PASSPORT SERVICES

Ever since the US Government passed new laws requiring passports for all travel out of the country, passport applications have been at an all-time high. This Is especially true for those travellers visiting Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. The US passport agency is severely backlogged; what used to take 4-6 weeks to process, now can take 3 months or longer. And making use of the government's "rush" service provides no guarantee of getting your passport for weeks.

Passport expediting services exist to fill this gap. By paying a service fee (that varies, according to when you need your passport), you can receive your new or renewed passport in as little as 24 hours. This is an invaluable service for those people who have a vacation or trip planned in the near future, and can't afford to take a chance that their passport will be processed in time.

Of course, not all passport expediting services are created equal. There are a number of features to consider when looking for a passport expediting service. Some of these include:

•  Turnaround time.  You want to make sure the passport service can deliver your passport in time for your trip.

•  Cost.  There is a wide variety of costs depending on when you need your passport. Make sure you don't overpay for faster service than you really need.

•  Customer Service.  Is the staff knowledgeable? Do they offer helpful information to explain the passport application process?

We hope you find this information valuable in addressing your passport needs!

 

 

PASSPORT VISAS EXPRESS

 

 

Cost:

$59 - $189 depending on service needed

 

Passports and Visas offers an easy application process with step-by-step instructions. They are a nationally recognized US passport and visa service and have even been ranked #1 by the Washington Post, New York Times, and USA Today.

Passports and Visas offers applications for new US passports, passport renewals, children's passports, lost/stolen passports, name change on passports, and add pages to your existing passport. Simply click on the link for the type of application you need. Service level plans are as follows:

•  Standard service - costs $59 and delivers your passport in 8-20 business days.

•  Rush service - costs $89 and delivers your passport in 4-8 business days.

•  Emergency service - costs $129 and delivers your passport in 2-4 business days

•  "Same Day" service - costs $169 and delivers your passport in 1-2 business days

Passport and Visas offers a learning center on the website which can assist you with frequently asked questions about passports or visas. They also offer a passport information page, which is helpful as it lists contact numbers for the National Passport Info Center as well as other information that could be pertinent to your passport needs.

The website is professional, easy to navigate and simple to walk through the application process. Passport and Visas earns very high marks.

 

 

 

ABriggs offers US Passport and Visa services available online, over the phone, or in person. They have been in business since 1987 and offer passport services for new US passports, renewal US passports, children's passports, replacing lost or stolen passports, passport name changes, and more.

ABriggs offers a variety of service plans based upon your departure needs.

•  Standard service - Costs $65 and takes 7+ business days to process

•  Rush service - Costs $95 and takes 5-7 business days to process

•  Emergency service - Costs $145 and takes 1-4 business days to process

Please note, the ABriggs processing times are in business days, not calendar days. You need to keep this in mind when selecting one of their plans.

Another important point to keep in mind is that ABriggs fills their orders based on departure date. For example, someone leaving in 10 days that selects 1 to 4 day service may not receive their passport for up to 6 days. We found this to be somewhat misleading, or at best, confusing. You need to be sure to understand the service level that you need, before placing your order.

ABriggs offers an online status check to track the processing of your passport application, testimonials from prior customers, and even online chat support. They also offer the ability to contact any one of their office locations with questions, comments, or complaints about the service.

ABriggs offers a simple passport application process and provides helpful information. While their website may not be as easy to use as some of the others, they still receive good marks for their service.

 

 

 

Travel Visa Pro offers quick turnaround on visa and passport services. The offer a variety of passport services, including new passport, passport renewal, add pages, lost or stolen passport, passport name change, second passport, and passport for child.

Travel Visa Pro offers three service levels for your passport expediting needs, based upon your travel needs:

•  Budget level - Costs $59, and you can expect delivery of your passport between 1 week and 4 weeks.

•  Rush level - Costs $169, and you can expect delivery of your passport in a week.

•  Emergency level - Costs $299, and you can expect delivery of your passport between 24 and 72 hours.

Travel Visa Pro offers a unique service guarantee stating that if you are not satisfied they will return all services fees. This is a good option to provide, although we don't think it necessarily justifies the increase in costs as compared to the other services reviewed. They do offer help via the US Passport information line, where you can call with questions.

Travel Visa Pro is easy enough to navigate but we were not overly impressed with the website. While the service is legitimate, the site is just not as professional as others we have visited. It appears to be a much smaller organization than the other services in our review. They do offer some customer testimonials and have seven years of experience in this line of work.

Although Travel Visa Pro offers a unique and consumer-friendly service level guarantee, we judged the tradeoff in costs as not necessarily worth the added expense. We recommend trying one of our top-rated services before committing to Travel Visa Pro.

 

 

 

Travisa has been helping individuals expedite their passport needs since 1981. They support a wide range of passport application and renewal needs, and like our top-rated services, they work directly with the US Department of State Passport Agencies to expedite passport requests.

The process for obtaining passport services through Travisa is fairly simple. Identify the service that you need provided, click on the appropriate link, and follow the application instructions. For a new passport you have to wade through a series of steps, but all are explained in detail.

Travisa offers two types of service fees to their clients for passport processing.

•  Standard service - Costs $99, and requires 3-10 business days to process the new passport request

•  Emergency service - Costs $179, with same day/next day processing.

Travisa offers a small number of client testimonials as well as a frequently asked questions page to help potential clients make an educated decision. Once you have applied through Travisa, you can check the status of your passport application online.

Although Travisa offers a sound expediting service, their delivery options give you less flexibility than other agencies, and cost comparatively more. For more inexpensive options tailored to your needs, we recommend one of our top-rated services.

 

 

 

VisaHQ offers passport services to help clients obtain new passports, passport renewals, add passport pages, lost or stolen passports, passport name change, and second passports. Although they are located on embassy row in Washington, DC, their website is not overly impressive. You can navigate easily to the passport application process; however they do not offer any client testimonials or a page dedicated to frequently asked questions.

The passport application process is fairly simple and straightforward. VisaHQ offers two types of passport services:

•  Expedited service - Costs $119.95 for 3 to 6 business days

•  Rush service - Costs $169.96 for 1 to 3 business days

If your travel needs are beyond 6 business days, you are constrained to their expedited service. We prefer the plans offered by the top-rated companies, that let you choose a service level more appropriate to a wider range of travel plans.

VisaHQ offers only limited additional information to help you in the process of passport application or to answer questions you may have.

Unfortunately, the services offered by VisaHQ suffer when compared with their competition. To find a wider range of service plans that may be better suited to your travel needs, and at a lower cost, we recommend you try one of the top-rated services.