Expedited Passports

Does a new passport provide more of a career advantage for recent graduates than an MBA from a top school? Perhaps, according to a New York Times interview with Quintin E. Primo III, the CEO of Capri Capital Partners.

The interview covered a wide range of topics, but several of the questions dealt with the subject of what high school graduates would need to do to get a job at Capri. The first criteria Mr. Primo mentioned was knowing someone internal-no surprise there. What was somewhat surprising was when he advised that for young graduates, getting a new passport and traveling is more important than your choice of college, or even how much you study and how well you do in school:

“So you’ve got to get out of your front door, get out of the comfort and quiet of your home, and your safety zone, and step into a pool of risk where you have no idea what the outcome is going to be. Out of it all, you will have a much broader understanding of the world’s cultures, and you will have a much clearer idea of how the world perceives our culture, and all the value, and the benefits, and the beauty of our culture.

There is nothing more important. I don’t care where you went to business school. I don’t care whether your grades were good or bad. You have to leave the country.”

Whether you’re in high school, in college or even mid-career, international travel is an experience that can help give you in an edge in many different fields. First, however, you need to get a passport.  For more details on what’s required, see How to Apply for a New Passport.

Remember to apply well in advance of your trip. It can take 6 weeks or more to get your new passport back in the mail if you apply with regular processing. Applying for the government’s expedited processing can cut the processing time down to about 3 weeks, for an additional cost of $60.

If you need your passport sooner or you have an unexpected opportunity to travel overseas, the easiest and most convenient option is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport. Without an expediting company, you’re stuck making an appointment at a passport agency office, which can be a time-consuming process. An expediting company will take your application directly to the Department of State for processing times as low as 24 hours and no need for an appointment.

Apply for your new passport today!

As national security measures become ever more strict, even Americans who have lived here all of their lives sometimes have a hard time getting a new passport.  This is especially true of older Americans, born in a time when record-keeping was not as strict. For example, June Cloud was born 61 years ago at home in Kilgore, Texas, and the doctor who delivered her did not submit the necessary paperwork for her to be issued a birth certificate.

According to an article on  KLTV.com, she applied for a new passport so that she could go on a cruise with her husband, but the delayed birth certificate she got from the state of Texas was not accepted by the Department of State.  The article notes:

Unless she comes up with proof of her first five years, Cloud will remain without a passport, missing the trip of her dreams. She says Congressman Louie Gohmert’s Office, along with the Gregg County Clerk’s Office, are now helping her in her quest for a passport.

Fortunately, this story does have a happy ending. Their efforts were successful, and last week KLTV noted Cloud had been issued a passport after all, just in time for the August cruise.

These stories highlight how important it is to apply for your passport as early as possible.  If you have any reason to be concerned, you might also want to consider using the services of a professional passport expediting company. While these companies can’t change the Department of State’s decision on whether or not to issue you a passport, they can get your application processed more quickly. That way, if there are any problems, you’ll know about them more quickly and can deal with them as soon as possible.

Need a new passport? Apply for one today!

US citizens born to midwives near the US-Mexican border will get a chance to get new passports next month by applying at special mobile units set up by the Department of State.  The mobile units are being set up as part of the settlement for a class-action lawsuit filed by the ACLU on behalf of American citizens who were born at home to midwives near the border.

Because the government suspected some midwives of fraudulently issuing American birth certificates to children born in Mexico, many citizens who had lived their entire lives as US citizens were unable to get a passport.

Now, “certified class members” who have birth certificates signed by midwives, applied for a new passport between April 8, 2003 and Aug. 14, 2009 and had their applications “”filed without further action, “abandoned” or “closed” will be able to reapply for a new passport free of charge. In order to apply at one of the special sites, you will need to have the Department of State verify that you are indeed a certified class member. You can request to be certified as a member of the class here. Getting verified can take up to 4 weeks, but the Brownsville Herald is reporting that it is often much faster.

The mobile units will be set up in the following Texas cities from May 18th to May 23rd: Laredo, San Antonio, El Paso, McAllen, San Antonio, Del Rio, Eagle Pass and Brownsville. For more details, please see the Department of State’s website (link above).

If you qualify as a member of the class, you can reapply without having to pay an application fee. If you apply at one of the sites listed above or at a Regional Passport Agency office, you will also be exempt from paying the $25 execution fee. However, if you resubmit your passport application at an acceptance facility (like your local post office), you will have to pay the $25.00 execution fee.

