Your very first step will be to get your passport out. This in itself is an important passport check! Too many people discover at the last moment that they can’t find their passport.

Do you have your passport in hand? Great! Let’s get started.

Passport Check 1: When will your passport expire?

Start your passport check on the page with your photo. Check the expiration date of your passport. You’ll want to make sure it isn’t expired already, of course! But how much validity does it have left? Some countries want you to have a minimum of six months validity on your passport. This is known as the “six month rule.” There are also countries that have different passport validity requirements. For instance, most of the countries in Europe require that your passport be valid for at least three months. If your passport is expiring in the next few months, check to see if your destination requires you to have a certain minimum validity.

Passport Check 2: Is your passport signed?

While you are on the page with your photo, check and make sure your passport is signed. Your passport should be signed to be fully valid for travel. If it isn’t signed, use blue or black ink and sign it with your full name as printed in your passport.

Checking your child’s passport? Kids need their passports to be signed, too. If your child is too young to sign for herself, you can sign for her. Sign both her name and your name, such as “Amelia Jane Smith by John Robert Smith, father.”

Passport Check 3: Is your passport in good condition?

A worn-out or damaged passport doesn’t just look bad. It could be reason for you to be denied boarding of your flight, or turned away from your destination! Do a quick passport check to make sure your passport is in good shape. Inspect your passport closely and look for damage like:

• A loose or detached cover
• Torn or cut pages
• Water damage
• Any unauthorized marking

Passport Check 4: Does your passport have blank pages?

You will need to have at least one blank page marked “visas.” This will be used for your entry and exit stamps. Some countries require you to have more than one blank page for every visit.

Double check to make sure your blank pages say “visas.” The pages at the back of your passport are for US State Department use only.

Passport Check 5: Is this your passport?

Before you head out the door, it’s time for one last passport check. Open up your passport and make sure that the passport you grabbed is yours! Everyone’s passport looks the same on the outside. It would be easy enough to mix things up and head to the airport with your son’s passport instead of your own.

Don’t laugh, it happens more often than you think. There have been quite a few news stories of British travelers who have flown using the wrong passport, including at least two men who flew to Germany using their girlfriend’s passport instead of their own!

If you need a passport renewal or replacement of a lost or damaged passport in a hurry, G3 can help!

The post Traveling for the Holidays? Time for a Passport Check! appeared first on G3Passports.

How Do Second Valid Passport Renewals Work?

Renewing your second valid passport is just like getting one for the first time! You will still need to prove that you have an upcoming travel situation that requires you to hold two valid passports.

If you are a frequent traveler who uses your second valid passport all the time, we recommend you renew it when it gets close to having only six months validity remaining.

What Documents Are Needed for Second Valid Passport Renewals?

Visit our Second Valid Passport page for all the details of the documents you’ll need to submit to get a new second valid passport! Here are some of the key items you’ll need to submit:

• Passport Form DS-82. You’ll be asked about your current passport, so make sure to fill in the details of the second passport you are renewing.
• Your primary (10 year) passport. Send the actual passport book, not a photocopy. This will be returned with your new second valid passport.
• Your current second valid passport. This will be marked cancelled and returned to you.
• One passport-style photograph. This must be a new photo that has never been used in any of your passports.
• Proof of upcoming travel for which you need two passports. Most of our clients who need second valid passport renewals are people who travel for a living, and need to get a visa for a future trip at the same time they are doing other international travel.

What G3 Service Should You Select?

Ready to apply for your second valid passport renewal? Choose G3’s Second Valid Passport service option. Our second passport service is used both for first-time applicants and for renewals of second valid passports.

Second valid passports aren’t the most common of US passport services, but G3’s team are experts! We’re here to help you get your new second valid passport quickly and easily.

The post Can You Renew a Second Valid Passport? appeared first on G3Passports.

Are You Eligible for a Passport Renewal?

The first thing to do is to make sure that your passport can be renewed. All of the followings must be true!

1. Your current passport must have been issued after you turned 16.

If you were under 16 when your last passport was issued, you’ll need to use the New Adult Passport procedure to get a new passport… unless you are still under 16, in which case you’ll need a Minor Passport.

2. Your passport must have been issued no more than 15 years ago.

If it’s been more than five years since your passport expired, you are required to use the New Adult Passport service to get a new passport.

3. Your passport must have been issued for 10 years validity.

If you were issued a limited-validity passport, such as an emergency replacement for a passport lost overseas, please contact G3 for special assistance to get a new passport.

