I've been really lazy to get my passport but can anyone give me a quick rundown of what I need and where I need to go to get a passport made? What documentation I need to have with me and how much and where to go for the most efficient process?
Have a small drivers license sized photo made of yourself and take it, your birth certificate or other proof of citizenship, and your photo ID to the passport office downtown. You have to pay a bit more (I think it was 40 bucks last time I did it), but you can get it the same day. This is good if you are a procrastinator like myself and you wait till the last minute before your trip.
The less efficient method would be to go to a place like Wolf Photo. They'd ensure the picture you take meet the exact standards. It would suck to get down to the passport office and get turned away cause the pic was wrong. Rather than going downtown, you can also setup passport appointments at many nearby post offices. The only problem is they often require appointments rather than walk-ins like downtown.
I actually just got a passport yesterday, and I got it from the downtown office. Here's the scoop: For one thing, if your trip is more than 2 months away, you can just do it by mail. But if your trip is coming up very soon, you probably want to do what I did. - Wait until exactly 2 weeks before you're leaving. This is important because you actually have to show documentation for your departure. (plane ticket, itenerary, etc.) They won't let you do this if you're leaving more than 2 weeks from now, so this is the perfect time to do it. - You'll need your birth certificate, drivers license, passport application (DS-11), itinerary, and money. - Call the passport office and schedule an appointment (1-877-487-2778). It's an automated system and very straitforward. - Show up at the downtown office (1919 Smith St.) on the 14th floor with all of your stuff, and you'll give them your stuff and pay your fees. To expidite it like this, it costs $157. - You can go back to the downtown office at 2:30 later that day to pick up your passport. My first appointment was at 10:00 AM and I got mine at 2:30, so I'd say it was pretty efficient overall considering other stories I've heard. Also, a word on the "appointments". I'm not really sure if the appointment matters at all. I didn't sit down with anyone like at the bank or anything. I just told them I had an appointment and they told me to get in line. But I'd estimate I was in the office for about 20-30 minutes each time. Also, to pick mine up I showed up at exactly 2:30, so I had to deal with a little bit of a (fast-moving) line of people picking theirs up. But I did notice that people who showed up at about 2:40-2:45 would have to wait through a smaller or maybe even non-existant line. Something to consider. Hope this helps! DH
here's the thing. i'm a permanent resident (should have already gotten my citizenship already but that's another story). if i want to go to South America or wherever, how do i get back into the US if i don't have a passport? i've never traveled outside of the US since i've arrived.
I think you need your passport from your home country and your permanent residency card. If you use regular mail & the national passport center, they'll usually get it back to you within a week if you use express mail/expedited service . It takes about 2 weeks just using regular mail. I'd use this option 10x out of 10, having tried the alternatives.
Every time I go to the post office I see people getting their passports done. I guess you gotta go postal do it cheaply.
What do you need to get a passport for a 4 year old? Does the kid need to show up at the passport office? Or can a parent take care of it all?
The kid (no matter what the age) has to be there even though the parent does all of the work and signatures and everything. Actually, both parents have to be there or one with a notorized letter saying that the other parent agrees.
My daughter-in-law recently used this method and did indeed get her passport back within a week using express mail and expedited service. I believe that starting early next year (01/01?), you will need a passport to/from Mexico so a lot of people are expected to be getting/renewing passports.
Whatever you do, don't be like those yahoos who come downtown, stand in line for hours and then argue with the clerk when they are told they can't get a passport because they don't have everything they need. You would not believe the time that it wastes for EVERYONE because people don't call ahead to find out what they need.
http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html If you don't have your birth certificate, can use old passport if you received it within the last 15 years. starting JAN 8, need passport to travel to Mexico and back if by air or sea JAN 1, 2008, passport requirment extended to all land border crossing
