Some folks wear glasses so frequently that they look like a different person when they aren’t bespectacled, so it would seem to make sense that they should be wearing eyeglasses when getting their passport photos taken. Not so, says the State Department, which is reminding people that come Nov. 1, your specs are probably not welcome in new passport pics. [More]
passports
Uber Will Now Take You From San Diego To Tijuana, Won’t Bring You Back
By 3.17.16
Want a one-way ticket to Tijuana? You can get one from Uber now: the ride-hailing company is providing cross-border trips from San Diego to the Mexican city. There’s one catch, though – passengers have to find their own way home. [More]
If Your Passport Is Full, Request Those Extra Pages Now: State Dept. Eliminating Page Inserts Jan. 1
By 11.19.15
Are you one of those jetsetters who revels in the feel of your overstuffed passport, brimming with extra pages you’ve added that are stamped with all the far-flung destinations you’ve visited? If you’re a U.S. citizen and and don’t have any more room in that thing, you’ll have to get a new passport, because the government isn’t going to sell extra page inserts anymore in the new year. [More]
L.A. Man Claims Identity Theft Has Left Stranded Him In Mexico For Weeks
By 3.24.15
A U.S. citizen from Los Angeles says his visit to Mexico has lasted much longer than he anticipated, after he claims someone stole his identity, prompting border officials to keep him out of the country for now. [More]
Why You Might Not Be Able To Fly Even If Your Passport Doesn’t Expire For Months
By 8.13.14
You’ve got everything ready for The Big International Trip You’ve Been Planning Forever: Bags are packed, itineraries are confirmed and you’ve made sure all your documents are in order, including that all important passport. But before you fly, you might want to check its expiration date — because depending on where you’re going, that passport might not work within six months of expiring. [More]
Woman Who Changed Middle Name To “Skywalker” Denied A Passport On Copyright Grounds
By 7.31.14
It was the passport she was looking for, but British officials didn’t want to allow a woman to sign that official document using her middle name of “Skywalker.” The Home Office said the name is a no-go because it infringes on a trademark. This, despite the fact that she’s used the moniker on other official documents. [More]
Sorry, Story Of Man Stuck Abroad After His Kid Doodles On Passport Is Probably A Hoax
By 6.2.14
I know, we all just love it when we can get our hands on a juicy story, hot off the Internet presses, that seems to be the perfect storm of situational comedy in real life. For example, Dad gets stuck in South Korea on a family trip after his kid doodles all over his passport, rendering it unusable. Kids these days! Smack on the forehead! Except it’s probably not true. [More]
New Jersey Suggests People Change Their Names To Fit With Antiquated Driver’s License System
By 12.30.13
The people of New Jersey represent just about every racial and ethnic group you could imagine, so not everyone is going to fit into the standard mold of first name/middle initial/last name. And even though state authorities are well aware of this fact, they would rather have drivers legally change their names than update the state’s outdated license database. [More]
If One Woman Flies On An Expired Passport With No One Noticing, How Many Others Are Doing The Same?
By 8.31.12
Anyone who’s ever flown internationally has had that heartbeat-skipping moment: “Wait, is my passport expired?” I had it a few months before flying to England, and my heart didn’t rest until my newly-issued passport was in my hands. But one woman who flew to Europe from the U.S. says she didn’t have that moment until it was too late, when she realized her passport was a year expired. Turns out a bunch of security agents missed it, too. Oops. [More]
American Airlines Staffer Refuses To Let Me Fly Twice In One Day
By 4.5.12
We’ve posted numerous stories in recent years about airline staffers booting passengers from flights or having them detained after the plane lands for reasons that seem pretty petty. And here’s the story of a Consumerist reader who says he wasn’t even allowed on his plane because an American Airlines employee had issues with both of his passports, even though the TSA had no problems. [More]
State Department Proposal Would Make It Tougher For Some To Get Passports
By 4.26.11
Quick — name off every address at which you’ve resided. Finished? Now let’s hear the addresses, phone numbers and names of supervisors at every job you’ve ever had. And when you’re finished with that, cough up your mom’s address at wherever she was living a year before you were born. [More]
Passport Fees Rising On July 13
By 7.7.10
If you have apply or renew passport on your to-do list, better put it on your “done” list this week if you want to save money. Starting July 13, new higher passport fees go into effect. [More]
State Department Admits RFID Passports Are Insecure
By 7.18.09
The State Department is advising travelers using super-secure RFID-enabled passports to buy a “radio-opaque” holster, because it turns out that RFID chips aren’t so super-secure after all. Don’t fret if “radio-opaque sheath” isn’t on your holiday shopping list, this is thankfully one of those rare problems that you can solve with a hammer…
Fake IRS Fax Demands Your Bank Account And Passport
By 10.10.08
Nick has written in to warn us about a fake IRS scam that lately has been targeting nonresident aliens (e.g. teachers and researchers) working in the U.S., as well as American citizens working abroad. In the scam, which has been going on since at least 2002 (pdf), the target receives a faxed request from the IRS to provide his name, SSN, and pretty much every other bit of data you’d need to take over a person’s financial identity.
How To Get A Passport Fast
By 7.1.08
What do you do if you need a passport in less than three weeks? Don’t shell out for one of those passport expediters, call your Member of Congress. They have these things called constituent liaisons, whose whole reason for existence is prodding other executive agencies. This is the number one way to get a passport quickly. Call the district office for your Congress Critter, which is the number that doesn’t start with 202. A list of Members of Congress can be found here. Another thing to try is paying the extra $60 at the USPS for expedited passport service. The best thing to do is, of course, apply early, but if for some reason that hasn’t happened, getting a hold of a constituent liaison is the way to go.
Make Your Own Passport Photos
By 1.24.08
If you have a computer and a digital camera, there’s no reason to ever pay a drugstore $8 for a couple of crummy passport photos and lousy customer service. This blogger discovered that he couldn’t even get an in-focus photo from a local CVS: “When we pointed that out, he was like ‘Oh really? don’t worry all photos printed here look like that and no one ever came back because a photo was not accepted.'” If you’re not Photoshop-savvy, just use the free epassportphoto.com website.
Renew Your Passports Now, Because 2008 Could Be Worse
By 10.22.07
Despite all the much-publicized delays with passport applications this year, the government has announced that they’ll still be unprepared for the onslaught of applications come 2008, so if you know you’ll need a new/renewed passport you should apply now during the slow season. In January, the land and sea portion of the new passport law goes into effect, requiring everyone who travels to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean to show proof of citizenship.
Expedited Passports Now Take 3 Weeks To Arrive, Not 3 Days
By 8.19.07
Travelers paying $60 to expedite their passport application should prepare to wait three weeks, not three business days, for their passport to arrive. The State Department published the change last week in the Federal Register, shifting the target processing date for expedited applications from “three business days” to “a number of business days,” which, according to the Washington Post, means three weeks. Members of Congress lambasted the change:
