Posts Tagged ‘passport agent’
Thursday, May 5th, 2011
Passport security has come into question recently. A new passport questionnaire that asks many obscure questions is being discussed throughout the world of passports. All of this passport talk brings about an important questons: Just how secure is the US passport? With all of the hoops that one must jump through to get a passport, are there ways to beat the system?
Can’t a person who resembles another person just use their passport to travel abroad? A passport photo can look like someone else, so why can’t a person who looks similar the actual passport holder just use the passport?
While it sounds like a simple form of passport fraud, in actuality, its not really that simple. The US passport contains a high quality facial image that depending on the passport border may be examined with special software aimed at detecting fakes. The high resolution passport photo may seem small on the passport itself, but the passport photo is enlarged on the border patrol’s computer screen. The larger passport photo will help border patrol agents pick up differences more easily.
Generally, if the match is not a perfect match, then the passport holder would be selected for additional screening. Could a person get away with using someone else’s passport? The question as to whether or not someone could successfully use someone else passport depends on the country of origin of the passport, the specific border crossing, the diligence of the border agent and how much the passport photo looks like the person trying to use it.
Regardless, using another’s passport is a criminal offense punishable with jail time. Our suggestion: Get your own passport!
If you need a US passport card or other passport services such as an expedited passport, emergency passport, same day passport, US Passport book or passport photos 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
Tags: expedited passport, get a passport, how to get a passport, NY Passport, passport, passport agent, passport expediters, passport expeditors, passport holder, passport office, passport photos, passport questionnaire, passport security, Passport Services, passports, rush passport, travel abroad, US Passport Card, world of passports
Posted in Passport Ponderings, Passport Services | Comments Off
Sunday, May 1st, 2011
A Greenville, South Carolina man was sentenced on Friday to 10 years in prison for illegally taking his child to Thailand. The man, Samuel Lee Horton, forged his wife’s signature, applied for a child passport and took his daughter to Thailand.
The parents had been divorced and his ex-wife had custody of their 2 children. Horton had visitation rights, but apparently he wasn’t satisfied.
Horton, admitted forging his ex-wife’s signature for the purpose of getting the passport for his 3 year old daughter. He told his ex-wife that he was taking his daughter to Disney World, but got his daughter a passport and instead boarded a plane to Thailand. The pair lived in Thailand for over a year where he told his daughter that her mother had died.
Horton pled guilty to falsifying a document for the purpose of getting a passport for his daughter. Not only has he been sentenced to 10 years in prison, his parental rights have been terminated and he still faces further charges regarding the violation of a custody order.
It is important to know that minors under the age of 16 must apply for a passport in person. All minors, including newborns must have their own passport to travel abroad by air. In order to get a passport for a minor, first the application for a US passport (DS-11) must be completed. Remember not to sign the passport application until in the presence of a passport agent. The passport form must then be presented in person by both parents and the minor for whom the passport application is being submitted. Evidence of the child’s US citizenship must be presented with the passport application. Acceptable forms of identification include a previously issued passport, a certified birth certificate issued by the city, county or state, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth or a Naturalization Certificate.
In addition, evidence of the relationship between the child and the parent(s) / guardian(s) must be provided. The parents or guardians must also present and make copies of their identifications. An important step is for the parents or guardians to provide consent. Both parents must provide consent to apply for a passport for a minor under age 16. There are specific scenarios in which both parents do not need to be present at the time the passport application is submitted. One parent can appear in person with a notarized statement of consent from the other parent. A parent with sole custody may appear without the other parent as long as the parent can provide proof of sole custody at the time of the passport application. A third party may apply for a passport for a minor, but the third party must provide authorization from both parents.
The passport applicant must pay the passport application fee and submit one passport photo.
If you need a US passport card or other passport services such as an expedited passport, emergency passport, same day passport, US Passport book or passport photos 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
Tags: child passport, how to get a passport for a minor, minor passport, NYC Passport, passport, passport agency, passport agent, passport application, passport form, passport nyc, passport office, passport photo, Passport Services, passports, rush passport, samuel lee horton
Posted in Latest Passport News, Passport Services | Comments Off
Friday, April 29th, 2011
Have you ever lost your passport? Have you ever misplaced your passport? For professional athletes, losing a passport can be a nightmare. Soccer players have lost their passports before as mentioned in a previous Rush Passport™ blog entry. In case you forgot, back in April of 2010, Mexican soccer player Carlos Vela lost his passport and as a result, he missed the biggest game of his career – the Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final game in Barcelona. His team ended up losing the game and some blamed the loss on the lost passport. Now, Vela takes his passport to bed with him – literally!
