HEY, LET'S GETAWAY: How to Get Your Passport

Getting a passport isn't as hard as you may think. It is not impossible, and it is not exclusive to rich or wealthy people. Virtually ANYONE can get a passport, even infants and felons. For those of you who have never thought about getting a passport because it seems like something only privileged people have access to, this one's for you.

Back in 2008, I was dating a basketball player who signed up to play semi-professionally in Europe. He asked me if I'd like to come visit him in Denmark. Of course I said yes! However, I'd never left the country before. He told me that all I needed was a passport. Lucky for me, I worked at CVS/pharmacy where taking passport photos was apart of my daily work.

I remember conversing with the customers who came in for their passport photos. I would ask them about the process, costs, and benefits. At that time, the cost was $125 plus the cost of the photo. All I had to do was go to the post office with the proper government documents, fill out the application, pay the fee, and wait 6 weeks. For me it was just that simple. I received my passport, and visited Koge, Denmark for two weeks.

Here is the most recent process for obtaining your U.S. Passport straight from travel.state.gov:

1. Fill Out Form DS-11: Application For A U.S. Passport {I've attached the link below}

2. Submit Completed Form DS-11 In Person  

• Passport acceptance locations ~~~~~> https://iafdb.travel.state.gov/

*********If applying at U.S. Post Office you must go DURING PASSPORT HOURS*********

3. Submit Evidence of U.S. Citizenship

• Certified U.S Birth Certificate. Not a copy,  photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted. You need to have the official docment, if you don't have your birth certificate you can go downtown and have one printed at City Hall for about $25.

4. Present Identification

• Fully valid driver's license
• CURRENT Government Employee ID
• CURRENT Military ID

5. Submit a Photocopy of the Identification Document(s) Presented

Photocopy must be on plain white, 8 1/2 x 11" standard paper stock, showing the front and the back of your ID.

Photocopy must contain images on only one-side of each page submitted.

If copies cannot be made on the same side of one page, you may present two separate pages; one displaying the front of the ID and the second displaying the back of the ID.

6. Pay the Applicable Fee

• For adults the fee is $135, which includes the application fee $110, and execution fee $25.

7. Provide One Passport Photo

• I took mine at CVS, but with technology there may be a passport photo app. Just make sure it meets the requirements. I'll post a few and there's a link to the entire list of requirements.

In color

Printed on matte or glossy photo quality paper

2 x 2 inches (51 x 51 mm) in size 

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/photos/photos.html 

See, you are seven steps away from being able to travel the world! Passports expire every 10 years so you're covered for an entire decade! Don't let lack of knowledge or exposure keep you away from God's great oceans, mountains, deserts, and wonders. Make it a goal to get a passport before the end of the year. You won't regret it! 

If you have any questions or concerns leave a comment below. Thanks!

http://www.us-passport-service-guide.com/support-files/new-passport-application.pdf

http://www.us-passport-service-guide.com/obtain-a-us-passport.html