Archive for March 10th, 2010
March 10th, 2010
One thing that everyone who travels in and out of the United States needs to know about is passport rules and regulations. While the previous laws allowed US citizens to travel to border countries with nothing more than a birth certificate or driver’s license, that is no longer the case. Today, a passport to Canada or Mexico is necessary whenever traveling.
Prior to 2009, entering and exiting the country to border countries was pretty easy. If the traveler had a driver’s license or birth certificate, they could pretty much come and go as they pleased. Circumstances have changed and travelers now need passports for destinations that never required it before.
The law changed in June 2009 and while it is a good thing, it has shaken up travelers who were unprepared for the new documents that are required. Today, any traveler that is moving in and out of the United States, even if only by land and heading to a border country such as Canada or Mexico, is required to have passport documentation. This is a delayed response to 9/11, but at least it has finally happened.
According to the government, these rules were put in place to tighten up our security and make the country a safer place. Previously, illegal immigrants would travel into Canada or Mexico and pass through the borders fairly easily. Driver’s licenses and birth certificates were fairly easy to forge and the new documentation makes it much more difficult to gain entry to the United States.
Although citizens of the country should understand this, for some reason they are more worried about convenience than they are safety. For many, the process of getting a passport to travel to a country that they used to drive into several times a month is a major issue. They think that it is just plain silly to have to carry a passport to Canada or Mexico.
The government continues to maintain that this measure is necessary to beef up our country’s security. However, they have also conceded that these new measures are quite different and know that people do not respond to change very well. For that reason, there are now different types of passport documentation that can be used to make things a little more convenient.
One such innovation is the new passport card. The passport card is a wallet-sized card that displays a person’s relevant passport information without the large passport stamp book. A passport card is a valid passport to Canada, Mexico and certain Caribbean Islands for land and sea travel. Passport cards are available to current passport holders for $20.
It is clear that rush United States passports will be required to enter border countries from now on. Given the obvious national security advantages, it seems quite unlikely that the U.S. government will have any reason to change these laws in the near future. Luckily, innovations like the United States Passport Card make the mandatory carrying of a passport to Canada and Mexico a bit more convenient.
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March 10th, 2010
Anyone that is looking to take an international trip better get ready to get in line at their local USA passport office if they don’t already have a passport. Finding an office is not difficult, especially with the help of the Internet. A surprise for many is that their local post office also serves as a passport processing center.
The one thing that everyone can rest assured of is that there are no shortcuts when it comes to passport applications, especially for first time passport applicants. The forms all have to be filled out and all the right documentation must be included. This one document is how the government tracks who is coming and who is going and they make sure that everything is in line before that little blue book gets issued.
This is the only way the government has to track people that are coming in and out of the country so they make sure that it is very thorough. With so many rules in place about national security and international travel, it is no wonder that the government wants anyone that is getting their first passport to go through the process in person. Even though the process can take up some time, the government does try and make it as simple as possible.
Often times, passport application offices are inside local government offices. A passport application center may be located in the local post office, public library, clerks of court office, or any other local, state, or federal office building. Most people do not have a hard time finding an office that is convenient for them.
Some of these offices have on site passport photo centers. However, these photo centers are not universal. To be safe, an applicant should always bring passport photos to the office. Normally photo centers are only available at offices that offer expedited services. To check for an office with a photo center in a given region, go on the State Department website and select “photo on-site” in the search filter on the zip-code oriented passport center search page.
There are times, however, when a person will still have to head to a regional office in order to get their passport. This is generally an exception and will only need to be done when the passport is needed in a shorter time frame than the standard services. Regional offices are located in major cities across the United States are all listed on the State Department website.
The bright side to the passport story is that the only time you need to go there in person is the first time. When the passport has to be renewed, everything can be done via the mail. As long as a passport is not lost, you will never have to go through this time consuming process again. Just download the forms, fill them out and send them in with the required documents.
Why it would be nice if the electronic age could be useful in avoiding the U S passport office, there is simply no way around it for a first time American passport applicant. These laws are in place for good reason and it all comes down to national security. If they made the process too easy, anyone could get a passport and just about anyone would be able to get into the country.
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March 10th, 2010
Simply put, there is not a more powerful document when it comes to international travel then the passport. If anyone plans on crossing a border in or out of their own country, they must have this document or they will not be permitted across the border. Unfortunately for some, there are passport application forms that have to be filled out and unless they know what they are doing, it can get a little confusing at times.
For the regular business traveler this is going to be old hat. The challenges for getting a passport and making sure the right documents are in line usually comes from the casual traveler that is doing this for the first time. It is perfectly understandable how someone could get a little confused walking into a passport office with so many different forms available.
Anyone who needs the actual passport application forms has a few choices in order to be able to get them. The obvious outlet is to physically walk into a passport office and pick up the actual forms. However, the easiest way to get them is to download them directly off of the government website. There should also be complete instructions on what forms are needed for what situation and how to fill them out.
The private providers have a list of the correct forms needed depending on the situation. If the applicant is a first timer, then it is one simple form and some proof of identification. There are applications also for under age and lost or stolen passports too. Any of these applications will need to have supporting documents sent along with them to assist in the approval process.
Some of the documents can be a little confusing in regards to exactly what information is needed on them. This is why they have complete instructions on the site on exactly what to do with the forms. There are also private companies that are available to help with this whole process. For those of us who hate filling out forms, their fee is more than worth it.
In most situations, the normal turnaround time for a passport is about six weeks. They also offer expedited service for an additional $60 of two to three weeks, however, this time frame is not guaranteed. Anyone who is traveling sooner than that or that just wants their passport quicker, must use one of the private offices that can get a passport back to an applicant in as little as 24 hours.
Along with the application, it will be necessary to provide photos to the providers. These photos will need to be 2” x 2” and should only be done by an accepted passport photo service. Anything else is rarely accepted and the suggestion from most of the websites is to go to a professional passport photographer so there are no issues with what is being submitted.
Once the United States passport application is complete and the photos taken, it will all need to be shipped to the address provided. The suggested method for this will either be FedEx or UPS as they are both traceable and insured. There is personal information being transmitted here and the protection of the applicant is of the utmost concern to these providers. With this advice, hopefully you will see that getting a USA passport isn’t that hard!
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