A passport to debt Why you may be paying too much for document

Source: The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.迷你倉Oct. 13--EBENSBURG -- Heading out of the country and in need of a passport?Cambria County Prothonotary Debbie Martella hopes people will come to her office in Ebensburg rather than going online.Especially if the passport is not needed in less than two weeks.The trip to Martella's office could save applicants $69 over paying a web-based courier service for the process.The $69 fee is in addition to the $135 charged at the prothonotary's office for processing the passport and the State Department fee.Martella's staff is seeing a significant number of people showing up at the office only after having paid the $69 in unnecessary fees."I just feel bad. I feel these people are getting ripped off. They didn't have to pay this money," she said. "The application still has to come to us. We will process it."Web-based courier services have been around for years, said Carla Portash, deputy prothonotary who handles much of the passport business.But as use of the Internet increases, so has the number of people who are confused by the numerous courier service sites that pop up."We Google it. We go online for everything," Portash said."They can go online and print the application and fill it out, but they must sign it in front of someone from the prothonotary's office."The courier services that pop up when information is sought about passports are legitimate, privately run sites that are neither approved nor endorsed by the U.S. Department of State, the agency which oversees the regulations.While they've been around for some time, courier services have grown in popularity since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and tightening up in foreign travel.At one point, getting a passport would 儲存倉ake months, Martella said. That has changed significantly through steps taken to reduce the waiting time."Now it can be less than four weeks," she said.But even if the passport is needed in less time, Martella said, her office is still ready and able to help."I just want people to know that if they need a passport in two weeks, come to us. We can expedite it," she said. "We can get it."The only time a courier service may be helpful is if a passport is needed within a much shorter time."But you still have to come to us and you must show proof that you are leaving within the two weeks," she said.That expedited service will carry an additional fee, she said.Another problem Martella and her staff are seeing is people with insufficient proof of identity.The birth certificate is key, she said, but it must show the names of both parents.Not all birth certificates provide that information.Steps to getting a passport:--Must have birth certificate showing parents' names.--A passport photograph widely available at many sites.--A photo ID.--A $110 check payable to the U.S. Department of State for ages 18 and over.--An $80 check for ages under 18.--$25 fee for the prothonotary -- a fee set by the State Department.--A completed application that must be signed in front of an agent of the prothonotary.--Information is submitted to the State Department by the prothonotary's office.--The passport is sent directly to the applicant.Kathy?Mellott covers the Cambria County courthouse for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/kathymellotttd.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 The Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown, Pa.) Visit The Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown, Pa.) at .tribune-democrat.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉最平