4. Your passport must be in good condition.

If your passport has a loose or missing cover, tears or cuts on the cover or any page, or other severe damage, you’ll need to do a Mutilated Passport Replacement instead of a Passport Renewal.

5. Your passport must be in your possession.

You’ll need to submit your current passport book in order to renew it. If you can’t find your passport, you can get a new passport through the Lost Passport Replacement process.

How to Renew Your Passport with G3

With G3, your passport renewal is swift and simple!

1. Place your order online, selecting the processing speed you’ll need.
2. We’ll email you a detailed checklist of all the documents you’ll need to send in, including a link to fill out your passport application.
3. You’ll be directed to call G3 to go over the checklist with a passport associate. Your passport associate will answer all your questions and will email you a FedEx airbill to use to send in your renewal request.
4. Send all your passport renewal documents to G3 using the provided FedEx airbill. You can drop off your FedEx package at any FedEx office or FedEx box.
5. We’ll hand-carry your passport renewal request into the Passport Agency for expedited processing.
6. Your new passport will be sent back to you via FedEx! You’ll get an email when your passport is complete to let you know it is on the way. This email will contain the FedEx tracking number for your package.

What Documents Do You Need for Your Passport Renewal?

Here’s the good news — you don’t need to supply as many documents for your passport renewal as you did to get your passport for the first time.

We’ll send you a detailed checklist of all the items you’ll need when you place your order.

Here’s a sneak preview of what you’ll need for your passport renewal.

• Your expired or expiring passport book
• Form DS-82, the passport renewal application. You’ll fill this out online and print it out.
• A signed Letter of Authorization — this allows us to submit your application to the Passport Agency on your behalf. We’ll send you the Letter of Authorization via email.
• A new passport-style photo. Make sure not to wear glasses, uniforms, or headgear in the photo!
• Proof of your upcoming travel plans.
• A check or money order for your government fees.

The post Passport Renewal Made Easy! appeared first on G3Passports.

Birth Certificate Showing Birth in the US

For most travelers, the easiest way to prove US citizenship is to submit a birth certificate showing birth in the US.  Want to learn more?  We wrote a whole article about birth certificate requirements and how you can obtain an official copy of your birth certificate.

Expired US Passport

Are you going through the new adult passport process because your last passport was issued more than 15 years ago?  Good news — you don’t need to dig out your birth certificate.  Your expired passport can be used as your proof of citizenship!  Make sure you are still recognizable as the person in the passport photo on your old passport, though.  If you’re now 30 years old and your last passport was issued when you were 5, that’s not going to work.

Naturalization Certificate

Naturalized citizens can submit the original US naturalization certificate or a certified copy.  If you’ve lost your naturalization certificate or need to get a new copy, you can apply for a replacement using USCIS Form N-565. Replacement certificates cost $345… we recommend keeping yours in a safe place!

Certificate of Citizenship

Certificates of Citizenship are issued to people who were born overseas but acquired US citizenship through their parents.  This includes people who were born to US citizen parents abroad, as well as those who were adopted internationally by US citizen parents.  If you have a Certificate of Citizenship, you can submit your original certificate as proof of citizenship with your US passport application.  Replacement certificates can also be obtained by filing Form N-565.

Consular Record of Birth Abroad

Another proof of citizenship for people who were born to US citizen parents in a foreign country is the Consular Record of Birth Abroad.  The Consular Record of Birth Abroad is also known as the CRBA or Form FS-240. Your parents would have needed to register your birth at the US Embassy or Consulate in the location where you were born.  If you still have your original Consular Record of Birth Abroad, great!  If you need a replacement document, you can order one from the State Department for $50.

Certification of Report of Birth

Form DS-1350, the Certification of Report of Birth, is another proof of citizenship document that may be held by people born overseas to US citizen parents.  The US State Department stopped issuing these certificates in 2010, but if you still have your original DS-1350, you can submit it with your passport application to prove your US citizenship.

If you have an unusual citizenship situation, call G3 to talk to a Passport Specialist about what proof of citizenship you can use to get a passport!

The post Proof of Citizenship for Your New US Passport appeared first on G3Passports.

One of the most frequent questions we get from travelers is “do I get my old passport back when I renew my passport?”  Most of the time, this question is because travelers want to keep their old passport as a souvenir of their travels.  Luckily, the answer is yes!  Your old passport will be marked cancelled and returned to you.

