I am one of the Americans that feel like the terrorists are accomplishing their feat. The new passport regulations are evidence of this. I have researched and found important dates, necessary personal items, and other facts that you may find interesting. So, go out and apply for your passport. Mine took 12 weeks to get in the mail.

Here’s why you should consider getting a passport:

By January 8, 2007, if you have traveled by air or sea, you will need a passport to enter the U.S.A. from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda — destinations from which this was never needed before.

By next year — January 1, 2008 — you’ll need a passport to drive into the U.S.A. from Canada or Mexico. Many RV’ers and vacationers on road trips think nothing of driving across into Canada. Now you’ll need more than a drivers license to come home. Cruise companies have already started requiring passports where none were needed in the past in order to comply with new Department of Homeland Security requirements. Disney Cruise Line, for example, requires passport numbers for all members of your party — including children — 75 days before departures for the Caribbean (including the Bahamas) and Mexico.

New Application for a U.S. Passport

To obtain a passport for the first time, you need to go in person to one of over 9,000 passport acceptance facilities located throughout the United States with two photographs of yourself, proof of
U.S. citizenship, and a valid form of photo identification such as a driver’s license.

Acceptance facilities include many Federal, state and probate courts, post offices, some public libraries and a number of county and municipal offices. There are also 13 regional passport agencies, and 1 Gateway City Agency, which serve customers who are traveling within 2 weeks (14 days), or who need foreign visas for travel. Appointments are required in such cases.

You’ll need to apply in person if you are applying for a U.S. passport for the first time: if your expired U.S. passport is not in your possession; if your previous U.S. passport has expired and was issued more than 15 years ago; if your previous U.S. passport was issued when you were under age 16; or if your currently valid U.S. passport has been lost or stolen.

Frequently Asked Questions http:/www.travel.state.gov

How many passport photos are required to be submitted with the passport application?
Two (2) identical photos must be submitted with the passport application.

What type of paper are the photographs to be printed on?
The photos should be printed on thin photo-quality paper.

Do the photos have to be in color?
Yes, the photos to must be in color.

How recent must the photos be?
The photos must be no older than 6 months.

How big must the photos be?
The photos must measure exactly 2 inches by 2 inches.

What pose should the photos show?
The photo should show a clear, front view, full face of the customer. The customer should be in normal street attire, without hat or dark glasses against a plain white or off-white background. The customer should have a natural expression, mouth closed, and eyes open and looking directly ahead. Photos in which the face of the person being photographed is not in focus will not be accepted.

How big should the head be in the photo?
The customer’s head, measured from the bottom of the chin to the top of the hair, should be between 1 inch and 1-3/8 inches. The head should be centered in the photo. The head of the person being photographed should not be tilted up, down or to the side. It should cover about 50% of the area of the photo.

Can hats or religious headgear be worn for the photo?
Unless worn daily for religious reasons, all hats or headgear should be removed for the photo. A signed statement from the applicant must be submitted with the application verifying the item is worn daily for religious reasons. In all cases, no item or attire should cover or otherwise obscure any part of the face.

Can eyeglasses be worn for the photo?
Eyeglasses worn on a daily basis can be worn for the photo. However, there should be no reflections from the eyeglasses that obscures the eyes.

glasses or nonprescription glasses with tinted lenses are not acceptable unless you need them for medical reasons. A medical certificate may be required.

Can work uniforms be worn for the photo?
Uniforms, clothing that looks like a uniform, and camouflage attire should not be worn in photographs except in the case of religious attire that is worn daily. Otherwise, normal street attire should be worn.

Can a parent or guardian appear in the photo of a minor child?
No, the minor child must be the only subject in the photo. Nothing used to support the minor child, whether by mechanical or human means, should be in the camera’s frame.

Are photos that are copied from recent driver licenses or other official documents acceptable?
No, only original photographs are acceptable. Copied or digitally scanned photos of photos will not be accepted. In addition, photos must not be retouched to alter the customer’s appearance in any way.

Are snapshots, magazine photos, or photos from vending machine acceptable? No, snapshots, magazine photos, most vending machine prints, or full-length photographs are not acceptable.

May photos be taken with a digital camera?
If the digital camera has sufficient resolution — capable of capturing and storing images with 1 million pixels (megapixels) or more — it can be used to take the photos. However, printing of digital images is best done by professional photography processing labs because many off-the-shelf digital printers cannot achieve the image-quality required for passport and visa photographs. In any case, the image-quality criteria, described on this website, must be met in the submitted conventional film photo and/or the digital image printed photo.

I hope this helps with the passport issue. I know I’ll be traveling.

Passports

This entry was posted on Monday, August 6th, 2007 at 7:53 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.