American Passports

To get an American passport, you will need (1) your birth certificate or other proof of citizenship; (2) proof of identity (like a driver’s license) with a signature; (3) an application form, available at any large post office, courthouse or passport office; and (4) two passport-sized photos as described on the form. The pictures, form, and so forth, can be mailed from any large post office (the postal clerk will check your ID) or taken directly to a passport office. (Passport offices, listed in the phone book under “Federal Government, Department of State,” are located only in major cities.) If you don’t have a copy of your birth certificate, send away for it immediately - the process can take a while, and until you have your birth certificate or other proof in hand, you can’t apply for a passport.

Other forms of proof, such as certificates of baptism, are described in detail on the form. Passports are good for ten years (five if you’re under 16) and cost USD 45 (USD 25 for under-16s). Figure that into your budget. As you might expect, there is a flood of applications every spring. Durin the height of the summer, well after the peak application period, there can still be as much as a five-week processing wait. Other times of the year it may take six weeks) or five days, or three weeks. The moral of this story is pretty obvious: get yours now.

If you are panicking as you read this because you have a thousand dollars’ worth of non-refundable airline tickets for next week and no passport, take heart. For some extra money (a USD 35 surcharge), you can get a passport expedited. You can apply for an expedited passport from a passport agency or a large post office. Expedited passports will be processed within three business days of receipt by a passport agency - use express mail to get it there as fast as possible and pay the extra fee for the passport office to express mail it back to you; if this deadline cannot be met by the agency, the additional fee will be refunded. Specific information on expedited passports can be obtained when you pick up your application; or try the Passport Services website at ®www. travel, state.gov/passport_ services.html.

If your situation is truly desperate, there are services on the Web that can get your passport to you in about 24 hours - albeit for a hefty fee. One example is Passport Express (®www.passportex-press.com), who will ship your new or renewed passport for a fee of USD 150 (USD 100 if you can wait a week) plus government fees. The service, and others like it, ssentially acts as your proxy at the passport office by showing up and doing all the paperwork for you. If you live in a city with a passport office, you can drop in just as quickly and do it yourself.