The Passport Party Project: Passport Services for Teenage Girls - Expedited Passports

There’s no denying that traveling to another country can be a life-changing event, especially when you’re young. I know I’ll never forget my art-history-themed senior trip to Europe, for example. It was an amazing and humbling experience to realize how big the world outside of America is. First, though, you need to get a passport.

A new organization, the Passport Party Project, seeks to help teenage girls (and younger tweens) get over that first obstacle by providing them with access to passport services and paying their fees. According to their website, the organization plans to secure passports for at least 100 girls over the next 18 months.

Tracey Friley, the founder of the project, explained the motivation behind it to the San Francisco Chronicle: “I hope that by girls getting their first passports, they view themselves and their place in the world in a whole new way. I hope they continue to learn and teach tolerance of other cultures both at home and abroad. I hope they see the change that is needed in the world and then consider how they might help.”

The Passport Party project held its initial party in Oakland, California in June. The girls got their passports, went bowling and competed for titles like “best passport photo.” To expand the project, they are looking for help in the form of donations and publicity. If you’d like to pitch in, you can donate here and share the link with others.

If you’re getting a passport for your teenage girl, remember to apply early. Even if everything goes smoothly, passport applications can take at least six weeks to process. Expedited passport services are available from the Department of State for an additional $60, but be aware that it can still take three weeks for the passport to arrive.

If you need your passport more quickly, you have two options: make an appointment at one of the country’s 24 passport agency offices, or use a private passport company like RushMyPassport. We’ll personally take your passport application to the Department of State, for processing in as little as 24 hours with no need to make an appointment or wait in line.

For quick, convenient passport services, contact us today!

Earlier this year, C.G.P Grey crunched some numbers to find out the approximate percentage of people in each state who owned passports. Alabama was fourth from the bottom, with only 25.03% of its residents owning passports. That may change shortly, as Alabama’s strict new immigration law has many Hispanic US citizens applying for passport services so that they have portable proof of citizenship to carry around.

According to NPR, “Alabama’s law, which takes effect Sept. 1, allows police to arrest anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant if the person is stopped for some other reason. It also requires businesses to check the legal status of new workers and requires schools to report the immigration status of students.”

So, basically, if you’re a US citizen whom the police could possibly perceive as “foreign,” you really do need to carry something around at all times proving that you are a citizen. Sure, as long as you’re legal, the police would have to release you once they verified your citizenship, but who wants to risk being arrested every time they leave the house?

According to local NBC affiliate WSFA.com, the number of people applying for passport services spiked in the months after the law was passed. Montgomery Postmaster Donnie Snipes told WSFA that while his post office typically only handles about 300 applications each month, “496 were completed in June, of which 58% were minor children.” Many applicants were Hispanic, especially the children, as immigrant parents rushed to protect their US-born children with as much documentation as possible. (more…)

One common question we get asked here at RushMyPassport is whether or not you can be denied a passport if you owe taxes. In most cases, the answer is no: the IRS does not share its tax data with the Department of State, and current law does not allow passports to be denied simply because you owe the government money (though if you’ve got a criminal case against you for tax evasion, that might be a different story).

But that may change in the future. As you’re no doubt aware, Congress is currently looking at ways to reduce the nation’s deficit. One method recommended by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in a new report is to deny passport services to people who owe the IRS more than a certain amount.

According to Fox News, the GAO estimates that in 2008 alone, over 5.8 billion dollars was owed collectively in back taxes and penalties by citizens who applied for and received US passports. Some of it is owed by normal people who got behind paying their taxes, but it’s hard to have much sympathy for some of the worst offenders. For example, one person owed $40 million in taxes and hadn’t filed a return in four years. Forget TurboTax, this guy could obviously afford to hire an accountant!

The GAO report notes that “The federal government has a vital interest in efficiently and effectively collecting the billions of dollars of taxes owed under current law. Such legislation could have the potential to help generate substantial collections of known unpaid federal taxes and increase tax compliance for tens of millions of Americans holding passports…IRS officials stated that screening passport applicants for federal tax debts would likely improve tax collections.”

It’s important to note that before the government makes paying your taxes a condition of getting a passport, Congress would have to pass a law tying the ability to receive passport services to a person’s tax status. We’ll keep you updated – in the meantime, taxes are due Monday, so if you haven’t paid yet, you might want to get on that.

Also, whether or not you owe taxes, if you plan to travel internationally anytime soon, you should go ahead and apply for passport services as soon as possible. Remember, regular service takes at least 6 weeks, and even the government’s expedited service, which costs an additional $60, takes 3 weeks.

For faster service, a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport is the easiest and most convenient option. We’ll walk you through the necessary paperwork and personally deliver your application to the Department of State, for processing in as little as 24 hours.

