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Your passport has less than six months left before it expires! You have international travels coming up. Your friends have told you that the U.S. Department of State is backlogged and it’s taking weeks to renew a passport. Is all of that making you nervous?
I travel internationally so frequently, that my 52-page passport filled up before hitting the 10-year expiration mark. I found out that you can no longer add more pages to your existing passport. And I usually don’t have enough time between trips to wait around for a renewal. So I panicked! I searched online and got conflicting and outdated information. So I posted my dilemma on social media and asked for help. Then, I contacted the National Passport Information Center and inquired about my options.
Here’s what I found out…
There are two ways to get a new passport or renew one quickly.
The first option is to make an appointment at your local passport agency and go in person. You can only do this if you have an international trip coming up in less than 14 business days. You will need to prove your travel by showing your flight, accommodations or tour reservations. For me, this option felt playing too close. There were only limited appointments available in Atlanta. What if I miss my appointment, make a mistake on the paperwork, or the office is closed? Actually, many people forget to sign the passport photo!
Responding to and fixing a passport application that has been suspended/put on hold by the government due to errors can add3-4+ weeks to the current government-quoted processing times and has been a huge factor in countless missed and canceled trips.
Another way to get your passport renewal expedited is by going through a third party company, such as ItsEasy.com Passport & Visa Services.
Can it be so easy?
I researched for third party services that offer faster passport renewal services and found ItsEasy.com. They claimed to have a team of qualified passport and visa experts to help passport and visa processes go forward, pre-review customers’ applications and photos to ensure they’re in line with governmental requirements. Promise of saving time and effort – I’m in!
The best part was that ItsEasy.com worked completely remotely. I downloaded ItsEasy Passport Renewal & Photo App, filled out my information, took a selfie, and mailed the required documents using the pre-provided shipping labels. And it costed less than $40! Just printing passport size photographs at a drug store cost more than that.
Touch-free renewal
Once ItsEasy.com received my documents and had a couple of questions come up, they communicated to me right away, and we were able to resolve the issues. I received real time notifications by email.
If there is a problem with an application, ItsEasy.com can interact with the U.S. Government or foreign agencies on the customer’s behalf to resolve problems at hand. Such issues often do come up even with type filled passport applications. But I felt that I was in safe and good hands.
Since my request was urgent, I opted for ItsEasy.com rush services and got my new passport delivered to my home within 7 business days. My personal passport assistant took all the headache out of renewal and was more convenient and affordable.
I spoke with ItsEasy.com Passport & Visa Services’ Founder and CEO, David Alwadish, and he told me that “Applying to get a US passport renewed is important to get right the first time. Given the retail cost of store-bought photos and trackable USPS shipping to the State Department (included in our app service), it’s not wise nor cheaper to do it alone vs. using an extra set of professional eyes from our team of passport experts.”
He also advised to be wary of ads for passport services that pop up online. Many of these services substantially gouge unaware and unsuspecting customers by charging them for services that are not provided, or are already included by the government.
A few things to note if you are traveling with a U.S. passport:
If you don’t meet this criteria, you may be denied boarding.
Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the time of departure.
You must have at least 2 empty pages on your passport.
It should not be damaged, torn or stained.
May 7, 2025 onwards, all U.S. travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights. The new passport photo page is REAL ID compliant and printed on laminated hard stock.
Get a Passport Card
It’s Easy.com can also help you apply for a second passport. That means, if you are work demands you to get visa processing frequently, you can get 2 U.S. passports. This is quite difficult to get and requires approvals.
However, you can easily get a passport card separately or in addition to your passport, through It’s Easy.com. I got myself one of these as well. The card is for U.S. citizens to travel by land and sea between USA and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and Caribbean countries. It can be used to cross land borders from Mexico and Canada faster.
