Expedited Passports

An email scam is making the rounds, and this time, the email isn’t coming from a “Nigerian prince.” Instead, it’s a little bit more clever.  The person sending it claims to be someone you know who has lost their passport (and usually the rest of their wallet) overseas. Alternately, they may claim that all of their credit cards have been stolen, and that the hotel they are staying in is holding their passport until they get their money.  Either way, they need you to send them money now, preferably via Western Union. Reporters for both the Lansing Journal and the Chicago Tribune have recently experienced variants of this phishing scam.

Don’t fall for it.  Look, a lost passport overseas can be unpleasant, to say the least, but it’s a situation that can be resolved with a trip to the nearest US Embassy.

If you lose your wallet as well as your passport, the US Embassy can assist you with that, also. From the Department of State’s website, here is a rundown of what they can do for Americans who are stranded overseas:

If destitute, Americans can turn to a U.S. consular officer abroad for help. ACS will help by contacting the destitute person’s family, friends, or business associates to raise private funds. It will help transmit these funds to destitute Americans.

ACS transfers approximately 3 million dollars a year in private emergency funds. It can approve small government loans to destitute Americans abroad until private funds arrive.

ACS also approves repatriation loans to pay for destitute Americans” direct return to the U.S. Each year over $500,000 is loaned to destitute Americans.

The moral of the story? Don’t send any money overseas based on an email. If you think your friend is really in trouble, request a phone call, or call the US Embassy where they are claiming to be stranded to confirm the story before you start throwing money at them.

Also, if you or someone you care about experiences a lost or stolen passport overseas, don’t reach out to people by email, as you’ll likely be mistaken for a scammer. Instead, contact the nearest US Embassy for help.  Expediting companies like RushMyPassport.com can’t help you if you’re outside the US, but the good news is that the US Embassy can replace a lost passport very quickly.

Of course, if you’re still in the US, we’d be happy to help you replace your lost passport in as little as 24 hours.  Contact us today!

Travel writers are professional travelers, but that doesn’t mean they don’t make mistakes like the rest of us.  Seth Kugel, the new Frugal Traveler columnist for the New York Times, saw his new gig get off to a rough start due to one of the most common travel mishaps: a lost passport.

He described his ordeal in yesterday’s New York Times:

Yep, last week, as I prepared for my grand debut in the frugal spotlight, I realized my passport had disappeared from my São Paulo apartment. Of course, I looked everywhere – desk drawers, jacket pockets, under cushions, and eventually, methodically, in every square inch of every room, including inside my running shoes and (twice) in the shower. It was gone.

Think, Seth, think. When was the last time you had it? Passing through customs at São Paulo’s Guarulhos airport after a recent sleepless overnight flight … searching desperately for a restroom … putting it down on top of the paper towel dispenser … nooooooo!

Oops! Luckily for Mr. Kugel, someone had actually turned his lost passport in at the airport’s lost and found. Kind of restores your faith in humanity, doesn’t it?

Losing your passport right before a trip can be a blow to your self-esteem, but it shouldn’t be.  If it can happen to the Frugal Traveler, it can happen to anyone.

If you lose your passport overseas as Mr. Kugel did, you will need to apply for a replacement at the nearest American embassy or consulate. If you’re still in the States, you have a few different options for replacing your lost passport, depending on how quickly you need it.

The first option is to apply at a post office or other passport acceptance facility (see How to Replace a Lost Passport for details).  If you choose regular processing, you should have your new passport in your hands in about 6 weeks. If you pay an additional $60 plus overnight delivery fees, you’ll have it in about 3 weeks.

If you need it sooner than that, you have two options: use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com, or make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency office. Using an expediting company is well worth the extra cost for most people, as there is no need to make an appointment or wait around at the passport office.

Let us help you replace your lost passport quickly and easily, today!

For most people, a lost passport is simply a major inconvenience. However, for Lindsay Lohan, it could mean 180 days in jail.

The young starlet was due back in court this morning to deal with issues related to her probation. She was also supposed to have completed 13 alcohol education classes. According to the Cleveland Leader, she had only completed 10 when she flew off to France for the Cannes Film Festival.

Now, either Lohan has lost her passport or someone has stolen it. The lost passport was not discovered in time for her to able to get a new one before her flight. The Cleveland Leader quotes her lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley:

“I was on the phone with Lindsay’s assistant the entire night and we’re doing everything we can to resolve this issue and get her back to L.A. Lindsay is distraught because it was her intention to get back to L.A. today to do more alcohol education classes today and appear in court tomorrow.”

