On another thread, I have been explaining my daughter's problem in trying to get her passport replaced in a day for a flight tomorrow. We have no experience with any of the agencies that advertise that they will get your passport replaced in a day, and if anyone has any experiences to report, I would really appreciate it. We are tentatively going with TRAVISA because their web site is very clear and they have some testimonials that seem to be legitimate. This is a real nail-biter for this nervous mother.

Hi reynold

Can't help here. Suggest you call the office of The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton, your rep in DC.

I linked your other thread here for you, in case people want to read what's been suggested so far:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34547405

I think that they seem legitimate. See, for example, this article:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/1203...rt-smiles.html

Quote:

The U.S. State Department issued more than seven million passports last year. The majority of them through private passport expediting companies like "Travisa" at Jackson and Dearborn. And from now on when they take your photo, the government says it's time to put on an unhappy face.

Call your congressman ASAP. They will be able to tell you where to go to expedite the process.

Thanks very much, 111op, both for doing the link to the other thread and for the link to the news story. That put my mind at rest, but I will still be nervous till I know she actually has the passport in her hands and is on her way to Dulles. I also agree with the poster on the other thread who described how these agencies work as a kind of "scalping." They sign up for free government services and then they charge you $139 to do what you could have done by yourself for nothing. But all in all, I guess I'm just relieved that she will be able to get the passport, even at that cost. When compared to the cost of the plane ticket, and the hotels and car rentals that have all been planned for this reunion of 7 people and three generations, it seems like a small price to pay.

Hi l, I think that your daughter will be fine. I had a friend who dealt with the passport agency in New York, and I think that he got his passport the same day (fortunately he didn't have to use Travisa or some other agency).

It is really outrageous what these commercial agencies do.

you can and should take care of it yourself!! Don't spend the money on an agency- especially if you're in the DC area and can go to an office yourself or I should say your daughter can go).

Highledge, I agree that we should be able to do it ourselves. In the other thread, I explained that the passport service has a limited number of personal appointments available each day for same day service and what happens is that these agencies request them ahead of time. so when my daughter called this morning to request a same day appointment, she was told that the first one available was on January 3. And sure enough, the agency Travisa has appointments available tomorrow and they will do it for her. So it's a racket, but there's really no option at this point.

would it be possible for her to GO to the office and beg/plead/try for an appointment or is security too strict these days? I'd assume that if the companies book the appointments and don;t "sell" the slots that there would be time in the schedule.

I would second the use of your daughter's DC US Representative. These offices will be abole to contact the legislative Liaison and ight speed things along. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!!

As an aside, my husband's passport was stolen in London a few years ago. (we live in London). We went to the US Embassy that day to get him a replacement/temporary one as he travels a lot and couldn't be without his. I needed to be there to sign paperwork and vouch for him. There were also tourists there doing the same thing. He was issued a temp passport with a very short expiration date. When his new one arrived at the embassy he had to give up the temp one.
This was post 9/11 in a foreign country. It CAN be done!! have your daughter GO THERE ASAP!!