Passports

When I talked about me and Mr. S's sweetie-moon a while back, I was also researching the steps we needed to take to get our Passports. In order to travel out of the country, we kinda need 'em. So I'm happy to say that we have both successfully applied, and received, our U.S. Passports! In case anyone else out there is passport-less and needs to get theirs going, here's how we did it...

Step 1: Call your local Post Office and see if you need an appointment. My Post Office required one, but my sister MOH K's didn't. If you need an appointment, they are usually during business hours, which meant I needed to leave work an hour early to make their latest appointment (4:00 pm). Keep in mind late appointments fill up faster too, so you may need to make it for a week or two out.

Step 2: Take your picture. Many stores offer Passport photos for anywhere from $10-$15. I took Mr. S's photo in our living room using the guidelines from the Department of State's website, and they accepted it, no problems. If you are not camera-savvy, I wouldn't recommend going this route. But if you are like me, I would give it a try to save the money. I had the Post Office take mine, simply because we forgot to take it at home before my appointment. It was $14.95 there. Trust me, it was NOT pretty. The guy even said I look angry and tough, so no one will mess with me in customs! HA

Step 3: Download the application form and fill out COMPLETELY. Again, the Department of State's website has tons of helpful info, including a fill-able PDF application. Just fill it out on your computer, and print it. DO NOT sign it until you are asked to at your appointment!

Step 4: Make a photo copy of the front and back of your ID. They will ask for your ID, but they also require a photo copy.

Step 5: Find your birth certificate. No copies of this needed. They will actually take your birth certificate and send it out with the application. This is normal. They will tell you that you should get your birth certificate mailed back to you a few days before you receive your passport. In Mr. S's case, they arrived in the same day. In my case, I received my passport already, but not my birth certificate. I need to check into that because it seems odd...

Step 6: Fork it up. The fee for a first time applicant for a passport book is $110 plus a $25 execution fee at the Post Office. Expedited service is an extra $60 (see Step 7).

Step 7: Figure out when you need it. The average service time is 6-8 weeks. Expedited service runs 2-3 weeks. Mr. S and I both used the normal service, and got ours back in under 3 weeks. Mine actually came back in 2 weeks (still waiting for birth certificate, however). MOH K and her hubby L had about 5 weeks in between when they scheduled their honeymoon, and the actual day they leave. She went back and forth about whether to go with the normal service, or to pay the extra for the expedited, knowing how quickly ours came back. It's up to you if you want to chance it!

Step 8: Check out the website for info if you have questions. Seriously, there is a ton of it on there, and it was really easy for me to figure all of this stuff out when I utilized the site.

Phew! I know that's a lot of details, but if you do it right you can avoid costly fees and wasted time compared to applying improperly. I hope this info helps someone else out! Anyone else planning on applying for their Passport soon?

Happy planning!
Miss Spaghetti