Year: 2009

Most Recent Articles

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New Rule Makes Getting a Passport Easier For Same-Sex Couples
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A new change in the rules for getting a passport will make things easier for same-sex couples married in Massachusetts and other states that allow  same-sex  marriage. Under the new rules, same sex couples who change their names after marriage will be allowed to apply for a passport using their spouse's last name if they choose to change their names after marriage. Before this ruling, in order to have the same last name as their spouse, one spouse would have…

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A New Passport is Born
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Have you ever wondered how a new passport is made? In this video from the US State Department, the State Department Under  Secretary for Management Patrick F Kennedy describes the process of making  a new passport. The raw material used to make the outside of a passport book is actually produced overseas, because the State Department couldn't find an American firm to manufacture the radio frequency identification (RFID)  chips that are installed in all new passports.  However, according to the…

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Review of New Laws Requiring Passports For Travelers
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US Representative Gary Peters of Michigan has managed to get an amendment through the House of Representatives requiring the government to review the economic impact of the final phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. The new rules, which became law on June 1st, 2009, require Americans to use passports or another special government-approved document to travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean by land and sea. Prior to June 1st, Michigan and Canadian citizens who wanted to cross the…

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Can You Get a New Passport if You Owe Taxes?
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Whenever you apply for a passport, you are required to provide your social security number, which is then forwarded to the Department of the Treasury. Does that mean that the government will withhold your new passport if you owe the IRS money? Perhaps, but it's not likely. The IRS can keep you from getting your passport, but they only use this power in extraordinary circumstances-like if you owe so much in back taxes that the IRS is garnishing your wages,…

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Get Your Passport Application in Now! Incredible Deals to Europe
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How would you like to travel to Europe this year?  One of the major expenses of a European vacation is the cost of a flight across the ocean. However, would-be globetrotters are in luck- the New York Times just reported on some amazing travel deals on European flights! And by amazing, I mean round trip flights as low as $208 (from Philadelphia to Madrid) to $392 (from New York t0 Paris).  Not long ago, these prices would have been considered…

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Vermont to Get Agency Office For Passport Services
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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…

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Is Getting a Passport Too Much Trouble?
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As a consequence of the new travel regulations that went into effect on June 1, many places in Canada and Mexico that depend on tourism are expecting  a slow summer, according to TampaBay.com. The report noted that some Niagara Falls tourists that were surveyed said they would not be back due to the new rules, which require adults to carry passports for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The article also noted that only 20% of…

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