By the time you realize you need to have a passport, you should have already gotten one. I got my first passport in 2000. It took like a week. I lost it and had to get a new one in 2007. I got grilled by Homeland Security in a windowless office about whether or not I was familiar with the terrorist cells in the country I was vacationing in because it was a country with a significant Muslim population. I can’t imagine what it’s like now.
Sign up for some exchange program in a neutral country, buy a round-trip ticket, and just never come back.
I renewed a year or two ago and it was no big deal (US passport but longtime Japan resident) and took like 3 weeks. I think part of it was by mail, even, though I can’t recall for sure (I think I submitted in person and received by mail? Now that I live hours away from Tokyo, I certainly hope that’s an option in 8ish years).
By the time you realize you need to have a passport, you should have already gotten one. I got my first passport in 2000. It took like a week. I lost it and had to get a new one in 2007. I got grilled by Homeland Security in a windowless office about whether or not I was familiar with the terrorist cells in the country I was vacationing in because it was a country with a significant Muslim population. I can’t imagine what it’s like now.
Sign up for some exchange program in a neutral country, buy a round-trip ticket, and just never come back.
I renewed a year or two ago and it was no big deal (US passport but longtime Japan resident) and took like 3 weeks. I think part of it was by mail, even, though I can’t recall for sure (I think I submitted in person and received by mail? Now that I live hours away from Tokyo, I certainly hope that’s an option in 8ish years).
it might be harder for people more than 15years expired, very inconvienient.