GETTING AN AMERICAN PASSPORT: HELPFUL TIPS

These days Americans have a greater need for passports than ever before due to new U.S. government requirements. But getting the passport can be something of a hassle, especially if you find you need it very close to the time you aim to travel or if you have unusual personal situations, such as applying for multiple passports for small children or you have changed your name since obtaining your current passport. When the U.S. government first expanded its requirements for passports, applicants waited two and three months to get their documents. The situation has improved since, but things always move more smoothly if you have a handle on the basics.

Many of the following tips, for first-time or experienced international travelers, are offered by passport expert David Alwadish, who has owned the passport- and visa-expediting service, ItsEasy.com in Great Neck, N.Y., for some 30 years. The advice includes the kinds of situations that are most likely to trip up a traveler either when applying for a passport or later in the life of that document.

Apply for a passport at an authorized post office well in advance. For an urgently needed passport, use the services of a passport expediter.

Only original color photos with white or off-white backgrounds are accepted by the U.S. State Department. No copies or digitally scanned photos are allowed.

Dress appropriately for the passport photo. No hats, scarves or sunglasses are allowed, unless required for health or religious reasons.

Yes, you do need a passport for a baby — even a newborn — if flying abroad, or a passport card if traveling by land or sea to Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean.

Both parents (mother and father if named on the birth certificate, even if divorced) must sign the application forms for a child’s passport, unless one parent can prove sole custody.

Note that a child’s passport (under age 16) is only valid for five years, although an adult’s is valid for 10 years.

If your name has changed since you obtained your last passport, you must include with your new application a marriage certificate or court order reflecting the name change, and the document must bear the official seal of the issuing authority. A notarized document is not acceptable. If you don’t have this documentation, you will have to make a personal appearance to apply for a passport.

Sign your full name in blue or black ink in your new passport, but fill in the emergency page in pencil. That information could change in the 10-year life of the document.

Keep in mind that many countries insist your passport be valid for six months beyond the end of your trip.

Also, be aware that some countries — like South Africa — insist on as many as three empty “Visa” pages in your passport. “Amendments and Endorsements” pages will not do. Frequent travelers can ask for a 48-page document when applying for a new passport or can have more pages added to an old one.

Always carry a copy of the picture page of your passport. If you lose the document in a foreign country, showing this copy to the U.S. Embassy will speed up the replacement.

For more information about current and planned U.S. passport requirements, go to BTC's New passport requirements: A quick review]. Also, see www.travel.state.gov.

Sources: David Alwadish, owner and CEO of ItsEasy.com (www.itseasy.com); the U.S. State Department.