New US Passport Fees Effective JULY 13!

[antda 13]

Place of birth on your US passport certainly hints you may be naturalized. Just about the only government issued form of ID that does.

May be fun to visit other parts of the world, as long as you remember not to drink the water, take that for granted here. Also have to be careful about drinking other stuff that comes in a bottle, may make you do something stupid and land up in some hole they call a jail. Best not to drink at all.

What about a kid born of US citizens in a foreign country, is his place of birth in that country as well? Not sure what they are doing now in this respect, that happened to my dad that gave him a major complex especially since we were at war with the country he was born in. In this case, a kid born here from illegal parents is far better off than a kid born from natural born US citizens in a foreign country is far better off.

But the bottom line of all this, is the most important aspect of this is where you were born, something even that kid of illegal parents has no control over. So why is where you were born made such an important issue? I feel the reason for this, is the leaders that make this an important point are smoking crack. Either that, or they are idiots.

NickD-

Yes, the place of birth is a "big hint" as to whether or not one is naturalized or gained citizenship through other means..

Sorry to hear about your Dad's situation...but I totally understand how he would feel there..

Likewise, I feel the same way too....If one is born in another country (especially in a country that the US has/have fought against), it doesn't mean that person is part of that country, especially more so that they were naturalized and/or spent most of their life in the USA....

So just because someone is born elsewhere, that they are discriminated because of that birth country...Unfair, indeed!

Really, all that should matter is what a person's COUNTRY OF CIITZENSHIP (whcih one has a choice over) is, and not their birth country (which one does not have a choice over)

One travels with an American passport. One is an American, regardless....

No need for birth country or any other country to be mentioned....

Lol...I'll discuss this more in the other threads..As it is sort of off-topic here...

Bottom line: No other country except for the country of citizenship should be mentioned on any passport...

It sure would make things simplier that way....One country mentioned...

That's it...Lol...Guess they want to do things the hard way.....

Ant

P.S. And yes, when travelling to any country, one should be careful of their surroundings and circumstances too.....

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

For the fun of it, I thought I would post just how much it would cost for me to get my travel documents...

US Passport

Normal Delivery 4-6 Weeks...Local Post Office

$5 (Travel Costs to Local Post Office)

$135 (Passport Book)

$55 (Passport Card)

$10 (Passport Photos)

$400+ (Replacement Naturalization Certificate...Yes, things do get lost/stolen/misplaced by the USPS and DHS....)

$5 (Application for Replacement Naturalization Certificate, using USPS delivery confirmation)

$??? (Other Expenses and Time Wasted to get a new Naturalization Certificate...)

US Passport

Expedited Delivery 1-2 Weeks....Option 1.....Local Post Office

$5 (Travel Costs to Local Post Office)

$135 (Passport Book)

$55 (Passport Card)

$10 (Passport Photos)

$60 (Expedited Costs Fee)

$1000+ (Non-Refundable airplane ticket to "nowhere" to prove why I need it expedited, so they don't keep my certificate...)

US Passport

Expedited Delivery 1-2 Weeks....Option 2.....Passport Agency

$50-100 (Travel Costs: Gas to get to a Passport Agency)

$200-500 (Travel Costs: Lodging/Motel/Hotel overnight stay in Passport Agency city)

$135 (Passport Book)

$55 (Passport Card)

$10 (Passport Photos)

$60 (Expedited Costs Fee)

$1000+ (Non-Refundable airplane ticket to "nowhere" to prove why I need it expedited, so they don't keep my certificate...)

US NYS Enhanced Driver's License

Normal Delivery....1-2 Weeks....

$5 (Travel Costs to local DMV)

$80 (EDL Application and Photo Fees)

(note: all documents are given back right away when applying in-person)

Canadian Passport

Normal Delivery....2 Weeks...

$25 (Travel Costs: Gas to get to a Passport Canada Office)

$100 (Passport Book) (though only valid for 5 years)

$20 (Passport Photos and Travel Expenses to get to a photo studio that does photos in Canadian specs.)

