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| Alexander Graham Bell would have been proud to see today's advances in telephone technology (Courtesy: Pixabay) |
CHARLOTTE, NC – The process of obtaining your
first passport or renewing your old one, though not difficult, has
always been one of those "put-it-off-as-long-as-possible" hassles of
the traveler's world.....until now.
To begin
with, many inexperienced travelers are often shocked to learn that the
expiration date printed in that little blue book, in many cases, really means
you must renew your passport at least six months before it expires or they will
most likely be doing their trip at home.
That's
because many places will not allow visitors to enter the country if their
passport runs out within six months of traveling. All they will do is collect
your luggage and put it and you on the next flight home.
Therefore
it's critical to be aware of that little quirk and take care of it well in
advance.
In the
dark pre-internet days of travel, last minute passport renewals were not only
hand-wringingly stressful but also extremely expensive. While the process remains
costly today, much of that previous tension can be eliminated, or certainly
minimized, thanks to the addition of the World Wide Web to our arsenal of recent
travel innovations.
Launched
in 2014, an app named Mobile Passport may one day become the travel industry's "most
valuable player" because it allows absent-minded travelers and procrastinators
to renew their passports within 24 hours.
At the same time, since is an app on your telephone, the beauty is that it can be used to get you through Customs & Immigration.
Before
the onset of the Mobile Passport era, typically the steps for renewal involved setting
an alarm for six months before the passport's expiration date, filling out the
proper paperwork, getting a new photo, mailing in the application, and
then...waiting, sometimes for up to eight weeks.
If you
were on the leading edge of the passport renewal cusp, crunch time could be a nerve wracking ordeal.
Today, Mobile
Passport allows users to fill out their passport and declaration information
and submit it in advance of returning to the U.S.
As part
of a partnership with RushMyPassport -- a website with the sole purpose of
shortening the process of obtaining and renewing passports -- Mobile Passport
has established a system that utilizes modern technology to add yet another
contemporary solution to a rapidly growing list of resources that have made
travel easier than ever before.
Perhaps
most important, Mobile Passport will send you a notification six months before
your passport expires, meaning that you no longer need to remember to do it
yourself.
Following
notification, MP Provides step-by-step instructions for renewing your passport.
Should you need your new passport ASAP, RushMyPassport can help expedite the process
in as little as 24 hours. Keep in mind the process can be pricey, but it's probably
better than the alternative of cancellation.
Fees
start at the standard government price of $170 and get higher as the turnaround
time gets shorter.
You still
have to physically mail in the application and photo, but that's infinitely easier
than driving to a passport agency, the post office or trying to figure out the
instructions at the
Mobile
Passport isn't the only source for expedited renewal services, however. FedEx
also offers services at more than 2,000 locations with a tiered system of
time-frames ranging from 24-hour service to rush renewal that takes between 10
and 12 business days.
At $449
for 24 hour service, it is expensive, but considering the possibility of losing
a trip altogether, it could also be viewed as a bargain.
For
travelers, either of these passport renewal programs could very well be
something that will never be used. Then again, considering the relief from the angst
their availability provides by simply being aware of their existence might one
day be a huge pill to swallow, but they could also be a blessing that did not
even exist in the not so distant past.
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