Renew your US Passport now

If your US Passport is expiring in 2016 or early 2017, or if you are applying for a first passport for yourself or a child, get your new US Passport now to save time, money and stress. More passports expire this year than in history, and the US State Dept. warns of a major backlog.

Simply, the longer you wait to apply or renew, the longer you will wait for your new document.

A State Dept. spokesperson told me that a whopping 50 million US passports expire this year, twice the usual number. Officials expect 1.5 million more applications this year than in 2015.

I got my passport renewed in less than a week last fall. You won’t be so lucky this year. You could wait a month or more, and it could cause you to forfeit a planned trip.

Click here for official State Dept site to apply or renew.

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

Blame it on the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. It went into effect in 2007, requiring passports for the first time passports for Americans returning by air from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda. So, millions of travelers applied for passports in 2006. Those are the ones expiring now, in 2016.

Although many of those expiring passports don’t expire until the second half of the year, don’t play Passport Roulette. Renew now, even if you still have a year left on your passport, before the summer travel crush adds to the renwewal or application wait time.

Click here for official State Dept site to apply or renew.

Real ID Act

Another reason the State Dept. is warning about a passport backlog is because of the Real ID Act, which sets stricter standards for driver’s licenses and other identity cards. Simply, after January 2018, you might not be able to get on a plane using your driver’s license, unless your state has complied with the new standards.

Most states and US territories have complied with the new rules, but that hasn’t stopped panicked travelers from renewing or applying early. Only five states and a territory have not complied so far — Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Washington and American Samoa.

• Click here for official State Dept site to apply or renew.

Six-month warning

Another reason to renew soon is that more countries are getting more serious about enforcing a requirement that your passport is still valid for at least three month, six months, or even nine months, from your date of arrival in a foreign country. Every year, the State Dept. gets frantic calls from Americans who were denied entry at foreign airports and borders because their passports did not have enough time left on them.

Don’t get stranded. Renew now. Another benefit of a new passport is that many visas are good for the life of the passport. So don’t get an expensive visa for Brazil, Egypt, China, or such on an “old” passport.

• Click here for official State Dept site to apply or renew.

Passport application secrets

You can apply by mail, or in person, but not online. Submit the forms, including a photo, at a Passport office in major cities such as New York City, or in a designated US Post Office, court or other agency. The fee is $110 for a renewal and $135 for a first-time, and there are additional fees for expedited processing and delivery.

If you are a frequent traveler, request the larger 52-page passport instead of the standard 26, for no additional charge.

If you are willing to take the chance, you can get an emergency, expedited renewal or first-time passport if you have confirmed airline flights or other foreign travel arrangements within three weeks, or a family emergency that requires immediate travel. This can be done by mail or in person, and costs an extra $60.

That’s what I did last fall. I made an appointment online at the NYC office, handed over my expiring passport, forms and a check for $180, and returned the next day to get my shiny new US Passport.

There are passport services that will do the paperwork for you, for an fee that can double, or more, than doing it yourself, and not any faster.

Global Entry and TSA Pre-Check

If you are a frequent traveler, or traveling with young children, the Global Entry card is well worth the $100 fee for five-years. It speeds you through US Customs on return to the US, when you can use a lighting fast kiosk instead of standing on a rope-line.

And because you have been vetted by US Customs, which issues the card, you can also speed through airport security lines at US airports. Some foreign airports are recognizing the Global Entry card, too. Last fall I zipped through the Frankfurt Airport arrivals with my Global Entry card.