Using The Expedited New Passport Application   by Ben Pate

in Travel / Travel Tips    (submitted 2011-07-26)

Only one government issued document serves as proof of identity and citizenship. That document is the passport. Because of its usefulness, it could probably be one of the most valuable personal documents that you will own. Inscribed in the document is a request for you to be treated with respect when you are visiting another country. This document can be obtained by anyone and some may want to have it sooner. For them, the expedited new pasport application is the best option.

The applicant must obtain a copy of his the birth certificate after a lost passport. Just make sure that this document contains the full names of the parents, the applicant's complete name and complete place and date of birth. If any of the mentioned information is missing or incomplete, it wouldn't be accepted. There are steps to correct mistakes in a birth certificate. Some can be frustratingly officious because it may require a court order.

Together with the birth certificate, the other requirement is a filled out application form or Form DS-11. Personal information and the address of the applicant are entered into the form. Copies of the form are available in most postal centers and government libraries. It can also be downloaded from the Internet using the address of the U. S. State Department. If the applicant has a recent photograph then he is ready for the next step.

The next step is to appear personally at the acceptance center. Minors who are old enough to go by themselves like 15 to 16 year old kids can be unaccompanied by adults provided that they have permission from mom and dad to travel abroad. Those below 15 will require a parent or a guardian to go with them.

When at the door of acceptance centers, applicants are only allowed to be processed if they can show identification. Any one of the following is accepted. School IDs for minors, driver's license, government IDs, and military IDs are considered to be valid IDs. All applicants will be interviewed. The papers that they brought along will be examined. After meeting all requirements, qualified applicants will be made to pay for the cost of processing. There are two ways of processing applications. One is a regular process and the faster one is the expedited new passport application.

The faster application process will finish usually in three weeks or less. This is a more expensive transaction and part of what you are paying is actually for the courier service who will post your new set of documents using express door-to-door delivery.

Those wishing to know how far their application has been processed can do so using a tracking service. To enroll in one, the applicant has to provide his last name, date of birth, and the last four characters of his Social Security Number. One can check the progress of the application five to seven days after being interviewed.

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After your new passport arrives by courier delivery, see to it that the information contained is correct after a lost US online passport. Afterwards you should handle it carefully. Any damage to the pages and especially to the embedded microchip in the cover will make it invalid. You have to apply for a new one to replace it. There is no need to apply for one using a rushed transaction but there will always be people who have reasons to hurry and for them, the expedited new pasport application is the right one.