U.S. Passport Rules Are Changing

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thaiworthy

U.S. Passport Rules Are Changing

Post by thaiworthy »

Passport changes are coming, and if you plan on traveling in the future you need to know what passport changes are in store. While it is normally easy to acquire or renew a passport if and when you plan a trip, the State Department says there’s about to be a massive backlog of passport applications. Plus, passports themselves are going to change. Here’s what you should know about both the expected passport application delays and the passport changes coming in the years ahead.

Renew your passport now

You can expect a longer wait for passport applications and renewals starting this year. There were 14.5 million passport renewal requests last year and 20 million requests are expected in 2017 and 2018. You can apply for or renew a passport online through the State Department, or in person at an eligible local agency. Many people are also unaware of the 6-month validity rule that many countries have adopted, including almost all countries in Europe. If you arrive in one of these countries and your passport is set to expire in the next 6 months, you may be denied entry. All the more reason to work on getting your passport renewed as soon as possible.

The Real I.D. Act

The REAL ID Act, passed in 2005 and coming into effect January of 2018, established a set of federal security standards for state driver’s licenses that require specific information and machine-readable technology. Travelers using IDs issued by certain states could be turned away at the gate beginning in 2017, if their state doesn’t adjust to the new standards in time. According to the Department of Homeland Security, after 2020, absolutely all travelers on U.S. domestic flights will no longer accept driver’s licenses as a form of ID, which makes passports a necessity.

Stricter rules for application

As of November, 2016 glasses are no longer allowed in passport photos. The State Department sent away thousands of applications due to poor passport photos, so make sure that you adhere to rules and guidelines for passport photos.

Tip: Glasses are still allowed for medical conditions. Simply send along a doctor’s note with your application.

Passports are getting a makeover, inside and out

A new passport makeover was introduced in July of 2016, and perhaps the biggest change is a new chip being installed inside passports. The chip is featured on the information page, will be machine-readable, and contains key biometric data on each traveler. There are other changes as well, such as fewer passport pages. The new passport will also be sealed with a special coating which will protect the book from getting wet and keep it from bending.

New security features

Passports will now include added technology to ensure security and decrease fraud. Catching up with many other countries, U.S. passport changes mean that new passports will include a data chip that can provide all your personal info upon scanning it onto a computer. According to the State Department there will be even more advanced technological features and forensic devices coming in the future.

http://www.guidester.com/passport-changes/
fountainhall

Re: U.S. Passport Rules Are Changing

Post by fountainhall »

Most European countries introduced many of these changes some years ago. But then another problem arose with UK passport renewals which I wonder if the US will avoid. In 2013 when the UK decided to centre all South-East Asian passport renewals in Hong Kong rather than their individual consulates, elaborate provisions were devised to get passports processed very quickly. Holders had to pay for courier service to and from Hong Kong, but return of the new passport was more or less guaranteed in about 10 days.

Within months, thanks to a reduction in the UK Passport Office budget, it was decided to scrap this new arrangement and thenceforth all UK passports would have to be sent to Liverpool. To get a new passport quickly, this meant even more expensive courier costs.

Then only after this was in place, some bright spark remembered that Thai law requires foreigners to carry passports at all times! So the mandarins in Whitehall had to rethink. The solution which they then came up with and which I had to suffer was I had to photocopy every single page of my existing passport and then send these 50 or so pages by courier along with the renewal application form to Liverpool. Another form required payment by debit card of their estimated fees (including courier return). That cost me not far short of Bt. 10,000 – about double the previous renewal cost. But the new passport did arrive back within about two weeks, whereupon I had to cut the back of the old passport to show it was no longer valid.

Two things then happened. I received a letter stating they had overcharged me by around £7 and would send me a cheque! Utter stupidity since banks here do not accept sterling cheques, I told them just to give it to charity.

Then another solution to the problem was arrived at. To get over the Thai law, within just a few more months it was decided a new UK passport office be opened on Sukhumvit. Naturally systems crashed on the first day! Couriers are still required, but the cost of renewals by this method fell by around 30% over what I paid! So at least renewals are now a lot easier for UK citizens based here (but not those in other South East Asian countries who must still send the original passport and application to the UK).

Three changes in a year had resulted in chaos! But I was later thankful I had applied in January. it got a lot worse. By June, thanks to staff cuts and other savings, the UK office endured a four-month logjam! This was largely a result of masses of overseas passports having to be renewed in the UK rather in the old overseas offices. The passport office just could not cope. Those in Hong Kong were hit hard (there are around 3 million holders of the special British National Overseas passport in addition to some 250,000 Brits). The Consulate there had to issue thousands of expensive temporary passports when the originals failed to come back in time.

Odd, though, considering this was all a result of budget cuts that the previous year the British Hong Kong Consul General had moved her residence. In her wisdom, she rented an entire four-bedroom floor in the world’s second most expensive apartment building, the Frank Gehry-designed Opus Hong Kong. In the same year a buyer paid US$60 million for a similar apartment! How this scandalous waste of money was approved in London is mind-blowing!

I only hope our US cousins will not have to undergo similar ordeals.
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