How To Get Your American Passport

Many people think that the process of obtaining your US passport is a long, difficult and expensive process. But, itapos;s an amazingly simple and easy process. I found out that most of the paperwork process took place online and took less that twenty minutes to complete. I also was able to schedule the appointment at the local postal office to sign the forms and to get my picture taken.

To start the process of obtaining your US passport, you first have to go to the US Department of State website http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/apply.html. From here you can fill out the complete application for your passport. You can choose between the passport book, card or both on which type of passport you want. The next step is choosing which kind of processing method you want to use to receive it. The choices are standard, expedited, and expedited at Agency Processing. Both expedited methods cost $60 and the standard method is free. I would recommend the standard method unless you really need it ASAP. But, even when choosing the standard method, it only took 1 week before my passport arrived.

After you finish choosing your processing and delivery method, you will see your total fee to get your passport. You will then be given a list of items to bring to the Passport Acceptance Facility to prove your identity. You will also be given the photo requirements if you want to take your own picture. You can also just have your picture taken at the Acceptance Facility for a fee.

The last step in obtaining your passport is to go to http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/ and search for the nearest Passport Acceptance Facility. The Facility will probably be a Post Office near you. Just remember to call ahead to see if you need an appointment or if there is any more items that you need to bring.

The main purpose of going to the Acceptance Facility is to pay the fees, and to have your signature witnessed by an official representative. This meeting should take less than an hour.

Hopefully more people will realize just how easy it is to get a passport and more will apply for one. I think that traveling abroad is a life enriching experience that everyone needs to enjoy.

By Robert L. McMillan