a “long form” birth certificate, printed on 8 1/2″ by 11″ paper.

Check Your Check

If you are using a private passport expediting company instead of making an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency, you’ll need to make out your check in advance and send it in with your paperwork. If the check is made out incorrectly, the government won’t accept it.  Make sure you know exactly how much you need to pay, and then check out our guide to filling out checks for the US government.

Make Sure Your Child Support Is  Paid Up

The US Passport Agency cannot issue a passport if you owe more than $2,500 in back child support and you don’t have payment arrangements.  Also, if you have ever been more than $2,500 in arrears, you may be on the “no passport for you” list even if you’ve paid up. Noncustodial parents are not removed from the list automatically, even after they have paid their balance to below $2,500.

To check your child support balance, find your state’s Child Support Enforcement Agency here.

Check Your Documents

When you apply for 24 hour passport processing, you will need to include proof of departure, such as a copy of your travel itinerary or a letter from your company if your trip is for business. If you are renewing your passport and your name has changed, you’ll need legal documentation of the name change.

The easiest way to apply for 24-hour passport processing is to use a private passport expediting company.  When you work with an expediting company like RushMyPassport.com, you’ll get detailed instructions and personalized service to guide you through the application process.

Apply for a 24 hour passport with us today!

This Saturday, March 28th,  passport offices around the country will celebrate “Passport Day in USA.” During this event, many Passport Acceptance Facilities will be open to accept passport applications, answer questions and provide information about the passport application process. All Department of State Regional Passport Agencies will also be open.

“Passport Day in the USA” is the only day of the year when the general public will be allowed to submit passport applications directly to a Regional Passport Agency without first making an appointment and paying an additional expediting fee.

This event is especially important this year, as the regulations governing travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean are changing effective June 1st. Currently, passengers traveling to these countries by plane must have a US passport, but passengers traveling by land or by sea can use a driver’s license and birth certificate. After June 1st, land and sea passengers will also need passports.

Since the rules are changing, it could take longer than usual to get a passport as the deadline approaches.  The last time the rules changed, passport offices were swamped with applications and wait times shot up dramatically. So, if you think you are going to be traveling this year, it’s a good idea to head down to your local passport office and apply for a passport.

To look up the nearest participating passport office and its hours of operation, visit the Department of State’s website.  However, don’t expect to actually get your passport on Passport Day in the USA. You’ll still have to wait at least 4 weeks!

If you need a passport more quickly, consider using a private passport expediting company to submit your passport application.

A private passport expediter will deliver your passport application directly to the US Passport Agency for processing,  so you won’t get caught in a “traffic jam” of passport applications.  Plus, expediters offer processing times that can be as fast as 24 hours!

Expedite your passport today and see how easy it is to get ready to travel!

If you need an emergency passport, nothing could be more frustrating than applying and being turned down.  Unfortunately, if there are any mistakes in your passport application,  that’s exactly what will happen, and you’ll have to apply again.

Before you turn in your passport application, you should check and make sure that you have all the correct information, including an original or certified copy of your birth certificate to serve as proof of citizenship. Without an original or certified copy, your passport application will be rejected.  If the birth certificate you have is not the original, how can you tell if the US Passport Agency will accept it?

Anatomy of a Certified Birth Certificate

Take a look at your birth certificate and make sure it has the following information:

• File name
• Your full name
• Date and Place of Birth
• Registrar’s signature
• Authorized seal, which may be raised, embossed, engraved or multicolored, depending on where you were born.
• If you live in Texas or California, you need to include the long form of your birth certificate with your emergency passport application, which measures 8 1/2″ by 11.”

If you don’t have a certified copy of your birth certificate,  order one from the Office of Vital Records for the place where you were born. Or, you can pay an additional $60 and request that the US Passport Agency do a file search by including a completed Request for File Search form with your emergency passport application.

