Five Easy Steps on How to Get a Passport

Summer may be in full swing but for those of us who have jobs or want to wait to travel post-summer vacation season, it’s the perfect time to start planning those autumn trips! That international trip to Europe you’ve been dying to take since forever? Might as well do it now! There is so much of this world to see that it’s best to take every opportunity you can. However, before you begin on booking those trips, one major thing you need to do first is to figure out how to get a passport if you don’t have one already. It’s a fairly easy process, but sometimes it can take a while to receive.

Here are five easy steps on getting a passport:

1. Get your proof of citizenship. If you were born in the U.S., you need to get the original copy of your birth certificate. If you don’t have the original copy, you’ll need to get in touch with the city/county government where you were born and get a new, certified one sent to you.

2. Take a photo. Ah yes, the dreaded passport photo. Make sure you go to a place that knows how to take an official passport photo, like the drug store or even your local AAA. Try to look your best, as it will be with you for 10 years!

3. Pull together money for fees. Unfortunately, getting a passport isn’t free and will set you back about $100: $75 for the application fee and $25 for the execution fee.

4. Fill out the application. You can fill it out online and print it out, or print a blank copy and fill it out by hand. Either way, do NOT sign it until you are applying in person.

5. Turn in application, money, photos, and your proof of birth. Once you have everything you need, head over to your local passport acceptance facility. Turn everything in, get accepted and then wait for your brand-new passport in the mail. You’ll be jet setting before you know it!

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