ARE YOU A U.S. CITIZEN? CAN YOU PROVE IT?

Here's a good travel tip. Never try to go abroad if your passport has less than 90 days validity on it. Passports expire 10 years from the date of issue. Whether you want a new passport or need to renew an old one, the State Department is the place to apply.  If you've never had a passport or have one that expired more than 12 years ago, you must appear in person at either a passport office, authorized U.S. post office or county court building. In Pittsburgh, the passport office is located in the Allegheny County Courthouse, in the office of the Clerk of Courts,  222, Downtown. Take current photo ID, a certified birth certificate with a raised seal, two recent photos 2 inches square and $60 for an adult passport or $40 for a child under the age of 18. Adult passports which have expired within the past five years may be renewed by mail for $40. Forms DSP 11 and DSP 82 can be obtained at any post office or by calling the National Passport Information Center at 900-225-5674 (automated calls cost 35 cents a minute or $1.05 a minute if you speak with an attendant). You also can print out the forms you need by visiting the U.S. State Department's form download Web site http://travel.state.gov/download_applications.html.

Passports normally take three weeks to process, but seasonal demand can double that time. If you need a passport more quickly, you can pay an extra $35 for expedited processing and mail everything to the National Passport Center, Box 371971, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7971. Paying express postal rates or Fed-Ex both ways also speeds up the process.  Because passports are processed according to the traveler's departure dates, mark that information both on your application and the envelope. Follow the instructions, and fill out the form completely. A third of all applications are delayed because of errors and omissions.  In a real pinch, you can take your application and airline ticket to one of the country's 15 passport offices. You must provide proof that your need is great, but the pa perwork for a new passport can be completed in three working days or less. You also can expedite the application yourself. Using an overnight delivery service, mail your application - along with the attachments and proof of travel plans - to Mellon Bank, 3 Mellon Bank Center, Room 153-2723, Pittsburgh, PA 15259-0001.  If you're headed to another country, you also may need a visa. Visas are endorsements stamped in your passport and issued by a country you want to visit. Visas signify that your passport has been examined, found to be in order and you have official permission to enter. Visas were once necessary for travel to most places in the world, but in recent years, the number of countries requiring holders of American passports to obtain one before visiting has declined.  Of the nearly 200 destinations listed by the State Department, more than half have dropped visa requirements, at least for short-term, casual travelers. But key places like Australia, the former communist bloc nations, many countries in Africa, South and Central America, and the Middle East still make travelers go through the visa formalities. (Australia recently introduced an electronic visa, much like an e-ticket.) And if your travel is for business, education or long-term purposes, you'll probably need a visa, even in those countries that have dropped this formality for tourists.  Your travel agent or airline should always tell you when a visa is necessary and help you apply. They may recommend using an express visa service. That adds about $50 to the cost of each visa but greatly expedites the process. The best advice is to leave plenty of time for the paperwork. Since visas are generally stamped right in your passport; you can't apply for more than one at a time. That makes it extra important to check each application carefully. Any mistake, omission, failure to sign or send proper payment can delay the process, and your trip, indefinitely.


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