If you need an emergency passport, a private passport expediting company is the fastest way to get one.  An expediting company can provide you with detailed instructions about how to submit your application so that everything goes smoothly the first time. Plus, you don’t have to make an appointment or wait in line.  Order an emergency passport today and your application can be processed in as little as 24 hours!

Usually, travel experts recommend that you allow at least 10 weeks before an international trip for your passport to arrive, just to be on the safe side.

If you don’t have enough time before your international trip to apply for a passport normally, you can order a rush passport.  There are three different ways to  rush a passport. Here is a brief description of the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Expedited Service

If you have more than 2 weeks to go before your departure date, you can simply pay an additional $60.00 fee and request expedited service from the US Passport Agency. Make sure you write “Expedited” on the envelope containing your application so that they know to rush your passport. The US Passport Agency also recommends that you pay for overnight shipping to and from the processing center.

• Pros- This is the cheapest way to rush your passport.
• Cons- It takes at least 2 weeks door-to-door IF you spring for overnight delivery both ways.  If you don’t, it could take longer, especially if the passport office is busy.  (more…)

Are you trying to decide what to do when the kids get out of school for summer vacation? Here’s a surprisingly cheap idea: take the family on  a cruise! B-Net.com has a post up that describes the deep discounts the cruise industry is offering to keep itself afloat.  According to the post, some cruises are even cheaper than staying in a nice hotel!

Of course, if you have little ones, you’ll want to make sure they have fun, too.  Royal Caribbean is offering family-friendly Nickelodeon-themed cruises over the summer. So, adults get all the luxuries of life at sea, and kids get green slime and their favorite Nickelodeon characters. Everyone wins!

If you decide to take the family on a cruise, remember that you may need passports. Currently, only air passengers need US passports to enter the country from Mexico or the Caribbean. However, on June 1st, 2009, the rules change and getting a passport will become a necessity for land and sea passengers as well.  (more…)

Naturally, this is a critical question for anyone planning an international trip. If you don’t have your passport in hand when it’s time to board the plane, you won’t be allowed on.  If you have to cancel or even postpone an international trip, you’ll lose a good deal of money! (more…)

Wouldn’t it be awesome to be able to work from anywhere? Imagine being able to travel the world, constantly, without leaving your paycheck behind! That may sound like an impossible dream for someone who’s not independently wealthy, but it’s not. If the thought of traveling the world as a “digital nomad” entices you, Christine Gilbert at Almost Fearless can show you how to make it happen. She describes several options for making your job portable, including becoming a consultant, freelancing, working remotely, and starting your own business. Of course, becoming a digital nomad isn’t all fun and games….as this post points out, you do still have to work, and wrestling with unreliable foreign internet connections can be time-consuming and frustrating. Working on a tropical island is still work, but at least the scenery is an improvement over the view from a cubicle! (more…)

Wouldn’t it be nice to have an extra passport? The New York Times has an article up about the advantages of getting a passport from more than one country.  Although traveling with more than one passport may seem sneaky, like something a spy would do, if you have dual nationality it’s perfectly legal. Getting a passport from more than one country allows you to pick and choose which customs lines you go through, and prevents you from having to advertise your nationality in places where it’s safer not to be an American. Plus, it can make it easier to live and work abroad.

How do you go about getting a second passport? According to the New York Times article referenced above, many American citizens qualify for dual nationality for one reason or another, including “ethnic heritage, religion, country of birth or where their spouse was born.” So, you may qualify for an additional passport without even knowing it!  If do you qualify, you should be aware that getting a passport from another country could subject you to additional obligations, too, including tax obligations and military service in some countries. However, in many cases you can secure an exemption as an American citizen.

Also, if you’re an American citizen, you still need a US passport to enter and leave the US. A foreign passport won’t work! When it comes to getting a US passport, you have two options. You can go through the US Passport Agency, or use a private expediting company. Although the US Passport Agency does offer expedited service for an additional fee, if you’re running on a tight schedule, a private passport expediter is your best bet. They can help you with all the necessary paperwork and ensure that you get your passport in  as little as 24 hours!