Get Your Family's Passports Ready for Spring Break Travel

Are you taking the family on an international vacation for spring break? Awesome! You’re going to have a great time. You might be busy with planning excursions and figuring out what to pack, but don’t forget to check to make sure everyone in the family has a valid passport before your trip.

It’s especially important to check your children’s passports before your spring break trip. Adult’s passports are valid for 10 years, but passports issued to kids under age 16 are only valid for five years! If it’s been a while since your last big family trip, your children’s passports might be closer to expiring than yours.

Today, we’ll review some of our top tips for passports for family vacation travel.

Tip 1: Check the Passport Validity Requirements for Your Destination

Spring break is the perfect time to pack up the family and head to a sunny destination like Mexico, Jamaica, or the Bahamas! Keep in mind that everyone in the family needs to have a valid passport book any time you are flying out of the United States. But just how much validity does your passport need to have? Some countries require you to have a minimum of six months validity left on your passport in order to enter, but other countries will let you enter even if your passport is closer to the expiration date. Not sure of the passport requirements for your destination? Check out PassportInfo.com’s page on popular destinations, or review the State Department’s Country Information.

Here are the passport validity requirements for some of the most popular destinations for spring break travel:

• Bahamas: passports must be valid at the time of entry.
• Bermuda: passports must be valid at the time of entry.
• Costa Rica: passports must be valid for the full duration of your stay.
• Jamaica: passports must be valid at the time of entry.
• Mexico: passports must be valid for six months past the end of your stay.

Passport Cards – Your Top Questions Answered

Do you have any questions about passport cards, passport renewals, or any other travel document issue? PassportInfo.com is here to help! You can send us a private message on our contact form or post a question or comment on any of our pages. Recently, many of you have posted questions about passport cards on our pages about how to get a passport card and the difference between passport books and passport cards. Today, we’ll take a closer look at passport cards and answer your most pressing questions!

Q. What is a Passport Card?
Answer. Passport cards are a card-sized version of a US passport. A passport card serves as official identification and proof of your US citizenship. It can be used for land or sea travel to Canada, Mexico, and many Caribbean islands, but it is not valid for any international travel by air.

Q. Will my passport card have the same number as my passport book?
Answer. No, your book and card will have two completely different numbers. The US State Department uses different number formats for books and cards. Passport book numbers are 9 numerals long, and passport cards start with the letter C followed by 8 numerals. Each passport book and card has a completely unique number. The State Department never reuses them – after a number has been used once, it is never used again!

Q. Do I have to apply for a passport book and a passport card at the same time?
Answer. No, you can apply for them separately, at your convenience. You don’t need to wait for one to expire to apply for the other.

Q. I have a valid passport card, but now I want to get a passport book. How can I apply for a passport book?
Answer. You’ll be able to use your passport card to apply for a passport book using Form DS-82 and the same procedure that is used for passport renewals. You’ll submit your passport card as part of the package, instead of submitting a passport book. We recommend that you put a sticky note on your passport card that says "Do Not Cancel." Please note that this applies only to people who currently hold only a passport card. If you have been issued a passport book in the past, you need to submit that with your request for a new passport book.

Q. Can I apply for a passport card using an expired passport book?
Answer. Yes, as long as your passport book was issued no more than 15 years ago, you can use it to apply for a passport card. The requirements and procedure will be the same as for travelers who hold a valid passport book.

Q. I lost my passport card, and need to get a new one. What do I do?
Answer. You can replace your lost passport card using the same procedure that is used for a lost passport book. If you also hold a passport book – valid or expired – you can submit that as your proof of US citizenship. However, if you submit a valid passport book, you should definitely put a sticky note on the front that says "Do Not Cancel."

Q. My passport book was issued two years ago and has eight years validity remaining. If I apply for a passport card now, how long will it be valid?
Answer. Your new passport card will be valid for 10 years from the date that it is issued. It’s not tied to the validity of your passport book.

Q. I applied for both a passport book and a passport card. I just got my new passport book in the mail, but my passport card wasn’t in the envelope. What happened? Is it lost?
Answer. No need to worry! The State Department always ships back passport books and passport cards in separate envelopes. Typically, you’ll get your passport book first in a Priority Mail envelope, and your passport card will arrive within a week in a regular business-size envelope. If you applied for expedited service for your passport book, you might have a longer time between the receipt of your passport book and your passport card.

