When planning for an international vacation, many of us can
sometimes be guilty of accidentally overlooking important details. It
only takes a few seconds to check if your passport is expired or about
to expire, yet many people forget to check until it's almost too late.
Getting an expedited passport renewal can save the day and literally
save thousands of dollars that you have already spent on your upcoming
overseas trip.
1. Your expired passport
This
is the easy part to renewing your passport fast. You will need to turn
in your expired passport. The agency will punch a hole in your old
passport to make it invalid and they will return it to you at the same
time you receive your new passport.
It should have originally been
issued less than 15 years ago or else the renewal process won't be
available. In that case, you would have to apply the same way you did
for a first time passport.
Another thing to keep in mind is the
passport cannot be damaged or mutilated. This includes water damage to
the pages and damage to the inside cover where your picture and personal
information are.
Unfortunately, if it's in bad condition then you will
have to apply using the first time passport process.
2. DS-82 application
This
is the renewal application and it can be completed online or you can
print out a PDF version to fill out with pen. Make sure to fill in all
of the information about your expired passport.
Since you need
your passport renewal expedited, check the expedite box which requires
an additional $60 fee to the US Department of State. Instead of waiting
approximately six weeks for regular processing, it will speed up the
process to one to three weeks.
3. New photograph
Although
you already have a photo in your old passport, they will still require
you to submit a recent photo that accurately reflects the way you look
now.
There are many different stores you can go to for
passport-style photographs. You can get them at stores such as Rite Aid,
Walgreens, FedEx Office, UPS Store and even your local post office.
4. Paying the separate fees
When
you are filling out the application you will see that the fee is $110.
But you will actually increase that to $170 to get it expedited. This
payment will go to the US Department of State and it either needs to be
paid by USPS money order or your own personal check.
There is the
expense of getting your passport shipped back to you quickly. You can
either include your own express envelope with your application package
or you can pay an additional fee and the passport agency will ship back
to you using USPS express overnight.
The other possible expense is the service fee paid to a passport expedite service if you decide to hire an expedite company.
5. Hiring an expedite service
If
you need your passport back in less than a week, definitely consider
hiring an expedite company.
Some people also use these services when
they are traveling in less than three weeks. Although there are some
people who can sometimes get an expedited passport back in a week
without using a service, there is no guarantee from the US Department of
State. There really is no way to tell if it will be one week, two weeks
or even three weeks. When you hire a reliable expedite service, they
will guarantee a specific time frame.
The rates vary depending on
how fast the service needs to be. You can actually get your passport
back in less than a week, sometimes even with a 24 hour turnaround time.
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