The No-Fee Passport Rules
A
look around the U.S. State Department's travel website will reveal the
words "no-fee passport" here and there. If you have ever wondered why
you pay $145 (application fee + execution fee) for your passport book
when such a thing as a no-fee passport exists, here's why. No-fee
passports are only issued to those going overseas for the express
purpose of working in some capacity for the U.S. Government. A benefit
of this responsibility is the no-fee passport for the government worker
and his or her dependents who are traveling along.
These no-fee passports are issued by the
Special Issuance Agency
of the U.S. State Department, and are assigned according to three types
that are determined by the nature of the applicant's work; regular
no-fee, diplomatic, and official. The type of no-fee passport depends
upon the reason for the government worker's travel, and is determined
by the Special Issuance Agency. If you happen to be among those who
qualify for a no-fee passport and are authorized to travel with
dependents, your dependents will be issued no-fee passports as well;
they will not be included under yours.
The government agency that sponsors your travel will be the one to
alert you of the need for a no-fee passport. They will provide you with
instructions on how to submit your application. The only fee that may
be required is a twenty-five dollar execution fee when applying. This
is at the discretion of the passport acceptance facility you choose,
and is because your signature must be witnessed by a passport
acceptance agent. When your no-fee passport is issued, it will be
delivered to your employer, or the government agency that is
responsible for your travel. It is imperative that you include the
address of the sponsoring facility when you apply, because these
passports are not delivered to private individuals.
You should know when and how you can use your no-fee passport overseas.
It is one of those rare opportunities when you can be in possession of
two U.S. passports at the same time; your no-fee passport and your
regular fee passport. Your no-fee passport is for use during the
commission of official duties only, and it is prohibited for use in any
kind of personal travel. If you plan on doing personal travel while on
an official overseas assignment, you must use your regular fee
passport. You can carry both passports with you, so you should never
have a problem as long as you use them appropriately.
If you are one of those people who have heard of no-fee passports and
held out hope that there was a way for you to get one instead of
shelling out $145, it is simply not possible. No-fee passports are an
employment benefit, and are issued solely to citizens who are traveling
abroad while working on behalf of the United States Government.
For a list of requirements for a new fee-based passport,
click here. Processing takes up to 6 weeks. You can get expedited fee-based passports at an
application acceptance facility, a
regional agency or through a
registered courier service.
Get your passport fast.
Expedite Your Passport Now!
A
look around the U.S. State Department's travel website will reveal the
words "no-fee passport" here and there. If you have ever wondered why
you pay $145 (application fee + execution fee) for your passport book
when such a thing as a no-fee passport exists, here's why. No-fee
passports are only issued to those going overseas for the express
purpose of working in some capacity for the U.S. Government. A benefit
of this responsibility is the no-fee passport for the government worker
and his or her dependents who are traveling along.