$10 (Guarrantor forms mailing expenses)

(note: all documents are given back right away when applying in-person)

(note: there is an option that one can have a 'blank' listed as a 'birth country' for their passport)

I don't know the exact costs for a NEXUS card (other than the $50 for 5 years fee), as I haven't applied for such before...Maybe someone else can post more info about that too....

So as you can see....The expenses of travel documents can get pretty costly.....

Bottom Line: It's best to shop around, and figure out what is the best travel documents for you and your family...

Hope this helps too. Good luck with all your travel documents and good luck with your travels!

Ant

Edited July 5, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA

[NickD 202]

Until a couple of years ago, didn't need nothing to go to Canada, since my company had divisions up there, was traveling back and forth constantly. Still can't believe what's going on today when we had open borders for the last 200 years. And it was done by an executive decision, congress wasn't even involved with this new act.

[antda 13]

Until a couple of years ago, didn't need nothing to go to Canada, since my company had divisions up there, was traveling back and forth constantly. Still can't believe what's going on today when we had open borders for the last 200 years. And it was done by an executive decision, congress wasn't even involved with this new act.

NickD-I know what you mean there.....Back in the "old days" one only had to declare country of citizenship (and maybe show a birth certificate/proof of citizenship, if questioned further) and that was it....

It was like a drive into the next town, across the bridge...And that was it....

Sad to say, when Bush came into power, things changed......

And sad to say too, that there wasn't even a congessional vote on such an issue...

Lol...Did America become a dictatorship under the Bush administration?

By the way, it was under the Bush administration too, that the immigration fees first started to increase....

Just because there were problems in the south, they assumed that they were problems in the north too...

Of course this is not the case....As the relationship between Canada and the USA has been "friendly" for a long time..

There is no other "War of 1812" happening anytime soon! Lol...And even back then, the borders were more 'free' at a time of 'war' then they are now, at a time of peace....

And yes, us NYSers and Canadians complained against about that! It really did make it difficult for business, leisure travel, etc. between Canada and the USA....

And hence, NYS (and some other border states) came up with the solution of an EDL, for US Citizens.....

It's basically what I call a "driver's license and proof of citizenship all in one..."

Kind of like a regular driver's license with the machine readable barcode thing on the bottom...

It works for border crossings.....And I wish more states would issue such too...It would sure be a better and less expensive alternative than a passport....

Lol...On that note, I applaud the DMV for making such a move...They sure work quicker and more effectively than the USCIS and DHS.....It only took 1-2 weeks for an EDL....versus 10 months for a green card....or 4-6 weeks for a passport...

All of these documents have a machine-readable barcode, which is good for cross-border travel purposes...

But why the major differences between all of these documents...Is still a mystery...Lol...Local government works better than federal government, I suppose?

Nevertheless, over the years, travelling has sure become more of an inconvenience and more of an expense.....

Just because of a few "bad guys/terrorists" we all have to suffer when travelling....And that's what I call unfair!!!

Ant

P.S. Lol..Here is another quirky note: If one is under 16...They can travel to Canada by land with just a US Birth Certificate only...One less thing to worry about document-wise......Lol..lucky kids.....

[antda 13]

Information on all travel-related documents (between USA, Canada, and Mexico):

http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/eng_map.html

Hope this helps too...

Ant

[milimelo 4,477]

I hope I beat the fee increase as I just got the appointment for expedited passport on 7/12!

Tips on calling the scheduling line: 1-877-487-2778

1 for English, 2 for traveling within next 14 days

then 1 and then 1

3 is for Central US area

then 3 for Chicago Passport Agency and follow the prompts to either get next available slot or choose your own date. You can have up to 7 family members on one confirmation number.

You will need to bring 5 things:

1. proof of US citizenship (US birth certificate, US naturalization certificate, US citizenship certificate, expired US passport)

2. Photo ID (DL, State ID, military ID)

3. 2 passport photos

4. form of payment - check, money order or major credit card

5. Proof of travel within 14 days - airline confirmed itinerary (e-ticket), letter from employer confirming business travel

Edited July 6, 2010 by milimelo