Final 16 in Europe: Passport Help

[CodeRedR51]

I was talking to my family about this yesterday, which got me thinking. IF by some chance I move on to the GT Academy Boot Camp at Silverstone, I'm going to need a passport. Currently I do not have one.

Are they just expecting us to have one? I've been told it could take up to three months to get one...

 

[Rated-M3]

At my post office, you can do somekind of "rush processing," I'd suggest you get it a.s.a.p. in case you make it to the finals.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Yeah I was planning on getting one this week just in case, just wanted to make sure there was a faster way to get one. Probably something they should have told us about.

 

[01GTP]

At my post office, you can do somekind of "rush processing," I'd suggest you get it a.s.a.p. in case you make it to the finals.

Great advice.

It took ours about 2 months to arrive from picture day, 2 years ago.

Good luck in the finals.

 

[CodeRedR51]

All told looking at over $200. Yikes. Guess it's got to be done....

 

[iNiff]

Considering how soon after the final you have to be at Silverstone.. pretty big oversight. It could mean the difference between going and not going if not properly prepared for. Could also be a total waste of money if you don't make it and had no other plans to leave the country any time soon.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Well the expedited service is 2-3 weeks at $60 extra. I think they have a faster service than that, will have to look tonight. I just sold my car so the money isn't a problem. I just can't believe we didn't know about this before, could have caught several people (including me) off guard.

 

[AmyUD06]

Yeah I was planning on getting one this week just in case, just wanted to make sure there was a faster way to get one. Probably something they should have told us about.

They did tell you, way back when it was announced. You knew that at a certain point, if you progressed, you would have to go to Europe.

If you, as an American citizen, didn't know that you needed a passport to travel outside of the country, that's no fault of the organizers.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Maybe I should say they should have been a little more up front about it.

No big deal, I'm getting one this week, so hopefully it's here before then. If not, well then I guess I can't go.

 

[gman07]

When is the Silverstone event? I don't have a passport either, and I really don't want to waste the $200 if I don't end up needing it. I'm sure I won't make it past Orlando, but I'd hate to be in the top 16 and not be able to go.

 

[Wardez]

Hey RT. I'll tell you my story real quick (gotta head out to work in a minute) of how I got my full fledged passport in 5 days.

I was working at a show (I'm in showbusiness here in Vegas) and we were going to have a "dark" period where we wouldn't have any shows for two weeks (for new elements of the show to be put in and rehearsals) so I had planned on going to Australia to see my girlfriend's family. Everyone at the show assumed that we would get about a months notice before they decided to give us the two weeks off. So I put in my regular application for a passport, non-extradited, snail mail.
But as it usually goes with the business here they called us in for a meeting and said " we're off starting next week, yay!"

I almost shat myself because my trip was a one chance opportunity since I wasn't gonna be able to go till next year due to my schedule and I "absolutely" promised my girl that I would go.

So anyway, I asked around, looked up the various was of procuring the proper documentation in a WEEK. Some people said it was impossible, others said it wasn't very likely, I said "**** that I'm going to Santa Monica"

The key to getting your passport in the shortest possible time it to visit your local federal building. And for me, LA wasn't very local, but a lot closer than Texas or Seattle.

Read this if you just want the info.
Before anything, go into a Post Office or FedEx Kinkos and get your official passport approved photo. I think it was $20.

So my advice to you if you want your passport in the fastest amount of time is to drive ,or fly, down to Santa Monica's Federal Building (only two blocks from the beach, nice little trip).

You need to make some sort of appointment. You call in and they'll put you on a list of waiters. You'll need to be on the list of people that are approved to wait in line at the building that day.

Then show up on the date and time and you will stand in line, a-big-freaking-line. Then you'll get into the main sitting area with the passport attendants to hand in your paper work (they have all the different applications you'd need in that main area, pens too)

So you sign yourself for the expedited service and they'll give you an estimated time. Sorry, my memory gets a bit fuzzy at this point but they contact you on when you can come back to pick up the actual passport. The person at the window where I handed my application in said it would take longer than it actually did. I got the (I think it was a phone call) and then drove back into Santa Monica on Friday. This all happened from Monday to Friday.

