Getting your passport

Getting all the paperwork in order was a larger undertaking than I first thought. Give yourself plenty of time to gather all the required paperwork. It took me about four months to get my passport and visa. You may not be required to get a visa, the group you’re travelling with will be able to tell you if a visa is required.

The list of all required documents for your passport can be found here.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_830.html

All the necessary forms needed here.

 http://travel.state.gov/passport/forms/ds11/ds11_842.html

Additionally the fees associated can be found on the same site.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/fees/fees_837.html

And finally the processing times.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/processing/processing_1740.html

As of this post the processing time is approximately 4-6 weeks. You can expedite the process for an additional $60. Expedited times as of this post are 2-3 weeks.

You’ll also need to get a passport photo. I went to CVS for my photo. http://www.cvsphoto.com/passport-photos

It only took about 10 minutes to process and I walked out with two copies of the photo in my hand.  Some post offices will also take the photo for you. I wouldn’t recommend it but if you’re particularly adventurous you can try to take one of your own. Make sure you research the proper dimensions for it though.

You’ll also need a certified copy of your birth certificate.  The following site lists where to get a copy, by state, if you don’t have one on hand.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm

It was only 10 minutes away so I went to the Department of Health to pick up a copy of mine. The cost was $21.50.