Beat the Rush During Passport Season

If you plan to travel abroad next year and need to apply for a passport, do it now, says Kristin Jackson of the Chicago Tribune. Because of the new U.S. law that will require passports for travel to Mexico and Canada, passport applications are expected to increase during the winter and spring of 2009. But now through the end of the year is considered the slow season for passport applications, so act quickly and yours could be processed in just a few weeks.

Visit the U.S. Department of State’s Web site for application details and forms, or call (877) 487-2778. First-time passport applicants and children under age 16 are required to apply in person at a passport acceptance facility, which you can locate by visiting the Passport Acceptance Facility search page.

Sarah Amandolare
Senior Writer