According to the NileGuidance blog, Lohan has since received a new passport, but since she didn’t make her court date, an arrest warrant has been issued. That ought to make some footage for the tabloids, at least…

If you lose your passport or have your passport stolen while you are overseas, you need to go to the nearest US Embassy ASAP to get an emergency passport issued.

If you end up with a lost passport while you are still in the States, you must apply for a new one in person.  Regular service takes approximately 6 weeks, while the government’s expedited service takes approximately 3 weeks. If you need your lost passport replaced more quickly, you can either make an appointment at a US passport agency office or use a private passport expediting company. An expediting company is generally the easiest and most convenient way to get your passport replaced quickly.

Need to replace a lost passport? Apply today!

A Massachusetts woman whose purse was stolen lost more than her wallet-she also lost her passport, complicating her plans to adopt  a little girl from Ethiopia.

According to WBZTV.com , Colleen MacRae was shopping inside a Home Depot store when a man distracted her and then made off with her purse. Inside was her passport.

The lost passport is potentially more than an inconvenience-it also puts her and her husband’s plans to adopt a child in Ethiopia next month in jeopardy.

As Mrs. MacRae explained to WBZTV:

“Anybody who has ever been through the adoption process knows having to change one number on your home study, your application, your dossier, means possibly getting lost. It could mean that some bureaucrat is going to put that wall down on you and prohibit you from adopting all together.”

Since there is so little time for Mrs. MacRae to replace her lost passport, Senator John Kerry’s office has stepped in to try to speed the process up.

Whether you have a lost passport or a stolen passport, the replacement process is the same: First, you must report the lost passport to the Department of State at 1-877-487-2778 between 8 am and 10pm, Monday through Friday.  This invalidates the passport so that no one else can use it.

Then, apply in person for a new passport. You must submit the following documents:

• Form DS-64: Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport
• New Passport Application Form DS-11
• Proof of identity
• Proof of citizenship
• 2 passport photos
• Appropriate fees: Currently, it costs $100 to replace a lost or stolen adult passport and $85 for a child passport (minors under age 16). However, these fees are likely to increase in the near future, so be sure to check the Department of State’s web site.

It usually takes 6 weeks to get your new passport back in the mail for regular passport processing and 3 weeks if you use the government’s expedited processing.

However, if you need your passport sooner, you can either make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency office, or use a private passport expediting service. The latter option is quicker and easier-considering the cost of taking off work and getting to a passport office if there isn’t one nearby, the extra expense is usually worth it and you may even save money in the long run.

Replace your lost passport today!

A lost passport can happen to anyone, and the worst part of it is that you typically don’t realize your passport is missing until you are about to leave the country. For example, the San Francisco band Girls had to cancel a show in Montreal last week after they all lost their passports.

The unfortunate band was on tour and headed for Canada when they realized they didn’t have their passports. They applied for new ones at the Boston, Massachusetts Passport Agency, but were not able to get them in time.

In a statement quoted on Chart  Attack, the  band said that  “We hung on till the last minute in case the Boston passport office could turn it around quicker but to no avail.”

If you’ve lost a passport and you have a trip scheduled in the near future, you can choose one of two options. First, you can apply at a Regional Passport Agency office, if there is one nearby. Doing this requires that you make an appointment first-they won’t let you in without one.

You also might have to drive for a while, or even catch a plane, since there are a limited number of passport agency offices in the country.

The second option is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com. With RushMyPassport, you can replace a lost passport quickly without having to make an appointment or spend a lot of time driving to a passport agency office. You’ll work with a passport specialist who will help you with your application, and you’ll receive a handy checklist to help you get everything in order.

Then, we forward your passport application to the US Department of State, putting it “on top of the stack” for immediate processing. This results in processing times as low as 24 hours.

Lost your passport? Let us help you replace it!

Lost a passport (or any other luggage) at the Phoenix airport lately? You might want to ask this couple if they’ve seen it. Police allege that Keith King and Stacy Legg-King had approximately 1,000 stolen bags from the Phoenix airport in their house when they were finally apprehended.

Can you imagine living in a house with that many suitcases? Even the officers that followed Keith King home after watching him steal a bag from the baggage carousel at the airport were boggled when they entered the home.   According to AOL news, one officer wrote in a court document that “The amount of luggage being stored inside of the residence was almost surreal.”

To keep your passport from ending up in the hands of people like the Kings, keep it on your person while you are in the airport. Lost passports should be reported as soon as possible to the US Department of State, by calling 1-877-487-2778.

Also, you’ll need to apply for a new passport and submit form DS-64, Statement Regarding a Lost/Stolen Passport along with your passport application. You’ll also need the following:

• Identification
• Proof of Citizenship
• Two passport photos
• The required government fees: there is a $75 application fee and a $25 execution fee to replace your lost passport, plus expedited passport service costs an additional $60.

