subject: Acquiring Expedited Services For Your Passport Pages [print this page] A chance to travel, even when it comes without warning, can provide lots of excitement and opportunity. When these opportunities arrive suddenly, however, they also bring with them unexpected worries and concerns. Travelers have to prepare themselves with all of their official documents and visas. Under these kinds of circumstances, professional services can help with issues that might come up, such as needing fast passport pages. This can help many people to feel more relaxed during the process. These services can make unexpected travel less stressful.
The US Department of State issues passports to American citizens. In other countries comparable bureaucratic offices handle these processes. Passports are only one of several responsibilities held by this important branch of government.
Passports have a long international history. They were originally conceived as means by which nations extended protection to citizens and messengers traveling abroad. In the modern era, they are primarily used as a means of controlling national security and immigration. Passports are now required documents for every US citizen traveling internationally.
No matter what country they come from, most passports look fairly similar to one another in terms of size, shape, and information contained therein. An international standard has been established among passport issuing agencies, so that documents may be shared easily between governments. Most US passports contain twenty-four pages for placing visa stamps upon entry to or exit from a country. For some travelers, collecting stamps from different entry and exit points is a fun hobby. The international stamps come in a variety of shapes and colors.
Though collecting stamps can be fun, it can also pose a problem for those faced with an unexpected travel need. Namely, if you run out of places for stamps, you will not be able to use your passport. Luckily, to fix this situation, you can get additional pages for your passport if you have four or fewer blank pages left. The process to get the extra pages is easy.
You can get the form needed to request extra pages from the State Department website or from various offices about the country. The information required is simple identification stuff and emergency contact numbers. Also, the form is free and can be submitted by mail or on line. Your passport will also have to be sent to the State department offices before your request is complete.
Like most government offices, the State Department has a number of different responsibilities. Because passport related issues are just a part of those duties, and because they receive a large number of requests each day, you should not expect a response to your request in less than a month. Though a month may be too long of a wait for some travelers, it is possible to request an overnight pasport service. By paying an extra sixty dollars, the time you spend waiting for your extra pages can be greatly reduced.