Getting a new passport generally takes about 6 weeks if you apply with regular processing and about 3 weeks if you apply using the government’s expedited service. Need it faster? RushMyPassport  can submit your passport application directly to the Department of State, resulting in processing times as low as 24 hours.

Apply for your new passport today!

A UK woman got a bit of a surprise when she opened the envelope containing her new passport. According to the Manchester Evening News, the document she received had her name…but her husband’s face!

Terence and Marilyn Walker apparently sent off their passport renewal applications at the same time. His was processed correctly, but hers came back with the wrong passport photo.  Instead of her passport photo, the passport agency had placed a photo of her husband.

Mrs. Walker told the Manchester Evening News,  “I was flabbergasted. I thought I had picked up my husband’s passport by accident and then I saw it. I couldn’t believe they would make such a simple mistake.”

She has been asked to redo her passport application and provide new passport pictures.

Although this happened across the pond, the US Department of State occasionally makes mistakes and printing errors as well.

To fix a printing error on a US passport, complete passport form DS-5504. Send it in with evidence of the mistake (a copy of your birth certificate, marriage certificate or perhaps a court order, depending on what needs to be corrected.)

The US Department of State corrects printing errors free of charge. You can use this form to correct an error at any time while the passport is valid, although if it is due to expire in the next year you may wish to go ahead and apply for a passport renewal.

The US Department of State does not charge for correcting printing errors, and passports that need to be corrected are given priority, so processing times are about the same for correcting errors as they are for the government’s expedited service. You can expect to wait about 3 weeks to get your new passport back in the mail.

If you need your passport corrected more quickly, you have two options: Make an appointment at a US passport agency office, or use  a private passport expediting company. For many people, the extra fee paid to the expediting company is worth it because it they don’t have to take time off work or travel to a Regional Passport Agency office, which could easily be quite expensive if you don’t have one nearby.

RushMyPassport will hand-deliver your paperwork to the Department of State, cutting processing times to as little as 24 hours.

Apply for your new passport today!

What, exactly, is a “‘honeymoon tester?” Basically, it’s a dream job for any couple that likes to travel.  Here’s the job description, from Runawaybrideandgroom.com:

“Would you be able to sip champagne, while lying in a hammock slung between two palm trees on a white, sandy beach, with your romantically linked partner beside you, without spilling your drink? Well then, you may just have what it takes for the Ultimate Job in Ireland (and probably the world!).”

Sounds like heaven, right? Then hop on over to RunawayBrideandGroom’s website to apply. The Irish travel agency is hiring one lucky couple to spend 6  months testing out luxury honeymoon accommodations in exotic locations like the Maldives, Zanzibar and Thailand.  Not only are all of your (and your significant other’s) travel expenses paid for, Runaway Bride and Groom will also pay you €20,000 to compensate you for all of your “hard work.”

To apply, you and your significant other need to create an 80 second webcast describing why Ireland is an excellent wedding destination and why you and your significant other are the right team for the job.  Entries are due by April 7th.

Travel starts May 10th, 2010, so you should also get your passport application in now, just in case! Typically, it takes at least 6 weeks for your passport application to be processed if you apply for regular service. If you apply for expedited service, you should still allow at least 3 weeks, and that’s cutting it close. Too close for comfort, in my opinion!

If you need your passport sooner, you have two options: making an appointment at the nearest US passport office or using a private passport expediting company to submit your application.  A private passport expediting company is usually the easiest, most convenient way to go, especially if you aren’t located near a US passport agency office.

RushMyPassport will hand-deliver your US passport application to the US Department of State, bumping you up to the “top of the stack” for processing times as low as 24 hours!

Submit your US passport application with us today!

Birth certificates don’t usually come with an expiration date, but if you born in Puerto Rico, yours does: July 1st, 2010. After that date, all Puerto Rican birth certificates will be invalidated, per a law passed in Puerto Rico in January.

The law was passed to address the fact that criminals have made a practice of stealing Puerto Rican birth certificates and selling them on the black market.  In Puerto Rico, it used to be quite common to submit a copy of your birth certificate for purposes like school enrollment.

For example, Luis Balzac, regional director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration in Manhattan, told NorthJersey.com that:

“In Puerto Rico, it’s common to give a certified birth certificate when you enroll your child in school, when your child joins a sports league, when they register for summer camp. You leave certified copies of your birth certificate all over the place, there are too many floating around in the street, and they end up in the black market.”

