*The passport fees have recently changed. As of April 2nd, 2018, the passport acceptance fee has gone up from $25 to $35.
The tiny Caribbean island of St. Lucia is an excellent destination for anyone who likes tropical beaches, scuba diving, snorkeling or hiking. Now, you can fly there on JetBlue. Jaunted covered JetBlue’s inaugural flight to St. Lucia, and notes that it is a good deal cheaper than competing fares from old-school airlines like American.
Your flight may not feature rum and cake, like the inaugural flight did, but hey, it’s still an affordable way to get to Paradise.
Of course, if you want to fly with JetBlue to their newest destination, you will need to get a new passport if you don’t already have one.
Here’s a brief rundown of what’s required when you fill out a new passport application:
- You must apply in person at a passport acceptance facility (usually a post office, library or county clerk’s office).
- You’ll need proof of identification and proof of citizenship. You’ll also need a photocopy of your identification.
- You must complete a new passport application, form DS-11.
- Submit 2 passport photos.
- Pay the applicable fees ($70 application fee + $25 execution fee + $60 if you want expedited service).
- Wait at least 6 weeks for regular service, and at least 3 weeks for expedited service.
If you’d like to travel St. Lucia sooner than that, a private passport expediting company is your best bet. With an expediting company, you fill out your passport application at an acceptance facility, then have the documents “sealed.” Send the sealed application packet to the expediting company, and they will forward it directly to the Department of State, putting it on the top of the stack for super-fast processing.
In fact, RushMyPassport.com can often get passport applications processed in as little as 24 hours.