Americans, get your passport as soon as you can.

notyourexrotic:

Even if you’re not planning to go anywhere anytime soon.

Passports can be lifesavers – I know they have been for me. They’re internationally recognised ID and can be your ticket out if you need to escape quickly. Most countries in the world allow visa-free travel for American citizens, so you could just drop by whenever.

It usually takes 4-5 weeks, or 2-3 weeks expedited. It may be possible to get it in 5 business days depending on need. They cost $110 (or $80 for those under 16) plus an execution fee of $25 for first-timers. There’s also the cheaper passport card that’s only valid for Canada and Mexico ($30) but if you’re able to I’d recommend getting the passport book because that’s valid in more places. There’s extra fees for expedited passports and priority mail.

The National Centre for Transgender Equality has some resources for trans people applying for passports:

Under the current policy, you can obtain a full ten-year passport with an updated gender marker if you have had clinical treatment determined by your doctor to be appropriate in your case to facilitate gender transition. No specific details are required about what type of treatment is appropriate for you.

Under the current policy, a physician certification is required if the documents you submit with your application, which may include a prior passport, driver’s license, birth certificate, or other documents, do not all reflect the correct gender. If all the documents you submit with your application reflect the correct gender, you may not need to submit a physician certification. See the application instructions below for more details.

(There’s a lot more in the link as well as the link above)

You’d want to get your passport as soon as possible before any policy changes that can affect your ability to get ID.

Americans, get your passport as soon as you can.