A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors

Now the news media is ganging up on the State Department saying it overcharged citizens more than $100,000,000. It’s a long story, as they say, but the essence is that the $30 applicants pay to the acceptance agent at a post office or court house at the time they apply is twice as much as the actual cost of the process of accepting an application according to a government study.

Talking about the passport acceptance process Senator Byron Dorgan said, “This is not supposed to be a profit-making venture. They charge 30 bucks just for passing something across the counter.”

Well, we know what is involved in the process of accepting passport applications by the acceptance agent, and it can be very complex depending on the quality of the identifying documents presented by applicants when they apply.

Our passport expediting company belongs to an association, the National Association of Passport and Visa Services, and it made a statement in response to a question about this issue from a reporter. It’s statement sums up our feeling on the matter and is quoted in part in the following:
“Our firms work closely with all but two of the passport agencies that are open to the public. In the past year, our firms have submitted hundreds of thousands of applications in behalf of citizens, so we know Passport Services very well. The people that work there are dedicated, hard working public servants, and we have never seen any evidence of waste on their part.

“Acceptance agents provide a critical role by correctly identifying passport applicants. Sometimes that is relatively easy and other times it can be complex depending on the quality of identifying documents presented by the applicant when they appear before an acceptance agent to apply for a passport.

“We have never seen nor heard anything to suggest anyone in the passport issuance process is in any way intentionally overcharging applicants. We do not have access to any authoritative studies of internal operations of Passaport Services or acceptance agent opertions, so we cannot comment on the studies being quoted.

“However, it is ironic that this year in the face of skyrocketing demand, passport expediting firms turned away tens of thousands of Americans wanting to use their services because Pasport Services reduced the number of applications individual firms can submit. Our firms’ passport expediting services start at $65 and go up depending on how quickly the passport is needed. Our firms serve almost all of the major corporations in the U.S and all of the major travel companies and online booking agencies; and through their trade associations, they have collectively urged Passport Services to allow our individual companies to submit more applications.

“With the passport card coming on line soon, it is critical that Passport Services utilize the services of private passport service firms to help citizens who needs a passport or a passport card quickly.”

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a visa and check the requirements for entry.

The requirement for having a passport or passcard for land and sea crossings into the U.S. has not yet been established as law. Everyone entering the U.S. by air must have a valid passport.

The government is talking about a date in mid-2008 to require a passport or passcard for entrance to the U.S. by land and sea, but we do not think it will be able to meet that date. Our expectation is that the requirement for having a passport or passcard for land and sea crossings into the U.S. will be implemented in the first six months of 2009, but certainly no later than June 30, 2009.

Meanwhile, until then, the government rules state you can enter the U.S. by land or sea with a state-issued photo I.D. and an original or certified copy of your birth certificate or a valid passport. If you are traveling by air and need an expedited passport, you can contact A Briggs for assistance.

If you are flying into the U.S., you must have a valid passport in your possession.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a visa and check the requirements for entry.

It’s a small achievement, but it is just the first of thousands of automatic passport readers at borders around the world.

The idea is to replace immigration officers at the border. You would simply scan your own passport and it checks your facial features and your iris to ascertain if the passport holder is the same person appearing at the border. Sort of like checking yourself out at Walmart.

It’ll be faster and safer. Another benefit of technology. Also, it may take a few hours longer to issue an expedited passports when these passports are issued by all countries.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a visa and check the requirements for entry.

It’s a small achievement, but it is just the first of thousands of automatic passport readers at borders around the world.

The idea is to replace immigration officers at the border. You would simply scan your own passport and it checks your facial features and your iris to ascertain if the passport holder is the same person appearing at the border. Sort of like checking yourself out at Walmart.

It’ll be faster and safer. Another benefit of technology. Also, it may take a few hours longer to issue an expedited passports when these passports are issued by all countries.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a visa and check the requirements for entry.