Expedited Passports

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!

We’ve already told you that 2009 is going to be a great year for travel. If you can afford an international vacation, the world is your oyster this year. What are some of the top travel destinations for 2009? The travel industry is not immune to the frenzy of listmania that seems to descend on everyone with the start of a New Year, and almost every travel website has its own list of the best places to visit in 2009.

If you’re trying to make travel plans and need some inspiration, I’d recommend saving yourself some time and heading over to Budget Globetrotting. They’ve created a handy compilation of lists from other travel websites, so you can see them all at once without having to search for them individually.  See recommended destinations from Frommer’s, Lonely Planet, Bootsnall and more, and start making plans for the year to come!

Now, some of these destinations, like Washington, DC (recommended by Frommer’s and TravelMuse), are in the US. However, many of the more intriguing destinations are overseas. Do you fancy kayaking in Vilnius, Lithuania? How about checking out the scenic Bay of Fire in Tasmania, as Lonely Planet suggests? If you’re going overseas in 2009, you need to arrange for passport services now if you don’t have a valid passport. There are two ways to get passport services-you can go directly through the government, or you can arrange passport services with a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. If you’re in a hurry to leave, getting passport services from an expediting company is often worth the extra cost. Using an expeditor means that you’ll have a trained passport specialist to help you through the process, ensuring that everything goes smoothly and you have your passport in hand when you need it!