Do You Need A Passport?

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<P>A passport is an official government document that certifies one's identity and citizenship and permit's a citizen to travel abroad and the case of a United States passport to enter back into the United States.</P>
<P>When will you need a passport?<BR></P>
<P>The answer depends upon which country you planning to visit. A passport is required by many countries upon entry to their country. Also, a document indicating proof of citizenship is always required to re-enter the United States. In some instances (Mexico, Canada, etc.), a valid driver's license and a birth certificate will suffice as the proof of citizenship; however, as indicated many countries require a passport to gain entry to their country and the United States State Department "recommends" a passport as evidence of citizenship in ALL cases.</P>
<P>Does my child need a passport?<BR></P>
<P>Yes. Anyone traveling to a country that requires a passport must have their own passport no matter how old. The US Department of state has hired additional personnel to meet the demand for Americas extraordinary requests for passports. Records are being broken as the Department is working hard to ensure every US Citizen gets a passport in time for vacation and travel. Regional agencies have worked through the weekend. Employees have been working overtime hours to meet the demand.</P></DIV>
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<P>If you have questions call the National Passport Information Center at (1-877-487-2778). This center will remain open for limited weekend hours to make emergency arrangement for travelers. The hours that you can call are from 6 a.m. until midnight. If you have applied for a passport you can check the status on line at <A href="http://travel.state.gov/" target=_new rel="nofollow">http://travel.state.gov</A><BR></P>
<P>Information is normally on line about four weeks after you submit your application. if you plan to leave within the next two weeks visit <A href="http://travel.state.gov/passport/about/npic/npic_895.html" target=_new rel="nofollow">http://travel.state.gov/passport/about/npic/npic_895.html</A><BR>Travelers who have not applied for passports to date should plan ten weeks for standard passport processing and two weeks for expedited processing. Information on how to apply for a passport, including how to expedite processing, is available at <A href="http://travel.state.gov/" target=_new rel="nofollow">http://travel.state.gov</A><BR></P>
<P>Applicants requesting expedited service must write "EXPEDITE" on the outside of the envelope containing their application.</P>
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<P>Article Source: <A href=http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Vernon_Lee rel="nofollow">http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vernon_Lee</A></P></DIV></DIV></TD>
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