Revolutionizing The Passport Renewal Process

by garrett on February 24, 2010

The process of getting a passport has never been something that anyone has really looked forward to doing. It usually meant heading to the local post office and waiting in line after line to get everything filled out and then hopefully accepted. Today, passport renewal is something that can be handled over the Internet in a matter of minutes.

To renew a passport through the mail and over the Internet, the passport must still be in good shape and it must be issued to an adult. Also, a name change (due to situations such as an adoption or marriage) cannot be done on this type of renewal. If the passport is one of those special circumstances, it is best to check the government site for the exact steps that need to be taken for passport renewal.

All the forms necessary may be found online and printed out. The correct forms will have complete instructions as to what is needed to accompany them back to the issuing agency. Once all criteria is met and the proper forms filled out, you then will need to send the forms along with supporting documentation, such as your old passport, to the address given you by the agency.

When sending these in, be sure to use a traceable delivery method such as UPS or FedEx. Many of the websites will have links to their preferred shipper and locations of the nearest one to your area. This insures that your documents reach them in a timely fashion and reduces the chance of them being lost or misplaced.

Another item that should be mentioned in regards to the documents that must be included is the passport photo. For some reason, many people believe that this is part of the service or that the old photo can be used. The new passport should have a current representation of the individual and must be updated when the passport is renewed.

Once all the necessary forms have been gathered and completed for the pasports, simply send them in to the address specified by the agency. They will take care of the submittal and processing from there. This may take anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks depending and it is possible to speed this up. By requesting expedited service through the provider, this time can be cut in half and may even be shortened to overnight for a fee.

Fees charged by the government for passport services are standard and can be found right on the State Department website or the post office website. Private companies that offer quicker services make up their own fee schedule, so it is best to check their site or call to find out exactly how much they will charge for the quick turnaround time.

The best way to get all of the information that is needed on pass port renewal is to get online and search the government sites. While the government only offers expedited services to a certain level, there are plenty of other companies out there to serve the needs of those that need to have their U S passports quicker. Just make sure that all pricing is checked so that there are no surprises when the bill arrives for their passport renewal services.

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