Q. I travel between the US and Mexico every week, and my passport book is expiring in about a year. Can I get a passport card now so I can use that for my weekly trips into Mexico when I send in my passport book for renewal?
Answer. In this scenario, it is a good idea to get a passport card – passport cards are perfect for people who frequently cross the US border by land. However, there’s no way to get around sending in the passport book for processing, which leaves you without a passport to use for your weekly travel! What we’d recommend instead is to apply for an expedited passport renewal using a passport expediting service. A good passport expediting company can process a passport book renewal in as little as 24 hours, so you could have your passport processed with minimal disruption to your normal travel schedule. You can apply for a card at the same time, just by checking the "book and card" box on the DS-82 application form. That way, you’d have a passport back in your hands very quickly, and you’ll also now have both a passport book and a passport card to allow you flexibility in your travels.

Source: https://passportinfo.com/passport-card-questions/

Can You Get a Passport if You Have a Criminal Record?

Having a criminal record doesn’t mean you need to stay on house arrest forever. Most people with criminal records, even those with felony convictions, are eligible to get a US passport. There are only very limited circumstances in which US citizens with criminal records can be denied passports or have their passports revoked.

Drug Trafficking Convictions and Passports

 

Under current US law, the only crime that disqualifies people from getting or keeping a passport is international drug trafficking. This applies to people who have been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor drug offense, who used their passport or crossed an international border while committing the crime. The US State Department will revoke the valid passport of convicted drug traffickers or refuse to issue a new one. (For the letter of the law, see 22 U.S. Code § 2714). However, this only applies during the period of incarceration and parole. Once the parole is over, they are eligible to apply for a passport again.

Passports for Convicted Sex Offenders

 

In early February of this year, the “International Megan’s Law” was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama. This legislation calls for the State Department to put a marking on the passports of certain sex offenders. It’s not yet known what that mark would be, but it would be used only on passports of people convicted of a sexual offense against a minor. The law also authorizes the State Department to revoke existing passports of these sex offenders and require them to get new, marked passports instead.

As of this writing, the “International Megan’s Law” has not yet gone into effect, but we do not advise that travelers convicted of sex crimes against children try to get a passport now to evade the law.

Other Passport and Travel Issues

Passport Processing Problems? Call for Help!

Most of the time, passport processing proceeds without any problems. Every once in a while, though, travelers run into complications after they have mailed off their passport application for processing. Perhaps you need to get your new passport back earlier because you've realized you need to a get a visa for your trip, or perhaps your application is held up because of a tax debt you've now cleared. Perhaps you just want to make sure your application has been received, and hasn't been lost in the mail! How can you find out the status of your application? Who can you call for help?

The best way to prevent problems before they occur, and to always be able to know exactly what's going on with your passport application, is to use a passport expediting service. Not only will they get your passport completed and back in your hands as quickly as possible, but they are on top of your application’s status every step of the way. You'll be able to talk to a service representative and get a status check any time you want! If anything unusual happens with your passport service, the service agents can speak directly to the Passport Agency on your behalf and resolve the issue fast.

If you have submitted your passport application on your own by mail, read on for our expert tips on how to get the help you need.

How to Check the Status of Your Passport Application

The US State Department has an online status check feature for passport applications submitted by mail. Application status is generally available online 7-10 days after you submit your application. To check your status, you'll need to input your last name, birth date, and the last four digits of your Social Security Number. However, this online status check can't do much other than confirm that your application has been received and is in process.

Another way to check the status of your passport application is to call the National Passport Information Center at 877-487-2778. An automated system provides passport information 24 hours a day, and customer representatives are available from 8am to 10pm Eastern Standard Time. You can also email them at NPIC@state.gov; please allow at least 24 hours for a response.

How to Get Extra Help with Your Ongoing Passport Application

If you really find yourself in a bind after your passport application has been submitted by mail, take heart. There are a few things you can do if calling the National Passport Information Center isn't enough to solve your problem.