Not surprisingly, there are several different varieties of US passport application forms. Depending upon the prospective traveler’s needs, age, work situation and even name, there is likely to be a form for each. While not nearly as cumbersome as the awesome amount of federal government tax forms, sometimes it is helpful to employ a private firm to help weed through the paperwork.
An intelligent traveler will want to get as much information as they can about these forms before taking on this monumental task. To get the most up to date information, the State Department website is probably the best bet. However, there are also plenty of private agencies that will provide this information as well as offer services to complete the forms.
Processing passports is a big business, much bigger than many people realize. If this is the route that is taken, it is very important to make sure that the passport agency that is used is actually an approved agency that is registered with the US Passport Agency. These companies have a proven track record and are excellent at the services that they provide.
There are many different forms that are available other than the standard passport application. For instance, someone that has to change their name will have to fill out the DS-5504. The DS-82 is for passport renewals and the DS-3053 is to be filled out for minors. All of these forms are of course in addition to the standard from, not to replace it.
Looking at all of these forms and trying to figure them out has made more than one person scream for help. There is nothing wrong with hiring a private agency to handle this task. Actually, for many people, it is a much better idea to hire someone than risk wasting all day long only to find out that some form of documentation is missing or the wrong form was used.
Another great feature of these private agencies is that they can also expedite visa paperwork requirements which can vary quite a bit from country to country. The private companies pride themselves in giving their clients instructions that are easy to understand and painstakingly outline the steps one by one. A number of the companies offer the option to communicate by email, or will provide personal travel document consultations by telephone.
It would be nice to think that these added services were part of our tax money, but that is not the case. The expedited companies are private businesses and they have their own fee structure over and above what the government charges. It is important to make sure that you know if their fees are inclusive or if the government fees will be tacked on to their total.
When it comes time for obtaining and completing pasport application forms, it really is a choice of doing it yourself and waiting four to six weeks to receive the travel document or turning it over to a professional. Both ways are workable, but the main difference is whether or not a traveler has this much time available prior to a trip abroad. Add to this the possibility of errors and further time delays and it just seems that a private U.S. passport agency is the way to go for those who can afford to do so.