Posts Tagged ‘China passport’

China’s New Passport Raising a Stir: Rush Passport NYC

Monday, November 26th, 2012

India has officially responded with action to China’s new passports.  The new Chinese passport shows disputed territory close to their shared border as belonging to China.  India responded by issuing Chinese citizens with visas that are embossed with New Delhi’s own maps. 

Indian officials call the new Chinese passport ”unacceptable.”  India feels the best way to retaliate is to issue visas to Chinese citizens with their own version of the map of India that includes all territories claimed by New Delhi.

Not only do the new Chinese passports upset India, but the Philippines and Vietnam are also angered because the new passports also show disputed regions of the South China Sea as Chinese territory.

The land discrepancy stems from a border war that was fought between India and China in 1962.  Large portions of land in the area remain in question. 

While China and India have met several times to try to resolve this issue, they have not reached an agreement.  This new move by China to change their passports has upset India and one can only imagine whether or not there will be trade implications.

Indian officials can only speculate what sparked China to make the revisions to their passport at this time.  This is a developing story and it will be interesting to see how India, the Philippines and Vietnam respond to the new Chinese passports.

If you are interested in getting a passport or visa, give us a call at (212) 643-9305. Rush Passport™ Official US Passport Expeditors, serving Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, Westchester County, Nassau County & Suffolk County, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

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Investor Visas May Be Path to US Passports: Rush Passport NYC

Thursday, June 14th, 2012

passportAccording to a previous Rush Passport™ blog entry, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin surrendered his US passport and renounced his US citizenship to allegedly avoid paying capital gains taxes.  However, a new trend involving foreign investors is creating thousands of new potential US citizens who will soon be US passport holders.

Thousands of foreign investors have been making investments in US countries and have been issued “investor visas.”  The US Department of State is expected to hand out over 6,000 “investor visas” during the current fiscal year.  These investor visas could soon turn into passports for these wealthy investors.

Under the “investor visa” program, investors from foreign countries can acquire visas that permit them and their families to live, work and attend school in the United States.  In order to qualify for the visa, investors are required to invest a minimum of $1 million in a new or recently formed business.  Investors can also take advantage of the investor visa by investing a minimum of $500,000 to fund companies in rural locations or areas that are high in unemployment.

The concept is that the investment must be shown to have been responsible for the creation or preservation of at least 10 full-time jobs for US workers over a period of two years. Once this condition is met, foreign investors and their families advance to permanent resident status and in three years may apply for US citizenship and acquire US passports.

This investor visa program, known as EB-5, is not a new program.  It has actually been in effect for over twenty years.  However, as of late there has been an increase in wealthy participants – especially from China.

Other countries such as Australia and Ireland have initiated similar programs to try to lure wealthy investors to their country.  Currently there are approximately twenty countries that offer similar incentives.   For many, investor visas are the path to getting US passports.

If you are interested in getting a passport or visa, give us a call at (212) 643-9305. Rush Passport™ Official US Passport Expeditors, serving Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, Westchester County, Nassau County & Suffolk County, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

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Update on Chinese Passport Case: Rush Passport NYC

Sunday, May 20th, 2012

In a previous Rush Passport blog, we covered the story of blind Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng’s plight to come to the United States.  In a new development, Chen arrived in New York over the weekend.  The arrival of Guangcheng ended a stalemate between the United States and China.

On May 19, Chen left Beijing and arrived in New York city with his wife and two children over the weekend.  Chen plans to study law at New York University.

This was a diplomatic situation in which China demanded an apology from the United States after US diplomats offered Chen safe haven in the US embassy.

Now that Chen is New York, the tension between the two countries has dissipated.

Chen was issued a Chinese passport and allowed to travel to the United States.  It is unclear whether or not Chen and his family will become US citizens and get US passports.

It is important to know that just because Chen Guangcheng is free, he still has other family members who remain in China and may be the target of retaliation.

The deal to allow Chen to apply for a passport and accept an offer to study at NYU law school was reached between China and the United States earlier this week.

