Alu_Rathbone

I'm starting to prepare my application for a passport, since I will need this before I apply for my study abroad program. I am applying for Nanzan University, Nagoya, Japan. My mother is not thrilled, but I told her that I will be twenty-three years old and I can go where I want... plus the way she says things... it sounds like she's just messing with me... especially when she said: "You'll get a hang nail and go to jail." I'm trying to put her mind at ease... ANYWAYS... I need to know exactly what I should do. I know the fee and what I need for the application. But what if I lose a lot of weight before I go? Do I need to get a new card issued? Thats a big concern since I'm trying to lose weight... I don't want to pay $200 and then have to pay another huge sum for a new card due to photos needing to be updated.

Do I send them my birth certificate too? Do I get that back?

In a pickle!

noveltyjunkie

For biometric passports, the computer scans your face from the photo and stores certain measurements in the chip in the passport. I don't think that losing any amount of weight is going to change those measurements!

Surely the official website advises what documents you need to submit, and how to get them back (SAE, probably)?

sharon b

You take in a certified copy of your birth certificate and they mail it back you separate from the passport - but takes about the same amount of time . Take two pics with you- you cannot be smiling around here CVS and Walgreens will take them for you cheaper then the post office. Allow 6 weeks for normal processing although sometimes it is quicker and other times longer

Qbee

Never send you original birth certificate to anyone! OK....now...that being said. Go get your picture taken, fill the form out completely, then go to the Post office with all the required paperwork (birth certificate, drivers license, etc) and they will verify your identity and send the application off. They will not keep your birth certificate. Hope that helps. Oh and regarding your mom.....give her a break....you may think 23 is all grown up but to us....you will always be our "baby"...LOL :D

Cyn

you don't need a new one even if you dye your hair. yes you have to send your passport and mark down when you send it so you can keep up with when it is due back.
we travel a lot :)

Alu_Rathbone

I went through US Post Office website (the one by the school does passports and what not)and they sent me to the official website and I was so confused! I was able to get the cost though.

I'm trying to figure this out because my mom might be able to do this one after income taxes are done... I'm in the middle of a job search so that I can afford the down payment for the program... and save enough money for the flight (there and home) and to have enough spending money and transportation money (I'm going to stay with a family so that I learn the language a little faster) I'm also seeing if I can take a course over the summer and fall or in the fall, at College of DuPage (a great community college) so that I have some back ground in the langauge.

The school that I am going to be attending does NOT require you to know the language, I will be put in intensive language classes... but since I might be doing fall 2012, I can take two courses next year, it's just a matter of getting there.

bamamama

When I was 21 I announced to my mother that I had not only just gotten married but was going to Korea with my new husband...SHE FREAKED! The experience definately made me appreciate home. It wasn't all bad, I'm still married to my husband 34 years later.

tlrnhi

Just take your birth certificate, 2 pictures of yourself that can be done pretty much anywhere...CVS, Walgreens, some Sears Photo places will do it. Check around, prices vary. Bring all that, along with your completed application and the cost of the passport to the Post Office. If you haven't completed the entire application because you are unsure of a certain portion, leave it blank, the person at the PO will help you. Once everything is filled out, you will get a receipt saying it is being sent and the date on it. Then just sit back and wait. It can take up to 6-8 weeks for processing, depending on the demand in the area that it's being sent to at the time. It's a pretty easy procedure. Nothing to really worry about except having the money to pay for it.

Japan is a very safe country. Mom will worry about you, but Moms do that ALL the time! Tell her that there is a lady on the board that lives in Japan...Panda (yumi). She's actually in Tokyo which is north of Nagoya, but I"m sure you could probably catch a train at some point and visit with her. She'd be glad to show you around, I'm sure!

One other thing....since you will be a student there, you will probably need a Student Visa also. A tourist passport will only let you stay in country for a certain amount of months, whereas a Student Visa is good for the school year, then (I think) needs to be renewed every year.

Alu_Rathbone

I know about the visa! lol it was the second, of two, that I was worried about. My mom has been pushing England, but I don't really want to go there, I mean, I do, but I'd like to go somewhere that I don't know a ton about already. I know a little about Japan, but not a ton! My friend, who knows a little of the langauge, is teaching me a little, basically enough for me to get by... And I do plan on going to Tokyo for a day... I'd love to see that city!

My biggest worry is my manners. I have them, I am very polite and what not, but I know they are a bit different there.

tlrnhi

Good manners is what they have there. But, with that said...riding the subways and such, they are VERY pushy to get on and off. They don't say "excuse me" when they bump into you. They just bump and go.
Japan is a beautiful place. I loved visiting there and seeing the culture. I will tell you tho...traveling thru the country, it is a bit on the expensive side.
Just do your "homework" on Japan and you'll be fine. My biggest advice for you would be to get in touch with Youme and ask her questions. There's also another lady, Gaijin, I think her name is. I'm sure both of them could help you out.