Expedited Passports

Still looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve?  Here are 4 good reasons to get a rush passport (if you don’t already have one), book a flight to Germany and celebrate New Year’s Eve (otherwise known as “Silvester”) in Berlin.

One of the Largest New Year’s Eve Parties in The World

You want to be somewhere memorable when you wave goodbye to the awkwardly-named decade of the Aughts, right? Where better to bid the decade farewell than one of the world’s largest open-air New Year’s Eve parties?

Every year, over a million people come to the Berlin Open End New Year’s Eve party, an extravaganza complete with food, music, drinks and fireworks.

German Beer

Sure, champagne is the traditional fizzy alcoholic beverage of choice for New Year’s Eve, but German beer is world-famous.

Cheesy Music

This year, folks attending the Berlin Open End party can celebrate the future with the cheesy pop music of yore.  Musical performers include the ABBA Celebration Band and Right Said Fred. Wait, you don’t remember Right Said Fred? Maybe this will ring a bell:

“I’m too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts!

I’m too sexy for your body, too sexy for your body, no way I’m disco dancing!”

Oh yeah, those guys…I used to have that album on a  quaint musical device called  a “cassette tape.”

Fireworks

The New York Times’ InTransit blog has an informative post up about the New Year’s Eve celebration in Berlin, including recommendations for smaller parties if you don’t want to attend the Open End blowout. The commenters on the post also pointed out that New Year’s Eve in Berlin is an “orgy of fireworks.” In addition to the big fireworks show, expect to have firecrackers go off around you or even be used as missiles. Stay away from those super-flammable synthetic fabrics, mmm-kay?

If you want to leave the country for New Year’s and you don’t have a passport, you’ll need to submit a rush passport application. At this point, your choices are to get an appointment at a Regional Passport office or to use a private expediting service like RushMyPassport.com.  An expediting company is often a more convenient choice, since you don’t have to make an appointment or wait in line.

With RushMyPassport, you simply complete your application and forward your application package to us via Fed-Ex. Then, we deliver it by hand to the US Department of State, for processing times as fast as 24 hours.

Celebrate the New Year in style-let us help you rush your passport today!

Getting a passport can be a long, drawn-out process. As they say, the waiting is the hardest part-especially when you have a plane or a boat waiting for you! The US Department of State urges people to apply well in advance, but sometimes, unavoidable circumstances or accidents make applying in advance impossible. Here are the the top 5 reasons that you might have to rush your passport:

Reason #1: Your passport went AWOL

It’s 11:00 pm. Do you know where your passport is? No matter how careful you are about keeping it someplace safe, a lost passport can happen to anyone.  And if you don’t realize it’s missing until a week or even a few days before you are supposed to depart, you’ll have no choice but to rush your passport.

Reason #2: Sudden Need to Travel

If you have friends or family overseas, you should try to keep a valid passport at all times. You never know when something, either good or bad, will come up that requires your immediate presence in another country.

Reason #3: Your Passport is Expired

Passports are good for 10 years. That’s a long time-but sometimes it goes by more quickly than you’d think.  If you have a trip planned and don’t notice that your passport is expired until it’s too late, you could be in trouble.  Also, keep in mind that some countries won’t let you in unless you have at least 6 months left before your passport expires.

Reason #4: Application Problems

On the other hand, you might have applied for your passport in plenty of time, but if you made a mistake on the application, forget to enclose a check or a document, or submitted a photo that wasn’t up to par, you could have to re-submit in a hurry!

For more information on common mistakes, see our post: The Top 10 Reasons for Delays in Getting Your Passport

Reason #5: You Didn’t Know You Needed It Until It Was Too Late!

Recent changes in passport law have left a lot of people confused about whether or not they need a passport for certain trips. Back in the day, you didn’t need a passport to go to Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean.  Now, in most cases, you do.

No matter why you need to rush your passport, RushMyPassport can help. We will assist you with your application, providing personal help from a trained passport specialist and an easy-to-read checklist to help you navigate the required paperwork. Then, we forward your application by hand to the US Department of State, for processing times as quick as 24 hours!

Have you ever had to get an emergency passport? Share your stories with is on RushMyPassport.com’s Facebook page!

Monday, June 1st, regulations regarding travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean will change.  Under the old rules, passports were only required for air travel to and from these countries. However, the new rules require adult citizens of the US to present an approved document, such as a passport, to return to the United States from these countries.

What do the new rules mean to you? If you’re going to travel to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean in June, you’ll need to get a passport fast! If you need to rush your passport, the easiest and  quickest way to do it is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.

Currently, rush passport applications sent directly into the government are taking 3 weeks or longer to process. Without using an expediting company, the other option is to cross your fingers and hope you can get an appointment at US Regional Passport Agency Office. These offices are appointment-only, and there are only 21 to serve the entire country, so you may not even  have one near you.

An expediting company makes getting a rush passport much simpler. There are no appointments to make, and you don’t have to drive to Regional Passport Agency Office. You can simply take your application to a passport acceptance office, like a designated library or post office, get it “sealed,” and then send it to the expediting company, along with your proof of identity, proof of citizenship and any other supporting documents.

Once the expediting company receives your rush passport application, they take it directly to the Department of State for processing, sometimes in as little as 24 hours! The expediting company can also help you by providing information about what documents you need and how to fill out the application.

Visit us to order your rush passport-we’ll walk you through the rest of the process, so your trip can go off without a hitch!

This year, international travel is cheaper for Americans than it has been in a long time.  The exchange rate between the dollar and many foreign currencies has improved, and the economic situation has airlines and hotels slashing prices to attract tourists.

What does this mean to you? Well, if you’ve ever wanted to travel internationally, this is the year to plan a trip. If a trip to Italy is on your life list, the best time to travel is right now. Spring is the best time to visit Italy-flowers are blooming, the weather is mild, and high tourist season doesn’t start until summer.

There are also some great last-minute travel deals out there. For example, this special from Eurofly covers your flight and hotel for 6 nights in the Eternal City for only $1299.00. What should you do when you get there? This post on Destinations for Leisure covers the basics: the Vatican, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and the Colosseum. To which I would add: the Pantheon, the Galleria Borghese for art history buffs, and the Capitoline Museums for lovers of archaeology. (more…)

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…)