Who knows what the future will hold if Chen decides to return to China.  China may not allow him to come back and he may end up applying for a US passport and remain in the states as a political refugee.

If you are interested in getting a passport or visa, give us a call at (212) 643-9305. Rush Passport™ Official US Passport Expeditors, serving Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, Westchester County, Nassau County & Suffolk County, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

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Visa Regulations from China to the US: Rush Passport NYC

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

More and more Chinese tourists are traveling abroad.  Many Chinese tourists choose to use their passports to visit the United States, but others are traveling elsewhere due to visa regulations.  More and more countries are competing for the Chinese tourism and are trying to simplify their visa regulations.

Recently, President Barack Obama vowed to make the procedures in China for non-immigrant visas more efficient.  Travel services are looking to cash in on the recent Chinese tourism surge.  Having a passport alone is not enough to travel.  Many countries require visas and the visa process can be tough.  Chinese passport holders may have to wait several weeks and sometimes even several months to receive visas to travel to the United States.

Some experts predict that the number of Chinese passport holders requiring visas for travel to the US will double in 2012.

While the United States is considered to be the #1 ”dream destination” for Chinese citizens according to research by the US Travel Association. more Chinese tourists are visiting France.  It is supposed that the main reason for this is due to the US visa system.

Countries that have made their visa process simpler for Chinese citizens have experienced greater numbers of Chinese travelers.

The US visa system for Chinese visitors can be made simpler.  For starters, the Chinese visa applications are printed in English.  If they were translated, it would make the process easier.  Also, the fact that every visa applicant is required to be personally interviewed lengthens and complicates the visa application process.

Visa applicants generally have to wait 2 to 3 months just to get an interview.  Once they are scheduled for the interview, visa applicants generally have to wait in line for a full day just to speak with someone.  After the long wait, the actual interview takes less than 3 minutes.

Right off the bat, this eliminates the United States as a destination for travelers who can’t wait 3 months for an interview.

The next passport blog will deal with ways that the US can make the visa process better for Chinese passport holders.

If you have more questions about getting a passport, a visa, an expedited passport, emergency passport, passport renewal, same day passport, US Passport book, US Passport Card, passport photos or other passport services, be sure to contact Rush Passport™. You can visit us at http://www.rushpassport.com or call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to speak with a Live Passport Agent. (877) 937-7277 (All 50 States) or (212) 643-9305 New York Passport Agency. Rush Passport™ Official US Passport Expeditors, serving Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, Westchester County, Nassau County & Suffolk County, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

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US Passports: Find Out How to Use Your US Passport to Travel to Cuba Legally

Thursday, February 3rd, 2011

Passport to CubaCan a US citizen use a US passport to travel to Cuba?  The answer is “Yes.”  Earlier this month President Barack Obama made traveling to Cuba much easier for college students with US passports.

For the past 7 years, Cuba has been practically completely off-limits.  However, passport holders wishing to visit Cuba have reason to celebrate.  While travel restrictions haven’t been completely lifted, it is certainly easier for researchers and academics to use their US passports to visit Cuba.

In the US, many students benefit from studying abroad.  Cuba is a virtually untapped place for students with US passports to visit, study and learn.  Exposure to other countries is a great thing to put on a resume and travel abroad gives students unique experiences.

Leisure travel by US passport holders to Cuba is still not permitted.  US passport holders cannot travel to Cuba due to the U.S. economic embargo, which has been in effect for nearly 50 years.

Obama has placed students holding US passports in a unique category of travelers and they have been granted some of the only passes into Cuba.

Cuba isn’t the only country that Obama is focused on.  There is also a new initiative for students holding US passports to visit China as well.

The White House hopes to double the number of students (holding US passports) traveling to China by 2014.

If you are a US citizen and interested in getting a US passport, contact Rush Passport™. If you need an expedited passport, emergency passport, same day passport, US Passport book, US Passport Card, passport photos or other passport services, be sure to contact Rush Passport™. You can visit us at http://www.rushpassport.com or call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to speak with a Live Passport Agent. (877) 937-7277 (All 50 States) or (212) 643-9305 New York Passport Agency. Rush Passport™ Official US Passport Expeditors, serving Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, Westchester County, Nassau County & Suffolk County, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Miami, Florida.

