Travel Agent - August 6, 2007 - (Page 18)

Cover Story Continued from page 17 passport application is “pending,” Dolstra advises telling clients to wait until they are within 14 days of their departure date. If there is no record of the application, she says that agents should advise clients to call their congressperson’s office. are located in Washington, D.C. expedited fee or use an expediting You can only apply to the regional service such as Briggs’. “The lines are offices if you are traveling in the next long and then you sit and wait about 14 days, so it should be used only as a two and a half or three months before last resort. Also, Briggs says that many it arrives,” says Jordan. “Even when a countries require that visitors’ passclient purchases the expedited service, ports not expire within six months of instead of two weeks to get their passtheir trip. port, it’s taking a month or more. Travel “There is little about the passport plans are being interrupted and in some Losing a Passport process that remains cases halted.” Clients who lose a unknown,” Dolstra Gillette says that there have been passport while travelsays. “However, most many questions surrounding the expeing outside of the U.S. applicants are not diting process as well. Gillette recomhave to contact a U.S. aware that every mends that agents provide their clients Consulate in that congressional office with the link to the official receipt area country, which will has a person who acts of the government web site and assist issue them a tempoas a liaison with the them in printing their application rerary passport. Porter National Passport Cen- ceipts. “We have strongly counseled Briggs, president of A ter and who can assist many customers to procure duplicate Briggs Passport & in emergency cases. certified copies of their birth certificates Visa Expeditors, says Even these ‘secret and pay to expedite that process too,” that the safest thing Gillette says. Heather Dolstra, Democracy Travel weapons’ have been for an agent to do is to overwhelmed during Briggs’ company, A Briggs Passport & go to the State Department’s web site the recent passport crisis, but they are Visa Expeditors, can get a passport in as and register clients, letting the Conthere as part of constituent services.” early as 24 hours, i.e. one business day. sulate know that you will be leaving the The number of passport applications Most of their business is for travel U.S. and where you will be going. has grown so much recently that a new agents’ clients. Travel agents get disTherefore, if there is a problem, if you centralized facility needed to be opened counts, but Briggs preferred not reveal lose your passport or anything else, in Arkansas. The Arkansas Passport to us the amount of the discount, since there is already a record of your trip, Center in Hot Springs, where the it varies based on the amount of busimaking it easier for the U.S. Consulate physical passport is ness the agent does with to resolve the issue. Many agents don’t produced, was officially his company. Briggs’ do this, Briggs says. You might not want opening during a ribcompany has to submit to scare your clients into thinking this is bon cutting ceremony proof that they are leavnecessary but assure them its just to in June. ing the country in one side on side of caution. The passport day. They have to submit application is first a computer-generated Where to Get a Passport adjudicated before an itinerary and/or a flight Within the Department of State’s Bureau electronic signal is sent confirmation of Consular Affairs (U.S. Department of via the Internet to For more information State), the Passport Services Directorate Arkansas and the 13 on A Briggs, agents serves U.S. citizens needing U.S. passoffices nationwide should Porter Briggs at ports and protects the integrity of the telling the facility that 202-464-3000, e-mail U.S. passport as proof of U.S. citizenship it is all right to produce porter@abriggs.com or at home and around the world. the passport. This visit www.abriggs.com. Passport Services consists of 13 facility can produce Regional Passport Office Agencies, one about 10 to 12 million Briggs on Visas Special Issuance Agency, two National passports a year; in Briggs says that he has Margie Jordan, ASAP Travel Processing Facilities, The National Pass- comparison, the 13 talked to “thousands” of port Information Center and a network other offices produce a total of people about visa issues. “Most of the of more than 6,000 public government 1-2 million passports a year all countries to which American citizens offices across the U.S. designated by together, Briggs says. travel do not require visas,” he says, Passport Services to accept applications. Dolstra says that the best solution Continued on page 20 Passport Services headquarters offices is to plan well ahead and pay the 18. TravelAgent August 6, 2007 http://www.abriggs.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - August 6, 2007

Contents Editor's Letter News You Can Use Cover Story - Passports and Visas: What Clients Should Know About Them EUROPE: Capella Debuts Two Properties This Year LAS VEGAS: The De-Theming of Luxor HAWAII: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea Renovates CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA: Cruising the Panama Canal Lavishly CARIBBEAN & BAHAMAS: Bahamas’ Grand Isle Resort & Spa News and Notes Meet the U.S.V.I.’s Tourism Commissioner CRUISES: Defining Regent Seven Seas HOTELS: InterContinental Harbor Court Baltimore Agent Exchange Luxury Travel Expo Update Ad and Edit Index Classified Marketplace People & Places

Travel Agent - August 6, 2007

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