Renewing Passports Online From The Comfort Of Home

by erin on March 31, 2010

It seems that eventually no one will need to leave home in order to accomplish any task. Customers can place grocery orders online and request delivery directly to the home.  Renewing passports online can now also be accomplished without ever leaving the armchair. A computer with an Internet connection is all that is required to order a new passport. The passport holder will then be free to spend time searching for the dream vacation.

In the past, people were required to make an appointment in order to renew passports. There are only a handful of passport agencies throughout the country and they are located near major metropolitan areas. Someone who lived in a rural area would need to travel quite a distance in order to have a passport renewed. These days, that person will only need to log on to the Internet and search for an online passport processing service.

The online companies that specialist in passport processing provide all of the forms on their Web sites. They also give detailed instructions on how to complete each line of the forms. The supporting documentation that must be provided with the renewal application is also detailed on the company’s site. If an applicant has a question, a quick call or online request made to the company’s customer service team will yield the answer. From a customer point of view, the process could not be much easier. Once the customer has completed the application form and gathered the required documentation, the online thing left to do is get passport photos.

The photos required for a passport must meet specifications. Two photos that are identical and measure 2×2 inches must be taken from a full front view. There are other guidelines and they are all listed on the provider’s Web site. There are photographers that specialize in taking passport photos and some pharmacies provide this service.

The fees charged by these online companies may become quite steep so these services are only recommended for those who have an urgent need for timely passport renewal. The government fee is currently over $100 and approximately $300 additional charges will result if overnight delivery is requested from the online service providers.  These fees must be payable separately to the respective entities and cash payment will not be accepted.

The applicant should use a carrier such as FedEx or UPS when sending the documents and payment to the processing company. Both carriers offer a tracking service that will allow verification of safe and timely delivery. They also offer expedited shipping methods including overnight delivery for those facing a real time crunch.

Online passport services handle other items in addition to passport renewal. They can process initial passport application and handle replacement of lost or stolen passports. Additional pages for existing passports may also be ordered through these companies. Most of these items may be processed in as little as 24 hours, which provides instant gratification for those in need.

Renewing passports online can be done quickly via the Internet and mail when an passport service provider is used. Someone who will be traveling in the very near future will be happy to pay the extra money to take advantage of the next-day processing option. Best of all, there is no need to leave home in order to accomplish this once inconvenient and time-consuming task. Someone who will be traveling in the very near future will be happy to pay the extra money to take advantage of the next-day processing option. Best of all, there is no need to leave home in order to accomplish this once inconvenient and time-consuming task.

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