Perhaps this occurred to you. You’re planning an overseas vacation and have booked your rooms and airfare. Then you check at your renew passport and see it is out of date. Your passport has to be renewed quickly!
As a regular overseas traveler who considers herself rather travel-savvy, I never imagined this would happen to me. However, following a recent trip to Africa, with all of its visas and border crossings, I discovered I only had two pages left in my passport.
Many locations require four or more blank pages in your passport. I needed to get a new passport four weeks before my next overseas trip. But, could I renew my passport quickly?
How to Renew Your Passport Quickly
I’d heard all of the horror stories from fellow vacationers. In other circumstances, it took MONTHS to obtain a new passport or renew an existing one in the United States.
Passport Renewal Times
According to Travel.state.gov, current US passport processing timeframes range from six to eight weeks. This is quicker than the previous processing timeframes in 2023, which ranged up to 13 weeks.
The government website also warns that “it may take up to 2 weeks for applications to arrive by mail at a passport agency or center, and up to 2 weeks for you to receive a completed passport in the mail after we print it.”
It was evident that the standard passport renewal process would not work for me. I’d have to use expedited service, which the US passport bureau provided for an extra $60. But it may still take eight weeks, and I hated sending my passport into that black bureaucratic hole.
How to Use a Passport and Visa Expediting Service
I knew I needed to locate a business that could expedite my passport application. I discovered some extremely large firms that provide this service starting at $190 plus government application expenses. But that felt like a lot of money.
One of the benefits of working as a travel journalist is that I have a lot of acquaintances who are experienced travelers. A friend recommended ItsEasy.com Passport & Visa Services, a passport and visa expediting concierge firm that has handled over 2 million passport and visa applications on behalf of their clients.
According to the site’s website, ItsEasy has been a trusted agent of the US Department of State since 1976, with permission to provide US passport services to the public for a charge.
They offered an expedited passport service, promising to return my passport to me within two to three weeks. If I utilized their app, the cost would be merely $39.95, plus government costs and your preferred delivery option.
Best of all, they would monitor the entire procedure. If there was an issue with my application, they would notify me promptly.
First Step: Download the It’s Easy App Passport Renewal & Photo App
To get started, I needed to download their free software, ItsEasy Passport Renewal & Photo software. It is accessible for both Apple and Android.
Fill Out the Easy-to-Use Form
After installing it from the App Store, I filled out their simple form. The software walks you through the government questionnaire, which took me around ten minutes to complete.
Special ItsEasy.com Passport & Visa Services system then turns the questionnaire into the precise government-required barcoded application, which I could print, sign, and return to them.
Barcoded applications, a fundamental element of the ItsEasy Passport Renewal & Photo App, save time for government agents who assess applications. Agents may process applications more efficiently by presenting them with perfect and scannable versions. This expedites the application’s processing.
Take a Passport Photo and Upload Using the App
Each new passport application must include passport photographs. Instead of going to the drugstore, I used ItsEasy’s passport photo-taking tool. The software provides user-friendly picture rules. I took my shot at home and then uploaded it to my application.
According to Andres Rodriguez, lead community relations officer for passport services at the State Department, passport images are the most common difficulty with passport applications.
Passport photographs must have a plain white backdrop, high resolution, and a neutral attitude. Selfies are not acceptable.
Sign and Send the Passport Forms
After I finished everything, the app generated a checklist of everything I needed to print, sign, and ship to them. Using the checklist, I was able to simply complete my application. I included a check for the government passport application cost, as asked.
It was quite straightforward and alleviated the normal worry of a passport application.
Photo and Application Review
ItsEasy Passports’ professionals examine each photo supplied using their app. I was notified that my photo had been accepted. You may check the status of your application within the app.
They also review all of the paperwork. If there is an issue, you will be aware of it immediately and able to solve it.
I discovered this when I phoned the firm with a few queries and spoke with its creator, David Alwadish. He founded the firm in 1976. He received the notion when handing off a friend’s passport application since they were unable to leave work. This small act of kindness created the concept for a new industry.
Even after 40 years, David and his organization continue to provide vital passport and visa services to tourists. They have headquarters in New York City, service facilities in Boston, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and Denver, as well as other processing locations in major cities.
Expedited Service
After submitting my information, I selected the normal expedited option, which provided a response time of 2-3 weeks. The software monitored my application during the entire procedure.
What’s the cost? It cost $39.95 plus government application expenses. I also paid for FedEx to overnight the documents and passport both ways.
What If You Need a Passport Within 10 days?
ItsEasy also provides Rush Services, which now start at $349. For in-person rush passport appointments, passport courier businesses have been assigned a set number of appointment slots for urgent processing of applications, with evidence of travel within 14 days (or a month if a travel visa is also required), with a 1-10 day processing period. Emergency passports are also available.