The Value of an Old Passport

Your old passport remains a valuable document, even after you’ve gotten your passport renewed.  Yes, it is a great momento of all your travels, and it is fun to be able to flip through your old passport book and look at all of the entry stamps and visas.  (It may be more or less fun to look at your previous passport photos, and see how you’ve aged in ten years!)  But more than that, your old passport remains proof of your US citizenship.  If your current passport is ever lost or stolen, you can submit your cancelled passport instead of your birth certificate to prove your citizenship.  You will need to make sure that your appearance has not changed too radically since your old passport was issued, though.  If you lose your passport at age 40, you can’t submit the passport you were issued at age 5!

My Old Passport Isn’t Expired.  Can I Travel With It?

We always recommend that travelers renew their passports at least six months before they expire.  If you’ve followed our advice, you may get back an old passport that hasn’t yet hit its expiration date.  However, this does not mean that your old passport is still valid for travel!  You will need to carry your new passport for all travel purposes.

There is only one reason that you may need to use your old passport for travel purposes.  A few countries – notably Brazil, China, and India – issue long term visas to US citizens and allow valid visas to be used even after the passport has been cancelled. For example, I renewed my passport this summer, but in my cancelled passport, I have a multiple-entry Brazil visa valid 10 years that was issued in 2012.  I can continue to travel to Brazil on that visa until 2022, as long as I carry both the old passport with the visa and my new, valid passport.

How Can I Tell My Old Passport From My New One?

When you submit your passport for renewal, the State Department will mark your passport cancelled by punching holes in the cover.  Years ago, the State Department would also stamp the word “Cancelled” on the inside of the passport in addition to punching holes in the cover, but this is no longer standard.  Your old passport won’t say that it is cancelled, but the holes are proof that it is has been renewed.

So keep your old passport in a safe place after you renew your passport.  It could still come in handy some day!

The post Do I Get My Old Passport Back When I Renew? appeared first on G3Passports.

Understand the Rules – When Are You Allowed to Renew Your Passport?

The US State Department has firm rules about when passports can be renewed.  Your passport must be renewed no more than five years after it expires.  You can also think about this based on the date of issue of your passport.  Your passport can be renewed up until fifteen years after the day it was issued.  If you let your passport remain expired for more than five years, you will need to apply for a new passport instead of a passport renewal.

How Early Can You Renew Your Passport?

There’s really no such thing as “too early” to renew your passport. In most cases, passports are renewed within a year of the expiration date.  However, there are a lot of reasons that a passport may be renewed earlier:

• Passport has run out of blank visa pages.
• Traveler’s appearance has changed significantly.
• Passport is worn and not in good condition.
• Traveler has had a legal name change.
• Traveler wishes to apply for a long-term visa.
• Traveler has Israeli entry stamps in the passport, and now plans to visit a country like Iran or Sudan that forbids entry if there are Israel marks in the passport. (A second valid passport can also be issued in this case.)

Why Should You Renew Your Passport Six Months Before It Expires?

At G3, we always recommend that you renew your passport no later than six months before it expires.  Why?  It’s because of what’s known as the “six month rule.”  Many countries, including popular destinations like Italy, require that your passport have at least six months validity remaining.  If you don’t have at least six months left before your passport expires, you won’t be allowed to enter.  You might not even be allowed to board your flight!

We want to make sure that your passport is always valid for any trip you might want to take.  After all, if your richest friend calls you up and says “come to the airport, we’ve got an extra seat available on my private jet,” you don’t want to say no because your passport is about to expire!

Keeping at least six months validity on your passport at all times is especially important for business travelers.  Important overseas meetings could pop up at any time.  You and your passport should both always be ready to travel!

Consider Your Travel Plans To Choose the Right Time to Renew Your Passport

Now that you know that you should renew your passport at least six months before it expires, think about your upcoming travel plans.  It might be November now, but it’s not too early to consider whether you may be traveling internationally next summer.  Think about when you may be traveling, and when you will be likely to be staying at home.  Choose one of those down times between trips to renew your passport before it expires.

Need to Renew Your Passport in a Hurry?

Sometimes, the answer to “when should you renew your passport?” is NOW!  If you are in a rush to get your passport renewed, G3passports.com is here to help.  Just place your order online, and we can have your passport renewed in as little as two business days.

The post When Is The Right Time to Renew Your Passport? appeared first on G3Passports.