RushMyPassport

If you’re in a travel emergency, RushMyPassport claims it can get you a passport in as little as 24 hours.

“RushMyPassport turns your desperation into the right destination,” says the woman in the above Facebook ad whose impending prepaid trip to Europe was purportedly saved by the company’s fast delivery. In fact, the ad claims RushMyPassport has saved more than 1.5 million trips.

So how does it work? According to a video on the company’s website, the process is easy and fast. Consumers simply have to fill out some forms and overnight their information to RushMyPassport. Then the company waits in line at the passport agency, where it hand-delivers your documents and “expedite[s] the process” to get you your passport in the advertised single-day period.

RushMyPassport also has the backing of several trusted brands like FedEx, AARP and AAA, (all of which drive considerable traffic to its site), and claims it has thousands of happy consumers.

However, prompted by several consumer complaints, TINA.org took a closer look at RushMyPassport’s claims to offer expedited passport services and discovered some red flags.

RushMyPassport isn’t part of – or endorsed by – the government

On its website, RushMyPassport makes a number of representations that may lead you to believe the company is working on behalf of the federal government.

For example, the company claims on its homepage that it is “the #1 most trusted online U.S. Passport Courier Service” and that its parent company, Expedited Travel, is “registered with the U.S. Department of State to hand-carry passport applications.” While the company is indeed a courier service registered with the State Department, that does not mean it operates as part of the department or that the U.S. government endorses the company’s services.

In fact, on the same State Department page that lists Expedited Travel as a “registered courier company,” among dozens of others, the government warns that “[t]hese companies do not operate as a part of the U.S. Department of State.” All it means is that RushMyPassport – a private company – has met the State Department’s administrative and security requirements for acting as an intermediary for paying customers.

The limitations of the company’s services

RushMyPassport claims to deliver passports to its customers in a hurry and without having to take a trip to a passport office. In reality, the State Department says:

If you use a courier company, you will not receive your passport faster than applying at one of our passport agencies.

The FTC similarly cautions consumers against using passport courier companies with the goal of getting your passport faster.

And if you’re applying for a new passport, you still must appear in person at an acceptance facility, such as a post office, library or local government office. RushMyPassport (or any courier service for that matter) can’t make that trip for you.

So despite charging hundreds of dollars for its services, which you would not have to pay if you applied for a passport directly through the government and do not account for government fees, RushMyPassport may not be able to live up to its name.

Then what benefit does the company actually offer?

That’s a question a lot of consumers, including several readers who have submitted complaints to TINA.org in recent months, have been left to ponder after they’ve spent hundreds on the company’s services only to have their passport delayed or not delivered at all.

One TINA.org reader who used the company through FedEx told us that they had to miss their trip after their passport was never delivered:

FedEx Office actively promotes RushMyPassport as a trusted passport expediting service at their locations and on their website. This branding implies speed, legitimacy, and accountability – none of which reflect my experience or that of hundreds of other customers. I paid RushMyPassport hundreds of dollars for expedited passport services, including an additional FedEx fee for shipping, based on promises of rapid processing. Not only did the passport never arrive, but I missed my international trip and lost thousands of dollars in non-refundable costs.

Another TINA.org reader who got a discount through AAA discovered just how limited RushMyPassport’s services can be:

I paid this business $188.10 ($209 – a AAA discount of $20.90) to expedite a new passport application because the Post Office kept canceling my appointments. I thought this was an actual full service provider for new passports and their website says nothing about that not being the case. Not to mention, I thought I was going through AAA. But after I paid them almost $200, it turns out all I was getting was the application for a passport with my information on it. I had to print that out and take it to the Post Office myself. Had I known that, I wouldn’t have purchased this service. But they’re not very forthcoming with their information on purpose. So, I downloaded the application and brought to the local post office figuring that at least the expedited fee was covered. NOPE! The clerk brought out her manager to break the news to me. The amount I paid this business is meaningless. It’s not at all tied to the expedited passport fee from the US Government for a new passport. And according to the refund policy on this website, because I downloaded the application for passport from their site I’m no longer entitled to a refund. So I spent almost $200 just for them to fill in the information on the application for me AND THAT’S IT. On the phone with my bank to file a dispute for fraud right now.

These complaints are consistent with various Trustpilot reviews left by consumers who say RushMyPassport never turned their “desperation into the right destination”:

In response to two of the Trustpilot reviews above, RushMyPassport shifted blame to the State Department, which it said was responsible for the actual processing of passports.

And while RushMyPassport said it had granted a refund to one of these consumers, its refund policy is chock-full of exclusions that could mean you never get your money back. For example, if your passport application has already been “downloaded,” it is no longer eligible for a refund, according to the refund policy.

RushMyPassport did not respond to TINA.org’s request for comment. We also reached out to FedEx, AARP or AAA for comment but did not hear back.

The bottom line

Consumers should remember that there’s a charge to get a passport but the government forms to renew or apply are free and that it’s free to set up an appointment if you need to travel right away. This information comes straight from the State Department and FTC, which are better places to start if you are looking for help with a passport application than a website making deceptive claims about expedited passport services in order to make a buck.

Read more of our coverage on travel.