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Passport Prices Around the Globe: Is the US in the Top 10 Most Expensive? You’ll Be Surprised…

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

With the US Passport service fee increases now in effect as of July 13th, I wondered how America’s passport fees measure up against the rest of the world.  I had several questions: Were our passport fees the most expensive?  Which country charges the most for a new passport?  Which country charges the least?

Passport Globe

What are the rates of passports around the globe?

I decided to do some research and I turned to google to search results for the cost of passports around the world.

My passport fee research looked promising as I was pleased to find a chart put together by the British government that listed passport fees from around the world as of May 2009.  You can access the passport chart here.  However my passport research hit a bump in the road when I noticed that the fees were listed in their original currencies as exchange rates vary more than passport fees.  Also, I discovered that some countries offer passports that are only valid for 5 years while other countries offer passports that are valid for 10 years.

So in order to compare apples to apples, I had to put all passport fees on a level playing field.  I utilized the Google Currency Converter and Yahoo Currency Converter with currency rates as of July 7, 2010 to make the process of deciphering passport fees from around the world a bit easier.  Also, passport fees that were valid for 5 years were doubled so that all passports are on the 10 year scale.

Let’s start off with the highest passport fees in the world.  So, which country has the highest passport fees in the world?  That distinction belongs to Turkey.  The cost of a Turkish passport valid for 10 years is a whopping $642.11  The least expensive passport is from Georgia (and I don’t mean the state in the US) which comes in at approximately $20.00 for a 10 year passport.

Interestingly enough, the United Kingdom passport runs at just under $110 USD.  An Australian passport will cost you about $180 – that’s an awful lot of “shrimp on the barbie”.  You would think that the Belgian passports come with diamonds, chocolates or even waffles – but for $180 you only get a passport.  Canadians have to shell out a lot of bacon as their passports cost over $165.  Japanese passports don’t leave much money over for sushi as they cost $182.  New Zealand passports are even more expensive at just over $211.  Portugal also makes the top ten coming in at a bit over $151 for a 10 year passport.  Brazilian passports round out the list with passport fees of $140.  Malaysian passports rake in $187 per person.  Currently, with the passport price hike the US barely makes the top ten list at $135.

Here are the top 10 most expensive passports in the world:

1. Turkey $642.11
2. New Zealand $211.07
3. Malaysia $187.56
4. Japan $182.33
5. Australia $180.00
6. Belgium $179.36
7. Canada $165.82
8. Portugal $151.57
9. Brazil $140.00
10. USA $135.00

Here are all of the passport fees results listed alphabetically by country:

Australia $180.00
Austria $88.29
Belgium $179.36
Brazil $140.00
Bulgaria $106.60
Canada $165.82
China $47.50
Croatia $38.53
Czech Republic $29.77
Denmark $101.68
Estonia $36.27
Finland $116.21
France $112.42
Georgia $20.21
Germany $74.52
Greece $66.69
Hungary $88.35
Iceland $81.43
India $21.38
Ireland $101.05
Israel $56.68
Italy $107.30
Japan $182.33
Latvia $53.30
Lithuania $21.88
Luxembourg $75.79
Malaysia $187.56
Malta $88.42
Netherlands $125.30
New Zealand $211.07
Norway $70.39
Poland $43.28
Portugal $151.57
Romania $69.72
Singapore $115.67
Slovakia $46.35
Slovenia $45.47
South Africa $21.65
Spain $37.89
Sweden $105.56
Switzerland $132.31
Taiwan $36.00
Thailand $61.60
Trinidad & Tobago $78.74
Turkey $642.11
United Kingdom $109.26
USA $135.00

You can always contact Rush Passport™ for all of your passport needs.  If you are interested in getting a US Passport or US Passport Card, visit us at http://www.rushpassport.com or call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to speak with a Live Agent.  (877) 937-7277 (All 50 States) or (212) 643-9305 New York Agency.

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