Another previous Rush Passport™ blog entry mentioned a professional cricket player, Graeme Swann who realized that his passport was lost just 48 hours before his scheduled departure for a big match in Australia.
This time it was a professional baseball player, Tampa Bay Devil Rays third baseman Evan Longoria who lost his passport. It turns out that he left the passport at his Tampa apartment before a team trip to Canada to play the Toronto Blue Jays.
With the team plane and 50-plus people waiting for Longoria to retrieve his lost passport, teammate David Price tweeted about the lost passport on Twitter. David Price tweeted about the lost passport on April 22nd if you want to check it out.
Longoria is on the disabled list but he was still traveling with the team. He didn’t realize they were playing in Toronto and he packed up his belongings for the road trip, but just forgot his passport.
Longoria didn’t even think of the missing passport until he boarded the plane.
If you need a US passport card or other passport services such as an expedited passport, emergency passport, same day passport, US Passport book or passport photos 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
Tags: Canada passport, Carlos Vela, Evan Longoria, expedited passport, Graeme Swann, lost passport, missing passport, NY Passport, passport, passport agency, passport agent, passport card, passport photos, Passport Services, passports, rush passport, US passport
Posted in Latest Passport News, Passport Ponderings | Comments Off
Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
Almost 14 million US passports were issued in 2010. That figure includes approximately 1.5 million passport cards. If you still haven’t applied for a US passport, the passport application process may soon become more difficult. In an effort to make the US passport more secure, the US Department of State is proposing a new Biographical Questionnaire for new passport applicants. The new passport form: DS-5513 requires the passport applicant to enter all addresses since birth, a comprehensive lifetime employment history (including employers’ and supervisors names, addresses, and telephone numbers), personal information about siblings, mother’s address one year prior to passport applicant’s birth, and any “religious ceremony” that took place around the time of birth. Failure to complete the passport application may result in the passport application being denied.
This new passport form will not be required of all new passport applicants, and the criteria that will require a passport applicant to fill out this new form has yet to be released. The US Department of State feels that these changes are necessary to keep the US passport as secure as possible.
If you need a US passport card or other passport services such as an expedited passport, emergency passport, same day passport, US Passport book or passport photos 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.
Tags: DS-5513, expedited passport, passport, passport agency, passport agent, passport application, passport ny, passport office, passport photo, passport photos, passport renewal, Passport Services, passports, rush passport, secure passport, US passport
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Sunday, April 24th, 2011
A US passport is a very powerful tool. Many US citizens take getting a passport for granted. According to the most recent studies, just 30% of US citizens hold valid passports. Even though 70% of US citizens do not take advantage of getting a US passport, it seems that several people who are not US citizens have gotten US passports through fraudulent activities. Most recently it was discovered that a well respected police officer in Alaska known as Rafael Espinoza held a fraudulent passport.
As it turns out, authorities discovered that the person posing as Rafael Espinoza was really Mexican citizen Rafael Mora-Lopez. Mora-Lopez, as it turns out, was in the US illegally and he stole Espinoza’s identity. By using Espinoza’s identity, he Mora-Lopez was able to get a US passport.
Mora-Lopez went on to become a respected police officer in Anchorage Alaska. The passport fraud was discovered when Mora-Lopez applied for a passport renewal. It was during the time that the passport agents were processing the passport renewal request that the passport fraud was discovered.
Mora-Lopez appeared in court in Anchorage and pled not guilty to the charge of passport fraud. Passport fraud carries a maximum 10-year sentence.
It turns out that Mora-Lopez had been an Anchorage police officer for the past 6 years and his passport fraud had gone undetected. The real Rafael Espinoza is a US citizen who is still living.
In the meantime, Mora-Lopez was released on $50,000 bond and he was ordered to home-confinement and electronic monitoring.
