Are you traveling outside the United States in a few weeks but do
not have a passport? Do you need to renew a passport within a couple of
days? You need not worry, just spend some extra dollars and you will
have your passport when you want. Across the United States, a number of
Government-approved agencies are helping people procure passports at
rather short notices. They are doing this for some extra dollars. Don't
worry, the agencies are Government-approved and they are doing it
legally. They have the right contacts and all the knowledge of how to
renew a passport or how to get a new passport. Just provide the required
documents and the fee and you can put your legs up.
The US
Government has made strict rules for passport now. For traveling to
Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean, you now need a passport.
Government
services are available, though It is not that every time you need a
passport you will have to run to a private expediting agency. If you
spend some extra dollars, the Government is willing to give you a new
passport quicker than the usual time required. However, it may still
take up to two weeks from the time the application for passport is
received by mail. If you are unable to wait that long, you can approach
any one of the 13 regional passport offices throughout the country.
The
charges for expediting a passport application are $60 and shipping
costs are extra. That is not all, though. If you need a new passport,
you need to pay an extra $60 to $75.
Expediting services
Expediting
services have been doing brisk business while travelers scramble to
procure a passport. It is easy for you - just pay the government
expediting fees and the fees that the agencies require and your passport
could be delivered at your doorstep within a day, depending on the fees
you pay and your requirements.
You will, however, have to provide
all the required documents such as ID and address proof, passport size
photo and then go to a local processing center to put the documents in
an envelope. Then you can hand over the sealed envelope to the expediter
agency which will take over.
The expediter agency will do
everything required, from submitting the application to following up
constantly. It helps that they have the right contacts. Almost all of
the agencies are highly efficient and they follow a process for you. For
example, they would give a detailed checklist of what you need to do
for applying for a passport. The agencies also have a customer care help
desk which is knowledgeable and extremely helpful. There are numerous
cases when the customer made mistakes in the application form and the
agencies detected the mistake and corrected the mistakes.
Charges
of passport application processing vary across different agencies.
Depending on the agency and the urgency of your requirement, the charges
may vary between $175 to $300, in addition to the government fees for
the passport.
Mary Taylor is a writer, specialist in tour and travelling. She is now associated with Thepassportoffice.com,
a privately owned U.S. Passport expediting service, authorized by the
U.S. Department of State. It helps US citizens get their passports quick
and hassle-free.
