The boss calls you up and offers you the opportunity for a 2 week
consulting job in Italy. It is your trip to take if you can leave in 3
days. The problem: Your passport is expired!
Your friend just
broke up with her boyfriend and was going on a trip to Malaysia. She
offers the ticket to you since the trip is in a week and the ticket is
non-refundable. The Problem: This is your first trip abroad and you
have never had passport!
You and your spouse just got married and
your new favorite uncle gave you an all inclusive honeymoon to a resort
in France. The tickets and reservation are set for next week. The
Problem: Your spouse needs a new passport and you need to change your
name on yours!
Currently, the US Department of State provides an
expedited passport service to anyone applying for a passport for an
additional $60 plus overnight shipping costs. The only problem is that
expediting to the government means 2-3 weeks rather than 4-6 weeks for
routine processing. Sometimes these trips sneak up on us and we simply
cannot wait to get the passport. Why should you miss out on a wonderful
trip, even if it is for business, simply because you could not get your
passport in time?
I ran into this situation for my work. I was
asked to go to Nigeria and be available to leave within a week. The
problem was that my passport was expired. I still had braces on in my
passport photo.
Fortunately for me, our company had a passport
expediting agent to help push through the application process in days,
not weeks. While I did not end up going to Nigeria, I was impressed by
the ability to have an expert to get the paperwork I needed for travel
quickly. This made me think that many people are likely in the same
situation without the benefit of their own expert. While it may cost to
have this expert on your team, I would tend to believe that the cost of
missing the opportunity would be much greater.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Unlike
the standard process of filling out the paperwork, going to the post
office and sending in your application for some anonymous government
official to handle your paperwork, your personal agent is right there in
the State Department working for you. These experts know the people in
the State Department and have developed relationships that help them to
expedite applications efficiently and legally. Instead of your
application going from one persons desk, dropped in a basket to be
delivered to another verification desk, your agent is carrying your
paperwork through the various departments to get the job done NOW!! You
are essentially hiring a professional to represent you, pushing your
interests to the front of the line, rather than being another form in a
stack of thousands. Who are you going to help, the person standing in
front of you asking you to make an approval, or the passport application
that is staring at you that you have 2-3 weeks to process?
WHO IS THIS NOT FOR?
This
process costs. Depending on your situation, you will spend around $500
for this process. If you are more than 3 weeks away from your vacation
or business trip, then this is not for you!! Remember, you are going
through this process because you need your passport rushed to you
quickly. If you are not certain if you need this type of service do not
start it and then change your mind. Many expediters cannot wait for
you to make up your mind once you contact them for their service. They
are assuming that you need your passport tomorrow and must start the
process right away. Even in as little as 24 hours they can have 90-100%
of your passport processed. For this reason, be certain that you need
your passport in a hurry! Many expediters do not offer refunds if you change your mind.
Finally,
check out the US Department of State and find out exactly what you
need. Verify the mandatory passport and visa fees that are being
charged by the government. The website is very easy to navigate, and
includes all of the forms that you will need to fill out. You can find
out where the embassy is in the country you are traveling to, and if
there are any travel warnings for Americans touring abroad. As with
anything, educate yourself before making rash decisions. The US
Department of State is a great place to start.
In as little as 24
hours you can secure your travel documents for a trip abroad. There is
no need to turn down that trip of a lifetime simply because you do not
have your passport. Realize that there are experts available that can
help you to push your passport application through faster than the US
Department of State promises. Also realize that there is a cost to this
process, and you should be certain that you can not wait for the
standard processing times. Good luck and enjoy your trip!
For additional information on passport applications and links to other sites containing passport services, check out I need my passport NOW!
