Travel Documents Part 1: Passport

Got my passport in the mail.  Yu was happy to find out too.

Every place you go outside of your home country will require some form of documentation when traveling.  For my trip to visit Yu, I will need some travel documents.  I will need a passport and a Chinese visa.  I have never had a passport before so I was looking forward to doing something new.  I was able to fill out my forms online to submit my application at the local passport office.

I am sure most people can apply without issues of needing more information to prove who they are.  I was unlucky.  I had to send a lot more information that were five or more years old.  It was a bit frustrating to be honest because these were not expressed to me before I applied. It took a long time for them to notify me that more information was needed then it took even more time to get my passport. Yu was getting worried about it, which made me more anxious about it.

Based on my experience, make sure you allow a lot of time.  It took about two and a half months for me to get my passport which is longer than the four to six weeks that is said to be the processing time.  Make sure to also give enough time for any technological and other problems that the processing office may have.  During my processing of my application there were a lot of issues with technology problems. 

If you are applying for a USA passport, click here to learn more about applying for one.  It was helpful to use their online resources to help calculate the cost as well. Their online forms help fill in the information in the form for you too so it was very easy to fill it out.  Take your time and print it off for the application to be given to the local passport office. 

What is next on the list?

1. Doctor visit for travel and getting medical papers
2. Chinese Visa
3. Single Proof Certificate for marriage registration in China