The Department of Homeland Security has stated that 40% of all cases of passport fraud involved stolen Puerto Rican birth certificates.

According to the New York Daily News,  California, Ohio and Nevada have announced a moratorium on accepting Puerto Rican birth certificates for identification, until after the new certificates are issued in July.  Before July 1st, you can try to apply for a new passport with your Puerto Rican birth certificate, BUT due to high number of fraud cases you may be asked to present secondary evidence of US citizenship.  To see examples of secondary evidence, check out the Department of State’s web site.

So, what happens after July1st? If you were born in Puerto Rico, you will need to apply for a new birth certificate. The fee is only $5.00, but the government of Puerto Rico isn’t accepting any applications before then.  So, you should probably expect  a bit of a wait to get your new, official birth certificate issued.  If you don’t immediately need a copy of your birth certificate to get a new passport or a driver’s license, the  Puerto Rican government is asking that you wait to apply so that the people with the greatest need can get their birth certificates first.

If you already have a US passport, there’s no reason to be concerned about the new requirements-as long as you still have your old passport, you can apply for a new passport by mail using the old one as proof of citizenship.

If you need a new passport, you will need a valid birth certificate. Once you have your birth certificate, RushMyPassport can submit your application directly to the Department of State for fast processing-often in as little as 24 hours.  Submitting your application through an expediting company can also help you find out more quickly if the government is going to ask for additional information from you, so you can get the issue addressed in enough time to go on your trip.

Apply for your new passport today!

Except for the time he spent fighting in the Philippines, Tony Lopez, a World War II veteran, has never left the United States. According to the Denver Post, that was supposed to change on February 16th, when a combat reunion will be held in the Philippines to mark the 65th anniversary of the Battle for the Recapture of Corregidor, which Mr. Lopez participated in.

Mr. Lopez, who was awarded both a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service, was supposed to “raise the colors” in the ceremony, but when he applied for a new passport, he was turned down. The reason? His birth certificate wasn’t issued within a year of his birth. According to an earlier article from the Denver Post, he was born in a very small town in New Mexico, and getting a copy of his birth certificate was a challenge:

“The Catholic church burned down, and all the records were lost,” he said. “In 1990, my brother and I traced our baptismal records to Santa Fe. The state took those and gave us our birth certificates based on that.”

Unfortunately, since Mr. Lopez applied with normal processing, he didn’t find out about the problem until 6 weeks later, when his wife got her new passport back and he got a rejection letter from the Department of State.

This is another illustration of how easily problems can arise when current requirements for documentation are applied to people who were born in times and places where strict-recordkeeping wasn’t the norm.  It’s also another good reason to expedite your passport application even if you think you have plenty of time.

Sen. Michael Bennet was able to get a one-year temporary passport for Mr. Lopez, but it didn’t reach him soon enough for him to make the necessary arrangements.  Fortunately, he will get a second chance:

“It’s all right. There’s another reunion on March 3, the anniversary of MacArthur accepting the island back from the Japanese,” he said. “Maybe I can get to that one.”

If you need to get a passport quickly, RushMyPassport.com cen help. We’ll assist you with the paperwork and hand-deliver it to the Department of State for processing times as low as 24 hours! Plus, our unique tracking system tells you where your passport application is at all times. That means that if there are any problems with your application, you’ll know about them as soon as possible, so you can get them fixed as soon as possible.

Need a new passport? Apply with us today!

We may still be stuck in the depths of winter, but Spring Break is just around the corner, and it’s time to start planning your spring vacation. If you are vacationing outside of the US this year, it’s important to check and see what kind of travel documents you will need. New passport regulations went into effect on June 1st, 2009, and passports are now required for more destinations than ever before. Here’s the scoop:

On June 1, 2009, the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative went into effect.  Now, the law requires that US citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean by land or sea carry a passport book or another WHTI-compliant document, like a passport card,  an enhanced driver’s license or a NEXUS, FAST or SENTRI card. Previously, you could just bring your driver’s license and your birth certificate, certificate of citizenship or naturalization certificate.

However, if you’re going on a cruise for Spring Break, you might be able to get by with just your driver’s license and birth certificate, assuming that your cruise begins and ends at the same US port. Check with your cruise line to see what documents are required, but consider applying for a new passport anyway-you’ll need it if you have to fly home for an emergency.

