When traveling outside the United States, it helps to have a passport. Even if you don’t plan to travel anytime soon, having a passport can make your life much easier. In order to get your passport, you first have to fill out a new passport form. There are two options, one for those applying for the first time and one for those just renewing.
Applications can be found at your local library or post office. Some post offices have set days or hours when they will take passport photos and help you process your application. Not all provide this service so it is best to call or check on-line to see where the nearest processing site is located.
You can also get an application, print it and fill it out without leaving your home. Just go to your computer, type in United States Passport on your computer’s internet search engine and several sites, government and non-government, will pop up. Those that are not affiliated with the U. S. Government may ask you for a fee to download a guidebook and application. It is up to you whether you feel you need additional guidance to apply. However, basic instructions and applications are free and can be downloaded easily via postal service and state department sponsored websites.
If this is the first time you have applied or are under the age of 16, you will need to submit your application in person. As part of the process you will need to bring two pictures, and valid forms of identification. Consult the instructions for a list of acceptable methods of verifying your identity. If you had a passport previously but it has expired and the original issue date is more than 15 years ago, you will also have to apply in person. If you just need to renew one not already expired, or one less than 15 years since issuance and there have been no name changes, you can send your application by mail along with your fee and original passport. A new one will be issued and mailed to you.
There are several levels of processing depending on when you will be traveling. If you don’t have to travel out of the country for a month or more, you can pay the standard fee and follow the routine process. It generally takes between four to six weeks to receive your passport and possibly longer during summer when more people travel. If a trip abroad came up unexpectedly and it is less than four weeks away, apply under the expedited process. This will require an additional fee for overnight delivery with tracking capability. The pasports will be sent in the mail within two or three weeks, and arrive via overnight delivery. If a family or work emergency requires you to travel even sooner, you must set up an appointment at a passport agency. These are located in most major cities.
All applications, routine or expedited, first-time or renewal, require a fee. Once issued, your passport is valid for 10 years if you are over 16 and five years if younger. Traveling has become more and more complicated today and having a passport will make things much easier. Even crossing the border to Canada or Mexico, flying to Bermuda or the Caribbean, you need a passport.
There are additional costs involved in expediting your applications. These include sending it through an overnight, certified delivery service and fees for the processor to expedite the application. If you are traveling on official government or corporate business, your agency or administrative officer will walk you through or even complete the process for you. When you have to handle it yourself, any expenses paid personally should be reimbursed by your agency or company.
One bonus of having a passport is using it as verification of citizenship for employment. When you are hired for just about any job today, you are asked to provide two forms of identification. This requirement is reduced to one if you are using an official passport. This form of I.D. tends to trump just about any other form. This is because it is issued by the federal government and you have already produced other forms of identification for the new passport form, such as your original birth certificate, to obtain one.
