Last-minute travel deals abound on the Internet and they are frequently a great value. Travelers purchasing one to a destination abroad will need to obtain a rush passport if they are not already a passport holder. The standard and expedited processing times for passport will not put the passport book immediately in the traveler’s hands, so there are other avenues that must be explored.

Obtaining a rush passport is best accomplished by using an independent online processing company. These companies charge an additional fee in order to provide an applicant with a new passport within as little as 24 hours. They offer varying turnaround times and different companies charge different fees for this service, so do some Internet research prior to selecting a company.

In order to use such a service, the applicant will need to follow the instructions on the company’s Web site. The standard government DS-11 passport application may be downloaded directly from the company’s or the government agency’s Web site. These sites also contain instructions for completing the application and they provide answers to relevant frequently asked questions.

The applicant will need to provide specific documents testifying to citizenship in order to obtain a passport. A certified birth certificate from the city, county, or state of birth is one of the acceptable forms of documentation. The birth certificate must have an official seal and must contain the date the birth was registered with the municipality.

The next item will be a copy of the applicant’s driver’s license and this must be no less than six months old. If, for whatever reason, the applicant does not possess a driver’s license, there are secondary forms of identification that are acceptable in order to help prove the applicant’s identity. These can come in the form of a state issued ID card, a professional license or a combination of other items that show both a picture of the applicant and a signature.

Once all the paperwork has been put together and all necessary copies made, the service provider will request that it all be sent to one of their offices for processing. This should be done by a private carrier such as FedEx or UPS. This not only ensures that the paperwork all gets there safely and in the shortest time possible. It also allows for it to be tracked the entire trip, reducing the chance of vital personal information being lost or misplaced.

When using a private processing company, the passport applicant will need to send two separate payments. The first amount will be payable directly to the government for passport processing. The second amount will be payable to the service company for their rush processing charges. The acceptable forms of payment are personal check, certified check, or money order.

The online pass port services that provide the means to a rush U.S. passport are all certified by the government in order to be allowed to perform their function. They work directly with the issuing agency to make this a quick and painless process. By going on the Internet and doing a quick search, all the service providers of this type may be found and compared.