Expedited Passports

Labor Day is just around the corner, and if you renew your passport now, you can take advantage of some incredible travel deals for one last hurrah before the summer is over.

For example, Jaunted has posted a list of awesome, cheap excursions, such as 4 nights in the Bahamas for $299 per person, including airfare. There are also some wonderful deals on Labor Day cruises, with cruises to the Bahamas as low as $229 person, Mexico cruises as low as $299, and a cruise to Monaco and Italy for only $599.

Meanwhile, this post gives you the scoop on how to get a fast passport and save big on a trip to Barbados.

If you decide to leave the country on a whim this Labor Day, make sure you check the expiration date on your passport. US passports are good for 10 years (as long as you were 16 or older when it was issued), so it’s easy to lose track of when it’s time to renew.

All the trips I just mentioned do require a passport, except perhaps cruising to the Bahamas and Mexico. Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, travelers on closed-loop cruises (cruises that begin and end at the same US port) to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean can bring government-issued photo ID and a copy of their birth certificates. However, traveling to or from these countries by plane requires a passport no matter what the circumstances, so it’s still best to have one with you in case you need to fly home for an emergency.

If you do need to renew your passport on short notice, don’t give up on your dream vacation just yet. It’s definitely possible to get a passport quickly. It just takes a little bit of extra time and effort.

Regular passport processing takes about 6 weeks, which is obviously too long of a wait if you want to go anywhere for Labor Day. Expedited passport processing through the Department of State takes about 3 weeks. However, there are other options. One option is simply to make an appointment to renew your passport at a Regional Passport Agency office, if there is one nearby. You must have a confirmed itinerary to show you will be leaving the country in the next 14 days, and you’ll have to make an appointment.

A quicker, easier option is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport. We personally deliver your passport application to the Department of State, for processing times as low as 24 hours.

Renew your passport today!

According to Jaunted, many of the major airlines are adding new international routes to their lineups, possibly making it easier for you to see the countries you want to see. Here’s a quick rundown of the new routes.
If any of these appeal to you, you might want to start packing your bags and check to see if you need to renew your passport:

American Airlines: Chicago to Beijing

American Airlines now flies from Chicago to Beijing.  If you are a member of their frequent flier program and you don’t mind being a guinea pig, you can earn an extra 15,000 miles for being one of the first passengers to fly the new route.

Continental: Houston to Auckland

This particular route hasn’t been finalized yet, but starting in 2011 you may be able to fly from Houston to Auckland on Continental. This is one to watch.

Delta: Atlanta to Liberia

You’ve probably never thought of visiting Liberia, but maybe that will change when Delta’s new route opens in September. Planes leave from the Atlanta airport and stop in Ghana before continuing on to Monrovia.

Spirit: Fort Lauderdale to Columbia

Spirit is now flying from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Barranquilla. That’s exciting news if you’ve always wanted to visit Columbia, and even more exciting if you happen to snag a coveted $9 fare!

Of course, before you book your tickets, make sure to check your passport expiration date. Remember, you may need to renew your passport even if yours is still technically valid-if it expires in less than 6 months, many countries won’t let you in.

Passport renewals usually take at least 6 weeks. If you select the government’s expedited service, you can expect to wait at least 3 weeks, and you’ll pay $60 extra for the privilege. If you need to renew your passport more quickly than that, a private passport expediting service is the fastest and most easiest way to get it done.

Expediting companies like RushMyPassport.com can forward your application to the US Department of State, so you get super-fast processing without having to make an appointment at a passport office.

Let us help you renew your passport today!

Is your passport due to expire within the next 6 months to a year?  While you may not feel like shelling out the extra cash for a new one, it’s still a good idea to go ahead and get it renewed. In many cases, a passport with an expiration date 6 months or less in the future is almost as useless as one that’s expired.

Consider, for instance, the case of Charles Herman. According to the Chicago Tribune, he attended a friend’s wedding last year in Uganda.  Before he went, he researched the country’s visa requirements at the US State Department’s website. His passport was good for just a little less than 6 months, and the Department of State website said that it only needed to be good for 3 months.

However,when he tried to board his flight, he was told by the airline that he needed to have at least 6 months left on his passport, not three. Instead of letting him get on the flight to Uganda, the airline made him fly into Kenya instead, at an additional cost of $855.66.

Yikes! The airline then refused to refund the price difference, even after Mr. Herman referred them to the incorrect information on the Department of State’s website (which has since been corrected.)

The moral of the story, according to Steve Lott, a spokesman for the IATA, is to check multiple sources for your travel requirements. Mr. Lott told the Tribune:

“If there’s a dispute, if you get mixed messages or mixed information, the ultimate authority here is the country you’re going to,” Lott said. “Make sure you get something in writing, and make sure you cross reference with your airline.”

One way to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you is to renew your passport more than 6 months before it expires.  Of course, it’s easy for your passport expiration date to creep up on you, and it can take up to 3 weeks to get your new passport back in the mail even if you apply for expedited service.

Using a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport is the way to go if you need to get your passport renewed in a hurry and you want to avoid the hassle of making an appointment and driving to a Regional Passport Agency office. We hand-deliver your application to the Department of State, so you can renew your passport in as little as 24 hours!

Renew your passport with us today!

US passports issued to Americans over 16 years of age are valid for 10 years. During that time, your appearance could change greatly. You could gain weight, lose weight, change your hairstyle, etc-leaving you looking like a completely different person!

Should you renew a valid passport if your appearance has changed since you last had your photo taken? In most cases, it’s not necessary-but it might not be a bad idea, either, especially if you’re traveling to Kenya. According to this article on TheStar.com, a Canadian woman was detained in Kenya because she no longer looked exactly like her passport photo, even though she had other forms of identification. She was kept in a jail in Kenya for 8 days, and had to pay $2,500 in bail.

If your passport is valid, you shouldn’t have to renew it until 9 months before it expires.  In most cases, you’ll be able to travel without any problems as long as your passport is valid and you have enough visa pages.  However, when traveling overseas, you’re at the mercy of the officials in the country that you’re traveling in. The US Embassy will do everything in its power to help you if you have problems, but it’s always better to avoid issues like this whenever possible. So, if you look like a completely different person than you did 5 years ago, renewing your passport early may help your trip go more smoothly.

If you need to renew your passport before your next trip, remember to allow enough time for the new passport to arrive in the mail. Currently, it’s taking at least 6 weeks to process a passport application with normal processing. If you apply for the government’s expedited service, you can still expect to wait at least 3 weeks for your passport. If you need to renew your passport in a hurry, the easiest way to do it is to use a private passport expediting company.  An expediting company can help you get your passport application processed more quickly, often as fast as 24 hours!

Why stress about getting your new passport? Renew your passport with us today!