I waited in another huge ass line and then got away happy. Mission complete.

Shouldn't be too much trouble. If you have any questions PM me. Good luck.

 

[redreevos]

I don't know how it works everywhere, but in California, I have had friends get their passports within the week. They had to pay a fairly steep extra fee and had to drive up to Los Angeles to do it.(I live in San Diego)

 

[CodeRedR51]

Trip to California isn't going to work for me. I hate to do it, but I'm just going to have to do it the normal way. Guess if I don't make it to Silverstone, I've always wanted to go to Australia.

 

[cpp214]

I should have posted this earlier but I got sidetracked and just now remembered it. I had this same concern too because I have procrastinated about getting a passport. I knew I might need one, but didn't think that A) It would take that long to get one and B) that they were so expensive. After reading this thread, I figured I better check into getting one ASAP.

So I sent an e-mail to Ryan Maloney--the contact person at Sony listed in the GT Academy travel itinerary. I asked him when the finals at Silverstone would take place, and he said it would be late May or early June, and that I should have plenty of time to get a passport.

I just wanted to let everyone know that if you don't already have a passport, you can wait until the finals in Orlando are complete before you apply for one and you should still get one in time to make it to the finals at Silverstone 👍 To be honest, I don't know when I'll ever need one if I don't wind up having to go to Silverstone for the finals, so I don't want to spend $210 for a passport that I don't need right now.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Awesome, thanks for doing what I should have done in the first place.

Now I can save that money for Orlando.

 

[cpp214]

Awesome, thanks for doing what I should have done in the first place.

Now I can save that money for Orlando.

Haha, you should have seen the huge sigh of relief I let out when I read that e-mail response this afternoon Definitely felt relieved to be saving a little extra travel money too

 

[CodeRedR51]

I'm super stoked for this trip. The last trip I made back east was in 2002 for school when we went to New York City. Long overdue for something like this.

Great that you emailed them today, because I planned on printing out the passport paperwork tomorrow.

 

[gman07]

I should have posted this earlier but I got sidetracked and just now remembered it. I had this same concern too because I have procrastinated about getting a passport. I knew I might need one, but didn't think that A) It would take that long to get one and B) that they were so expensive. After reading this thread, I figured I better check into getting one ASAP.

So I sent an e-mail to Ryan Maloney--the contact person at Sony listed in the GT Academy travel itinerary. I asked him when the finals at Silverstone would take place, and he said it would be late May or early June, and that I should have plenty of time to get a passport.

I just wanted to let everyone know that if you don't already have a passport, you can wait until the finals in Orlando are complete before you apply for one and you should still get one in time to make it to the finals at Silverstone 👍 To be honest, I don't know when I'll ever need one if I don't wind up having to go to Silverstone for the finals, so I don't want to spend $210 for a passport that I don't need right now.

👍👍

Thanks for the heads up.

Oddly enough, the rules say that Silverstone will be during April? Perhaps that got changed after the Round 2 fiasco. Anyway, it's nice not having to worry about a passport just yet (not that I would have needed it anyway).

 

[Choate51]

👍👍

Thanks for the heads up.

Oddly enough, the rules say that Silverstone will be during April? Perhaps that got changed after the Round 2 fiasco. Anyway, it's nice not having to worry about a passport just yet (not that I would have needed it anyway).

I think it may of changed due to the European GT Academy. Maybe that wanted to line it up better for them.

Also, I hope it's early june vs late may. I don't want to miss the Indy 500. I have a streak going and I don't want to miss out.

 

[cpp214]

I'll go ahead and post a screenshot of the response I got from Ryan, I don't think he would mind--at least he didn't tell me it was off the record or anything because yeah, I thought it was going to be in April too, but apparently not I guess

EDIT: But he probably would mind me posting his phone number and contact info
Sorry about that, it's getting late on the east coast, my bad.