For quick, hassle-free passport service, contact us today!

The debate over the State Department’s proposed fee hike for passport services continues, with lawmakers and State Department officials arguing back and forth about whether the new fees are justified, especially given the current state of the economy.

The LA Times notes that if the increases happen, the passport application fee will be more than double what it was in 2002.  New York Representative Chris Lee notes that the increase may not seem like that much for an individual to pay,  but would have a big impact on families, with a family of four paying around $500 just to apply for passports. The LA Times also interviewed Representative Brian Higgins, who did not mince words-he called the increase flat-out “immoral.”

In the articleBrenda Sprague, deputy assistant secretary of State for passport affairs, claims that the price hike is justified:

“We have a strong, defensible position for increasing the fees.” Costs have been rising, she said, as high-tech features make passports more expensive to produce and the department adds facilities to meet growing demand. By 2011, she said, the department expects to be operating 28 passport facilities, up from 13 just five years ago.

Other factors that were taken into account were the costs of providing services to US passport holders, including extending a helping hand to Americans who get in a jam overseas.

What do you think? Considering the services that the State Department provides passport holders, is it worth it to charge extra passport fees and to start adding charges for passport services that used to be free, like adding visa pages?

Whatever your opinion is, let us know in the comments and then go tell the US Department of State before the comment period is up on March 11th.

After the comment period ends, the new prices will probably be in place within weeks. We’ll keep an eye on the story and provide updates as it develops, but in the meantime, if you don’t want to pay the extra fees, you’d probably best go ahead and apply for passport services now.

At RushMyPassport, we help people get new passports quickly every day. However, using our passport services is a little bit different than getting a passport on your own.  Here’s what you can expect when you apply for a passport with us:

First, after you request passport services and make your payment, you will receive an email confirming your payment,  plus step-by-instructions to guide you through the process and let you know what documents you’ll need to submit with your application.

Your order will also be assigned to a trained, professional passport specialist, who will contact you personally to make sure you understand what to do and to answer any questions you may have.

Once you have all you documents together, if you need to apply for passport in person, we can help you find the nearest passport acceptance facility (often a library, post office, or county court clerk) to “seal” your documents.

Don’t sign your application until you get to the acceptance facility and the acceptance agent tells you to, or you’ll have to start all over! Once you sign the application, the agent will seal the envelope shut using a special seal. Note: If you already have a passport and are eligible to renew by mail, this step doesn’t apply to you because you don’t need your documents sealed.

Once you have your documents sealed and all of the required information together, you’ll mail it all to us and we take care of the rest. We’ll keep you posted via email as your application is processed and your new passport is sent out.

Customer Scott Cate recently used our passport services and posted a review on his blog. Here’s what he had to say about the experience:

“All in all, I’m very happy with the services from RushMyPassport.com and I would recommend them to anyone else who finds them selves in a “OMG I need a new passport” moment like I did ”

Having an “OMG I need a new passport” moment? Apply for passport services with us today!

Students at Kentucky’s Centre College get an extra perk this year: the school, which strongly encourages students to study overseas, is paying for their passports, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.

Already, 85% of the student body spends at least one semester studying abroad. The college would like that number to reach 100%. To encourage as many students as possible to spend time overseas, the school runs a number of low-cost overseas study programs in various foreign cities.

In the Lexington Herald-Leader, Milton Reigelman, director of Centre’s Center for Global Citizenship, explained why the school believes so strongly in the value of studying abroad that they are willing to pay for students’ passport services:  “It kind of focuses their attention … that to be educated in today’s world, you have to do more than just read about other places, you have to live there.”

No matter where you go to school, there are plenty 0f options for studying abroad-and it really does broaden your horizons to be immersed in another culture.  However, before you can study abroad, you must have a valid US passport.

It is also important to apply for passport services well in advance of when you plan to leave. Currently, the US Department of State is processing regular passport applications in approximately 6 weeks, and expedited passport applications in about 3 weeks.  However, you should apply well before these deadlines-delays can and do happen, and an accidental mistake on your application can mean you have to start over from scratch.

Requesting passport services from a private passport expediting company like RushMy’Passport.com makes the process much easier and faster. You’ll work with a trained passport professional and get simple, easy-to-understand instructions that help you avoid common mistakes. Then, we’ll deliver your application by hand to the Department of State for the fastest possible passport services-often as quick as 24 hours!

Apply for passport services with us today!

A new program from the Department of Homeland security could allow you to zip through passport services lines when you return home from overseas.  The program, called Global Entry, allows passengers to pay $100 to get through customs a little bit faster.

