Visa & Passport Services

Overview

People who plan to leave the United States and visit a foreign country for any purpose must obtain the appropriate government-issued travel documents before departure, to ensure a hassle-free trip.
While many countries allow US passport holders to enter their territory without a visa, others require one – either in advance or on arrival.

Applying for a U.S. passport or international visa can be done either independently or by commercial third-party service providers.
Passport and visa expeditors are private companies that do not operate as a part of the U.S. Department of State or other branches of the federal government.

These businesses take the guesswork out of this crucial process and help private, and business customers gather all the materials needed to fill out the proper application and verify its completeness and accuracy.

Then, they apply along with any supporting documents to a regional passport agency or the relevant foreign embassy on the customer’s behalf and verify that it is processed as quickly as possible.
Sometimes, the entire procedure can be finalized rapidly, within as little as 24 to 48 hours, while in others it may take longer.

Common passport services include:

• New Passport
• Passport Renewal
• Child Passport
• Lost, Stolen or Damaged Passport
• Name Change
• Second Passport

Frequent users of such services include people that don’t live near one of the official passport agencies in the United States, individuals who wish to avoid the crowds and the notoriously long lines, those who don’t have enough free time or simply prefer someone else to deal with the work and inconvenience of submitting all the paperwork.

In addition, some customers need their passports or visas at the last minute, due to an emergency or other urgent circumstances that require them to leave in a hurry.
Usually, fees will vary depending on how fast the customer needs his or her travel papers to be ready.

Expeditors can also be a good source for handling last-minute tourist, business or other types of visa applications to places like Brazil, China, Russia, India and other countries that require them.

Private visa expediting agencies work directly with embassies and consulates, help to get the desired visa fast, relieving customers from the hassle of doing it by themselves.
The good companies in this industry provide important additional benefits, such as application form filling assistance, regular status updates, overnight courier delivery, and others.

Consumer Tips: How to Avoid Visa and Passport Service Scams Online

Just like any other field that involves travelers, businesses, and money that switches hands, the travel document expediting market also has its fair share of scammers, fraudsters and cybercriminals that operate online and look for potential victims.
Scammers use many illegal or unethical ways to trick innocent travelers, who want to get their official papers in time, before their trip.

Some companies make false claims regarding their guaranteed turnaround time, such as promises to provide same-day or next-day rush service for passports or visas.
When these time and speed commitments are not met, it can obviously lead to serious consequences, including canceled flights, lost vacations, massive financial damages, aggravation, and others.

Other passport websites use web design, graphic elements or actual texts that mislead consumers to think that they are dealing with an official government organization or the US State Department’s passport services.

Also, certain low-end providers are not transparent enough regarding their complete fee structure, use deceptive advertising techniques, tend to have continuous expedited shipping “errors” when documents are supposedly sent to customers or have terrible customer service in general.

Taking these steps will help you find credible and reliable companies and complete the entire process in a safe, secure and satisfactory way:

Investigate the Passport Expediting Company’s BBB Record

Check the company’s record on the Better Business Bureau’s website.
What you’ll find there, will help you evaluate whether it’s a legitimate business that deserves your money and trust or if you must look elsewhere.

Look for current BBB rating, customer reviews, complaints, warnings and alerts on their business profile.
In addition, learn how long it has been in business – a potential indicator of experience and reputation.

If the expeditor is not even listed with the BBB, this is a very bad sign.
On the other hand, if the passport and visa service is certified as a BBB Accredited Business, it’s an important positive signal.

Pay Close Attention to Red Flags

Learn how to protect yourself better when ordering goods and services on the internet, to avoid scammers and keep safe in general.
Knowing how to check if a website is legitimate or not is the first line of defense.