This particular passport fraud case has similarities to a 2007 case in which a Mexican citizen took his deceased cousin’s identity to become a US citizen. He also became a police officer, but in Milwaukee. The man who perpetrated the passport fraud in that case, Oscar Ayala-Cornejo, was deported back to Mexico.
Need a Passport?
If you are a US citizen and you need a US passport card or other passport services such as an expedited passport, emergency passport, same day passport, US Passport book or passport photos 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.
Tags: emergency passport, expedited passport, passport, passport agency, passport agent, passport card, passport fraud, passport photos, passport renew, passport renewal, Passport Service, passports, renew passport, rush passport, US citizen, US passport, US Passports, valid passport
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Friday, April 22nd, 2011
95-year-old Leland Davidson had been an undocumented US citizen for his entire life. Davidson was born in Canada to American Parents. When he was five, his parents (both US passport holders) moved back to the US to raise their son in America.
Davidson voted, obtained his social security number and even served in the United States Navy during WWII.
His US citizenship came automatically because his parents were both born in the US. Although Davidson was born in Canada, since his parents were both US passport holders, he was automatically given US citizenship.
However, last summer he was planning a trip to Canada and applied for an enhanced Washington State Driver’s License. He was told by the Department of Licensing that he couldn’t get an enhanced driver’s license because he was a Canadian citizen.
Davidson was trying to get an enhanced driver’s license to travel to Canada. The enhanced driver’s license can be used to enter Canada from the US and return back to the US in lieu of a passport.
Davidson was shocked. He thought of himself as a US citizen for 95 years and now he was told that he was a Canadian citizen. After a few months and a lot of red tape, Davidson finally was recognized as a US citizen. Davidson can get an enhanced driver’s license or a US passport to travel between the US and Canada. A US passport will also allow him to travel the world if he so wishes.
Davidson said he never got a US passport because he never traveled abroad. For years he had traveled back and forth to Canada, but never had to show more than a driver’s license.
All of that changed 2 years ago when the US government regulations changed and a passport or enhanced driver’s license was now required for people traveling by land to Canada from the US.
Need a Passport?
If you need a US passport card or other passport services such as an expedited passport, emergency passport, same day passport, US Passport book or passport photos 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.
Tags: Canada, emergency passport, expedited passport, get a passport, need a passport, passport, passport agency, passport agent, passport card, Passport holders, passport nyc, passports, rush passport, US citizen
Posted in Latest Passport News, Passport Ponderings | Comments Off
Thursday, April 21st, 2011
Below is a list of some Frequently Asked Questions regarding the US Passport Card:
1. What is the purpose of the US passport card?
The US passport card is valid for entry and exit between the United States and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. The US passport card is valid only at land and sea borders and is not valid for air travel.
2. Why would a person opt for a US passport card instead of getting a US passport book?
The US passport card is less expensive and since it is wallet sized is more convenient than the US passport book. It is only advisable for travelers who plan to travel by land or sea to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda.
3. Why isn’t the US passport card valid for flights to and from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, or Bermuda?
The US passport card was created primarily to accommodate the specific needs of people who cross the border frequently by land. If you plan to obtain a travel document for air travel, stick with the US passport book.
4. The US passport book contains an electronic chip. Does the US passport card also contain an electronic chip?
Not only does the US passport book contain a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip, but the US passport card has the technology embedded inside as well.
If you need a US passport card or other passport services such as an expedited passport, emergency passport, same day passport, US Passport book or passport photos 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.
Tags: air border, Bermuda, Canada, Caribbean, e-passport, electronic chip, frequently asked passport questions, land border, Mexico, passport, passport agency, passport agent, passport book, passport card, passport emergency, passport expediters, passport ny, passport nyc, passport office, RFID, rush passport, sea border, United States, US passport, US Passport Book, US Passport Card
Posted in Passport Ponderings, Passport Services | Comments Off
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
Passport applications have new requirement as of April 1, 2011. As a security measure, the US State Department has implemented new criteria for passport applications. Birth certificates need to include the full names of the passport applicant’s parent(s). Birth certificates that do not comply with the new passport regulation will be unacceptable as evidence of US citizenship.
The new regulation is in line with efforts to make the US passport the most secure passport in the world. Passport applications that were submitted prior to April 1, 2011 are not affected by the new birth certificate requirement. Passport applications that are already in-progress will not be subject to the new changes.