Here’s how it works, according to this report from the Dallas Morning News:

• You pay a $100 application fee, which gets you in the program and is good for 5 years.
• When you return from overseas, instead of going through the normal passport services line for returning travelers, you present your passport to be read at a special kiosk.
• The kiosk scans your fingerprints and compares them with the prints that the government has on file for you.
• You use the kiosk’s touchscreen to answer routine re-entry questions.
• Once you’re done, the kiosk prints out a receipt, which you show to a customs officer before you leave.

According to the article referenced above, this system can reduce wait times for customs by up to 70 percent. It is currently available only in select airports,  including:  Boston, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan, Atlanta, Chicago (O’Hare), Houston (Intercontinental), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), Miami and Washington (Dulles).

Of course, before you can join the Global Entry program, you need to have a passport. When you apply for a passport, it’s vital that you allow enough time for it to be issued before your trip. Currently, wait times are at least 6 weeks for regular service and at least 2-3 weeks for the government’s expedited service.

If you need faster passport services, the easiest way to get them is through a private passport expediting company. An expediting company will deliver your passport application by hand to the US Department of State, drastically cutting processing times. In fact, your new passport could be on its way back to you in as little as 24 hours!

For the fastest passport services, submit your application through RushMyPassport.com today!

As part of a court settlement, the US Department of State has created a new set of procedures to govern passport services for applicants who were delivered by midwives near the US/Mexican border. The settlement was the result of a court case brought by the ACLU against the government for denying passports to US citizens born near the border and delivered by midwives. 75 midwives near the border have been convicted of birth certificate fraud since the 1960′s.  These convictions made the government suspicious of anyone who was delivered by a midwife near the border and applied for a passport. Many were asked to provide additional documentation, and others had their applications denied outright.  (more…)

The US Department of State is adding additional regional Passport Agency offices this year, to make it easier for Americans to obtain passport services. One of the new passport offices will be in Vermont, according to this report in the Rutland Herald.  Montpelier, Vermont is one of 5 locations in the US to be included in the US Passport Agency’s expansion. The others are: Buffalo, N.Y., El Paso, Texas, Atlanta and San Diego.

This will make obtaining passport services  easier for Vermonters planning on traveling internationally, including those who regularly cross the border into Canada.  Regional Passport Agency offices are appointment-only offices that issue passports for US citizens traveling within the next 14 days.

However, even with the additional passport offices, these passport services will still be hard to get for many Americans. That’s because regional Passport Agency offices are only open for a limited number of hours during the day, so most people have to take off work to visit them. Also, even with the additional offices, many Americans still won’t have a passport office nearby.

If you have an international trip planned for the near future and you need passport services, a passport expediting service is the easiest way to get them.  When you use an expediting company, all you have to do is fill out your application, get your documents “sealed” by a passport acceptance facility (usually your local post office), and send them to the expediting company. The expediting company handles the rest of the passport services for you. So, you don’t have to take time off work, make an appointment, drive to a regional Passport Agency office or wait in line.  Plus, you passport application will be processed quickly-often in as little as 24 hours!

For exceptional speed and great customer service, apply for passport services with RushMyPassport.com today!

Did you know that the government keeps a copy of each application you submit for passport service, including copies of the evidence you submitted to prove your citizenship?

If you’d like a copy of these records for any reason, here’s how to get them:

If your passport was issued after 1925, the records are stored with US Passport Services.  To get them, you’ll need to submit a notarized request in writing. Your request must include the following information:

• Your full name and any names you used previously (birth name, married name, etc). If you are requesting a child’s record, include their name, too.
• When and where you (or your child) were born
• Your address
• Your current phone number
• Your e-mail address, if you have one
• The reason you need the records
• The approximate date the passport was issued
• Passport numbers and any other information that you think will help Passport Services find the records for you.
• A copy of your photo ID.

It’s free to get a copy of your own records or those of your children, but if you’re requesting records for anyone else it’s $60.00.  Certified copies are $30.00 for the first copy and $20.00 for each additional copy. If you’re requesting passport records for anyone other than yourself or your child, you’ll need send their notarized consent, proof of guardianship, their death certificate or a court order allowing you to have access to the records.

Once you have assembled all the paperwork, mail it with any applicable fees to:

Department of State
Passport Services
Research and Liaison Section
Room 500
1111 19th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20524-1705 (202) 955-0447

What if you want copies of records for people born before 1925, perhaps for a geneaology project? In that case, you’ll need to contact the National Archives at the following address:

National Archives and Records Administration
Archives 1
Reference Branch
8th & Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC

Remember, if you’re applying for a new passport, the fastest and easiest way to get passport services is to use a private expediting company. An expediting company can help you fill out the paperwork and will get your passport to you quickly, with processing times as low as 24 hours!

Order expedited  passport services today, and see how fast and easy it can be to get a passport!