Even with the $60 expedited service, it could be at least 3 weeks before you receive your passport. If you need it sooner than that, you have two options: make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency office, assuming that there is one near you and that you can make it by the office while they are open, or use a private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport.com.

With RushMyPassport, you get help with the paperwork required to replace your lost passport, plus we deliver your application in pers0n to the Department of State, resulting in processing times as quick as 24 hours.

Replace your lost passport today!

Losing your passport is never fun, especially if you are overseas. However, despite feeling quite sympathetic to the unfortunate Scotsman described in this article, I couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle as I read about his misfortune. The New Zealand tourist has to have one of the best lost passport stories ever-his passport was nabbed by a kleptomaniac parrot!

The native New Zealand parrot, called a kea, spotted the man’s passport as his tour bus was stopped along the road, snatched it and promptly flew away into the dense rainforest. Fortunately, the gentleman seems to have a sense of humor about the whole thing. He’s quoted as saying “My passport is somewhere out there in Fiordland. The Kea’s probably using it for fraudulent claims or something.”

That sense of humor will serve him well, considering the time and expense it will take to replace his lost passport, which may take 6 weeks to arrive and will probably set him back $250.00.

Now, if you’re an American and you lose your passport in another country, you need to contact the nearest American Embassy immediately. However, if you lose your passport before leave, the fastest and most convenient way to replace it is to use a private passport expediting company.

An expediting company can help you file your application to replace your lost passport and can hand-deliver it to the US Department of State for you. If you were to do that yourself, you would have to make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency, take time off work if you work during the day, and go wait in line. With an expediting company, all you have to do is send in your application, and they take care of the rest.

At RushMyPassport.com, we’ve helped countless customers replace lost passports. You can count on friendly, knowledgeable guidance through the sometimes complicated passport application process.

Get the help you need to make sure your trip is not delayed- Let us help you replace your lost passport today!

Have you ever lost your passport? Share your stories in the comments!

According to Reuters, Korean baseball star Byung-Hyun Kim, a former major league pitcher in the US, will not be able to attend this year’s World Baseball Classic due to a lost passport.  Sports fans may remember Kim from his time with the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Boston Red Socks and the Colorado Rockies.

Kim hasn’t played for about a year, and was hoping to get back in the game in the WBC. Unfortunately, he lost his passport and was not able to attend training with the rest of the  South Korean team in Hawaii. So, he can’t play in the game.

What should you do if you lose your passport? Will you have to cancel your trip like Mr. Kim did?  If you’re a US citizen, a private passport expediting service can help you replace a lost passport quickly, so you don’t have to cancel your plans.

How fast can you get your passport with an expediting company? RushMyPassport.com offers same-day processing, so you can have your passport in as little as 24 hours.  If you have a little bit more time to spare, other, more affordable options are available that will allow you to replace your lost passport in just a few days.

Don’t miss out…expedite your passport today!

Have you ever called your bank or credit card company to report a lost or stolen card, only to find it the very next day? What if the same thing happens after you call to report a lost passport? Here’s what you need to know if you find your passport after reporting it lost or stolen:

• Just like a credit card, a passport is invalid after it’s reported lost or stolen. Don’t try to use your passport to travel-you’ll have to wait until you get a new one!
• Send the passport in to the following address:

• U.S. Department of State
  Passport Services
  Consular Lost/Stolen Passport Section
  1111 19th Street, NW, Suite 500
  Washington, DC 20036

• If you’d like, when you send in your lost passport you can include a written request to have your passport returned to you once it’s canceled. The Department of State will cancel the passport and then send it back so that you can keep it as a souvenir of your international travels.

If you’ve lost your passport and you have an international trip planned in the near future, you can get your new passport expedited. The US Passport Agency offers expedited service to replace a lost passport for an additional charge of $60.00 plus overnight shipping. With this option, you’ll get your new passport within 2 weeks. If you need it sooner, you can apply in person at a US Passport Agency office. If you don’t have the time to spare or there isn’t an office near you, a private expediting company can get your passport for you in as little as 24 hours, with no appointments or waiting in line necessary!

A lost passport can be a disaster if you have an international trip on the horizon. Imagine…you’re leaving in a few days, and you’re taking a final inventory to make sure everything is in order for your trip. You open the drawer that you usually keep your passport in, just to double-check…and it’s not there! Where did it go?

It’s probably in your house, waiting to be found. If you’re searching for a lost passport, try using Professor Solomon’s 12 Principles for Finding Lost Objects. These are really just common-sense suggestions to help you calm down and methodically search, but when it’s your passport that’s missing, it’s all too easy to throw common sense right out the window! (more…)