In all, certified copies of birth certificates that are to be considered as primary evidence of US citizenship towards getting a US passport must contain the full name of the passport applicant, passport applicant’s date of birth and place of birth, an original birth certificate seal, the registrant’s signature and the date the birth certificate was filed.
In the event that your birth certificate does not meet the new requirements, that does not mean that you will be unable to get a passport. You will need to provide secondary proof of citizenship. Forms of identification that may be used to assist in proving citizenship en route to obtaining a US passport include baptismal certificate, census record, early school record, family bible record or doctor’s record of post-natal care. The documents listed above will not be accepted if presented by themselves.
Contrary to some passport applicants think, voter registration cards, military discharge documents and social security cards are not acceptable forms of proof of citizenship for the purposes of obtaining a passport.
If you need a US passport or other passport services such as an expedited passport, emergency passport, same day passport, US Passport book, US Passport Card, or passport photos 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.
Tags: birth certificates, Dept of State, emergency passport, expedited passport, NY Passport, passport, passport agent, passport applications, passport book, passport card, passport expeditors, passport photos, passport rules, passports, rush passport, US passport
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Monday, April 18th, 2011
A recent Rush Passport™ blog entry spoke about US citizens who owe millions of dollars in back taxes to the IRS and their passports are still valid. Many US Citizens feel that anyone who owes money to the IRS should not be issued valid passports until their balances are cleared. Other US citizens feel that the US Department of State should not interfere with the right for a citizen to get a passport regardless of whether or not they owe money to the IRS.
As this debate rolls along, it seems that the US is not the only country that has troubles with people who owes millions in back taxes and can still apply for, receive and new passport.
In New Delhi, Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh has admitted that he had recommended that Hasan Ali Khan’s passport be expedited on humanitarian grounds. Even though Khan faces charges of tax evasion and money laundering, Singh reportedly used his policital power to order Khan’s passport applicantion to be expedited even though Khan owes the government millions of dollars.
It seems that this passport problem is a global one. Citizens want to have the privilege of owning a passport, regardless of whether or not they owe back taxes. Proponents feel that this withholding a person’s passport based on money owed may provide another economic stimulus to the company.
If you need passport photos or other passport services such as an expedited passport, emergency passport, same day passport, US Passport book, US Passport Card, 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.
Tags: adult passport, Ali Hasan Khan, get a passport, Iqbal Singh, NY Passport Agency, passport, passport agency, passport agent, passport application, passport book, passport card, passport ny, passport office, passport photos, passport renewal, passport valid, passports, rush passport, US Department of State
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Thursday, April 14th, 2011
Should people who owe money to the IRS be allowed to renew passports? It is an interesting question. The IRS and the US Dept of State are both government agencies, but does that give them the right to deny passports to people who owe money on their taxes? It turns out that this is not an isolated issue where just a few people owe money on taxes. It seems that of the approximately quarter of a million people who received a passport in 2008, they owed a total of almost $6 billion to the IRS in federal income taxes.
Currently, people who owe money on taxes are allowed to get a new passport and renew their expired passports. However, Congress is considering a change to the law that would allow the US Department of State to deny passports to people with outstanding balances to the IRS.
The State Department does not have access to IRS records, however the State Department can deny the issuance of a passport to an individual based on child support debts totaling over $2,500. In addition, the US State Department can deny a passport if the passport applicant has an outstanding felony warrant.
Some feel that it is disturbing for people who owe millions of dollars in taxes are allowed to be issued passports and that they are able to travel in and out of the US at will. Others feel that taxpayer privacy and freedom are paramount and that their passports should not be revoked.
Strangely enough, a passport applicant cannot be compelled to provide their social security number to apply for a US passport. This being the case, the State Department records would not have a social security number on file to compare with the IRS records.
At this time tax evaders can still apply for a passport, but that may all be changing soon. So, if you are a tax evader you should renew that old passport or if you need to apply for a first time passport, it would be a good time to process that application before the laws change.
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.
Tags: Department of State, expedited passport, expired passport, get a passport, IRS, lost passport, passport, passport agency, passport agent, passport applicants, passport applications, passport card, passport laws, passport office, passport photos, passport renewal, Passport Services, renew a passport, rush passport
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