A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors

So glad we used A Briggs for our Indian visas!
From start to finish, the process was easy and painless. We applied through CKGS online and then brought a printed copy and our passports the next day. The application was checked for accuracy in 5 minutes. The office staff was always a phone call away– very responsive.
Our visas were ready for pickup at Briggs after 2 weeks. If we had gone directly through the notorious CKGS we would risk never getting the visas and having to cancel our trip.

Came to the office to get a typo correction on my passport in preparation for applying for the Global Entry program. The entire process was quick and efficient, although the customer-​facing aspect of their business could use some work. I would give it 5 stars but there was no parking, they did not validate at a garage, and it was a little difficult to find (had to get directions from the museum next door, which was actually in the process of setting up an outdoor open house that I was talked in to attending on Saturday. Old timey beer brewer in DC, who knew).

This is a very expensive service and the customer service that goes with the cost doesn’t match the high price. Admittedly, I made a mistake with regards to one of the forms but the company really didn’t feel the need to go the extra mile to get it fixed or to get my visa back to me. Every time I called, they were more focused on making sure I knew it was all my fault than with coming up with solutions. The forms are complicated and it would have been nice if they were more helpful in walking customers through the process and fully communicating when there was a delay.
I would not recommend A Briggs — I do a lot of international travel and will use an alternative service in the future.

I chose A Briggs based on Jennifer Cole’s 2007 article «How to Choose a Passport Expeditor» in Travel and Leisure Magazine, since I didn’t really trust what was written on the internet. I received emails with tracking information from A Briggs and my passport arrived in a week. It was a huge relief, and I would work with A Briggs again.

Expensive and not Worth It
I picked A. Briggs, which isn’t the cheapest service, for their alleged expertise (and connections) in «expediting» official documents. However, my documents were not expedited one bit. In the future, I will opt for a different provider or do it myself.
To be fair, my impression is based on interactions with a person named Lucas Harvie in the New York office. The fellow is quick to respond, but also tends to be short-​tempered and overconfident. I can hardly overlook the former, and certainly can’t ignore the latter. On several occasions, he made very confident statements that turned out to be completely false, causing unnecessary delays.
With his cocksure attitude, Mr. Harvie undermined my trust in the company. In the future, I will opt for a cheaper provider.
By the way, you can find a complete list of approved passport and visa couriers on New York University website. Simply search for «New York UK Consulate Courier». You can save yourself time and money.

Yes they are quite expensive.
Yes you still need to do lot of work to get the paperwork in order, get the photos, get the signatures, get certain paperwork verified by the USPS.
Yes, they probably spend a lot of money in lobbying as only their employees are allowed to stand in line at the State Department and not other humble citizens of this country.
But if you need a US passport or a visa for any country, and you need it presto pronto, these guys are the guys you need to deal with.

I am going to Spain and Mexico this August and up until a few days ago did not have a passport. I was also told to dream on when I told my friends I was applying for one, I would never get one in time…
I applied at the post office about three weeks ago with my sister, I forwarded my application to A Briggs for expediting (about $ 65 extra plus shipping) my sister did not, a little less than 3 weeks later I have my passport, she does not. Now I am sure she will get hers in time (I hope) but with all the other things you have to worry about with international travel, I wanted to have my passport squared away as soon as possible. A Briggs was fast, helpful (let me fax over some papers I forgot) and allows you to easily track your passport applications online. I would definitely recommend.