Tag: passports

EXCLUSIVE: Albanian Immigrants Offered Fake UK Documents and Passports by Criminals

Counterfeit European passports and UK driving licences are being sold for thousands of pounds to illegal immigrants by Albanian criminals, The Epoch Times has learned. The sophisticated forgery racket is being advertised in secret social media groups targeting Albanian asylum seekers with promises that the documents will help secure housing and employment in the UK….


Traveling Internationally This Summer? Here’s What You Need to Know About Passports

By Alexandra Skores From The Dallas Morning News Travelers are flocking to international destinations this summer to make up for canceled trips during the pandemic. But during the pandemic, some travelers may have forgotten about one key part of international travel: a passport. The U.S. Department of State is estimating 10 to 13 weeks of…


The World’s Most Expensive, Cheapest Passports

By Patrick Clarke From TravelPulse Australia is the most expensive country in the world when it comes to passport fees in 2023. Expat insurance provider William Russell recently analyzed the costs of identification and travel documents across the globe to reveal which countries’ documents are the most expensive and cheapest to secure. At a total…


3 Men Jailed for Supplying Fugitives With ‘Genuine’ Passports

Three men have been jailed for running a racket that supplied fugitive drug traffickers and murderers with “genuine” passports. Christopher Zietek, 67, and Alan Thompson, 72, were found guilty in March, after a nine-week trial, while Anthony Beard, 61, pleaded guilty on the eve of his trial. Jailing them at Reading Crown Court on Tuesday,…


Your Passport Could Take Longer to Get. Tips to Prevent Wait Times From Ruining Trips

By Simone Jasper From The Charlotte Observer Your new passport could take longer than usual to arrive, bringing the potential to snarl your upcoming travel plans. The U.S. Department of State announced passport applications filed after March 24 could take up to three months to process as it faces a surge in requests. “Processing times…


2 Men Convicted of Exploiting Loophole to Make ‘Genuine’ UK and Latvian Passports for Fugitives

Two men have been convicted of running a racket supplying fugitive drug traffickers and murderers with “genuine” passports that allowed them to pass through border control all over the world without any trouble. Christopher Zietek, who changed his name from McCormack after marrying his Polish girlfriend, and his sidekick Alan Thompson were convicted on Friday…


Americans Are Traveling Abroad Again, and Passport Wait Times Are Skyrocketing

Washington—Attention world travelers: Check your passports, now. The State Department is taking longer than usual to issue new U.S. passports, and to renew existing passports, because record numbers of Americans are going overseas. “Americans are traveling again after COVID,” Andres Rodriguez, lead community relations officer for passport services at the State Department, said in an interview….


Here’s What to Know About Getting a US Passport in 2023

State Department officials have confirmed that the agency is attempting to speed up its passport renewal services for Americans following pandemic-related slowdowns. While some destinations don’t require American travelers to have a passport, most countries require them. Officials say that wait times are down from the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic amid staffing shortages….


Gang Supplied ‘Genuine’ Passports to Murderers and International Fugitives, UK Court Told

READING, Berkshire—A British gang supplied fraudulently-obtained genuine passports (FOGs) to enable drug traffickers, murderers, and other fugitives to cross borders without being noticed, a court has been told. Six people went on trial at Reading Crown Court in England on Wednesday after a National Crime Agency investigation into “an organised crime group” which provided passports…


Canada’s Passport Office Took Over 2 Years to Restore In-Person Staffing to Pre-Pandemic Levels: Federal Records

Canada’s passport office took more than two years to bring in-person staffing back to pre-pandemic levels despite being aware of increased demand for travel documents, federal records show. The records, obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, also noted that more than a tenth of passport officers (11 percent) continued to work from home as late as this…