Don's Home Travel International Passports and Visas Contact
 
This is written for U.S. Citizens.

Passports:
A passport is a US Government document required to travel to most countries.
As long as you're not flying to or from Canada, Mexico or Bermuda, you can use a US Passport Card at land border crossings (car, bus, bike, or train) or sea/lake ports-of-entry.

Visas
A visa is required my many countries to allow you entry.
Popular Destinations that Require a Visa for US Citizens PassportInfo.com
W

  • Australia. (US citizens must acquire an electronic visa called an ETA )
  • Brazil. ...
  • China. ...
  • India. ...
  • Indonesia. ...
  • Kenya. ...
  • Myanmar. ...
  • Russia.
No visa required:
Canada, Mexico, most of the Caribbean (The Dominican Republic requires a card on arrival), Europe (Except turkey which requires an eVisa), Israel, South America (except Brazil and Venezuela; Bolivia, Paraguay and Suriname require visas on arrival),Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, India requires an e-Visa, Nepal requires a visa on arrival, Vietnam requires an e-visa, Morocco, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia, do not require visas.
See Visa requirements for United States citizens - Wikipedia

In many countries requiring a visa you or an entrusted representative must go to an embassy or consulate in person. There are many companies which provide this service for a fee.

Passport Photos:

  • Use a white background
  • Face the camera
  • Place head upright
  • Remove hats
  • Neutral expression
  • Colored shirt (Not a requirement, but Wallgreens would not take my picture with a white shirt)
Costco $4.99 for 4 pictures
WalMart $7.44
Walgreens $13.99 2 pictures
Many places like drug stores, Costco, ...

There is an app for your smartphoneCheap Passport Photos Online - MyPassportPhotos has apps for your smartphone allowing you to take your own picture and send it to them for printing.

Links:
Chinese Visa Application

last updated 20 June 2017