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Regardless of how you plan on applying for your passport, the first thing you need to do is obtain proof of U.S. citizenship, usually in the form of a birth certificate. If you have an expired passport in your possession, that can also serve as acceptable documentation. Next, you will need to have a pair of passport pictures made. This is one of the easiest steps as many businesses such as drugstores and copy shops offer the service. Then, carefully complete the passport application available on the State Department website, or obtain an application from any post office or government facility.
Now you have to determine if you have enough time to wait 6 weeks or possibly longer for your passport to return. If you have ample time, prepare the necessary payment and mail through one of the accepted locations. To find a location to apply and pay for a passport in person, visit http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/.
If you are in a bit of a time crunch, you must determine what method will be the most effective for expediting the completion of your passport. Your best choices are expediting the application directly through the State Department or working with a third-party service. Though only the Passport Services Office of the State Department has the authority to issue passports, companies such as Passport Express, Deluxe Passprt Express and Travisa work directly with the government to secure passports in as little as 24 hours.
Either way, if it is your first passport or you have lost your expired passport, you must go to a passport acceptance facility with your passport photos, proof of citizenship and photo ID to have your application validated. The State Department lists about 7,000 locations, including courts, post offices, libraries and government offices or you can click here to see a list of locations near you.
At this stage, one of your options is to remit payment and mail applications from these approved locations. When mailing directly to the Passport Services Office, you will also have the ability to pay $60 for expedited shipping. Though this method doesn’t guarantee passport completion for immediate departures, it can be useful if you are traveling within 3 to 4 weeks to ensure you receive your passport.
In lieu of submitting your application directly to the Passport Services Office, your alternatives are to have your materials approved for mailing via the aforementioned third-party expediting services, or to make an appointment with one of 13 regional passport agencies. The regional offices serve citizens traveling within 2 weeks and can usually provide passports within 2-3 business days. After making an appointment at such an agency, you will need to provide proof of travel within the allotted timeframe. Yet, because these offices are located in only 13 cities, the third-party companies serve as more convenient methods for simplifying and expediting your passport application.
It is also worth noting that a Passport Card, or PASS Card, program is in development for land and sea travel to and from the Caribbean. When approved for use, this credit card-sized passport alternative could eliminate the need for a traditional passport if you were to travel to Aruba via cruise from the U.S. without any international air travel.
You must call Deluxe Passport Express at 718-387-5441 for the address to send your package.
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