Also, if you’re under the age of 19 and you are traveling outside of the country for Spring Break with a church group, school group, sports group or cultural organization, you can just bring a copy of your birth certificate as long as your group is under adult supervision. Again, though, it’s better to have a passport.

If you are flying anywhere outside of the United States, even if it’s just to Mexico or Canada, you must have a US passport-no exceptions.

The time to apply for your passport is now-in fact, according to the University of Arizona’s passport acceptance office, students only have 5 days left to apply for a passport with regular processing. Applications need to be in by February 12th if you are using the government’s expedited processing option for your new passport.

This is based on the University of Arizona’s Spring Break-you may have more or less time depending on when your school lets out.  Check your dates, and make sure to allow 6 weeks for regular processing and 3 weeks for expedited processing.

You should also be aware that applying for a new passport through a private passport expediting company  can make the application process much easier as well as drastically reduce your processing time.  For example, RushMyPassport.com can have your application processed in as little as 24 hours.

Apply for your new passport today!

Getting a passport is exciting. This is undoubtedly a cliche, but a new passport really does open up a whole new world of travel opportunities.  Where can your new passport take you 2010? The possibilities are almost endless, but we’ve picked out 5 of our favorite up-and coming destinations:

• Gargano, Italy: Unspoiled, uncrowded beaches? Check.  Ancient churches and historic fishing villages? Check.  Excellent food? Check! Gargano, Italy is a peninsula located on the “heel” of the boot-shaped country. Since much of the area is national parkland, it’s a great place to experience a quieter, more peaceful Italy.
• Sri Lanka: The civil war that wracked the country ended last May, making a visit to this beautiful island more appealing to tourists.  Stay at one of the attractive modern hotels that are springing up like daisies and see elephants, water buffaloes and crystal-clear beaches.
• Iceland: The country has always had a lot to offer tourists: glaciers, hot springs and winter sports, plus a vibrant nightlife in the capital of Reykjavík.  Due to the state of the country’s economy, it is now offering these things for less.
• Argentina:  Looking to take a wine tour somewhere a little more exotic than Sonoma Valley? According to the New York Times, wines from the Argentinian wine country of Patagonia have been raking in awards recently.
• Copenhagen, Denmark:  If you’re looking to make your trip abroad as green as possible, Copenhagen is an excellent choice. The New York Times notes that the city has transformed itself into an eco-friendly mecca, with free bikes for tourists and a thriving nightlife.

If you don’t have a passport yet,  see How to Apply for a New Passport for a detailed description of the application process. Remember that it takes about 6 weeks if you apply with regular processing, and at least 3 weeks if you use the government’s expedited service.

However, with RushMyPassport.com, you can get your passport much faster.  Depending on the service you choose, we can often have your new passport application processed in as little as 24 hours.

Apply for your new passport today!

Are you ready to get out of the United States for a while? If you don’t have a passport already, you’ll need to  apply for a new passport before you leave. When you apply for  a passport, knowing what you need before you apply will simplify the process for you.

Here’s how the passport application process works:

Unless you are renewing your passport, you will need to fill out your passport application form in person. (If you are renewing your passport, you may be able to renew by mail-read this post to see if you qualify.) Passport applications are accepted at passport acceptance facilities, usually places like libraries, county court clerks and post offices.  You can find the nearest one here.

Next, you’ll need to gather the required documents:

• Proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate, Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth, Naturalization Certificate, Certificate of Citizenship, or an undamaged US passport).
• Proof of identity (usually a driver’s license or state-issued ID card)
• Photocopy of the ID you submitted.
• Form DS-11, an application for a new passport (it’s okay to fill this out in advance. but don’t sign it until you get to the acceptance agency and an agent gives you the go-ahead. If you are applying through RushMyPassport, we require you to fill the form out online and print it, to ensure that poor handwriting does not hold up your application.)
• 2 passport photos.

You’ll also need to pay the required fees:

• For adults, a $75 application fee plus a $25 execution fee.
• For children under 16, a $60 application fee plus a $25 execution fee.
• For expedited service, a $60.00 expediting fee plus $14.95 for overnight delivery (optional, but recommended).

Currently, it takes about 6 weeks for a normal passport application to be processed and about 3 weeks for an expedited application. If you need your passport more quickly, a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com is the easiest way to go. We can have your application processed in as little as 24 hours!