Got my China visa TWO weeks ahead of when I asked for it (created the request 11/2, documents…read morereceived at office 11/16, visa ready on 11/26)! Efficient service. Since the consulate recently removed the option to book appointments, this is the cheapest option I found for getting the visa and IMO totally worth it to skip waiting in the consulate line. The website is a little outdated but updates with the bare minimum information that is needed. You can ship materials ($37 each way) or drop them off at the in-person office in SF. My total invoice for getting the visa was $380 -- $185 for the mandatory consulate fee, $185 service fee, and the remainder was a processing fee. Other than that, there are no add-ons for "checking documents" or "photo print" (which is not necessary for the SF consulate) like other websites, which I appreciated. One of the biggest downsides: it is *really* difficult to contact customer service (the phone lines have 20+ minute wait times and my email went unanswered). Overall, I was able to get my visa for China within 3 weeks using this service. It lifted a huge burden of stress off my shoulders. When my 10-year visa expires, I would definitely consider reusing this service!

I submitted all the paperwork and they kept telling me to update my work history for the past five…read moreyears, which I did, and it turns out they don't even need this information. Then they said I had not updated it despite having updated 3 times. I called them to update it and they said it can only be done through their website which doesn't function. Then they gave me a refund minus $180 or so. This is a rip off and these people are incompetent.

Made a random inquiry if Bow Joy could arrange a Chinese speaking tour guide for the Bay Area, with…read more24 hour notice. Great help, arranged seamlessly and was highly professional and personable. Thanks Sue and Spencer

I needed a document authenticated at the Vietnamese Consulate in San Francisco, but apparently had…read moreto go there in-person to do so (which was particularly frustrating because the Vietnamese Consulate apparently can't afford employees that pick up their phone -- negative stars for them). I wasn't about to buy a flight to SF just to jump through some red tape and argue with apathetic know-nothings, so I had to look for someone there who could handle something like this for me. Luckily, I found Spencer. He was able to walk me through how he could help me and promised a return of the authenticated document by the date I needed it. I found him to be responsive and helpful, and got the impression that while he was a busy person, he made an effort to keep in touch with me (even responding to me on a Saturday). All in all, I was very happy with Spencer's services, and thought it was reasonably priced. I got my document when I needed it, and it was properly authenticated for the purpose I needed it for. I would recommend giving Spencer a call to see how he can help you too. Thank you Spencer!

Needed a passport ASAP for my first international trip. Passport Depot got the job done!…read more I waited until the absolute last minute and did the two week expedited service. I never had a passport before so I needed more than just a renewal. Passport Depot was incredible at making sure I had all the right documents, setting up appointments with the Postal Service, and got me my passport a week earlier than expected. Huge lift off my shoulders, the team was nice and professional. I highly recommend using Passport Depot!

We have been going to Passport Depot for years now, since they were located on Haight St. They now…read morehave a beautiful new location in Union Square. Let's be honest we never keep track of when our passport expires. Then when you suddenly book a last minute trip, you notice you're passport has expired and you're franticly trying to see how you can get it renewed before your trip. Michael and Christine take all the stress of getting an appointment and filling out paperwork for you. They expedite and streamline the renewal process for you, saving you time and stress. When you're handing over your passport to an agency, you want to make sure that they are professional, trustworthy, reliable and that everything will be handled with care and on time. They also can help you with travel Visa's and can answer any questions you may have. When I was renewing an expire passport for my mom recently, I also noticed that they have a passport card available now that works as a secondary ID, or for domestic travel if you don't have a real ID. Working with them for our passport renewals has given us peace of mind that everything will be handled properly for us in time. Great customer service. Would highly recommend.

To their credit, I did receive a prompt refund within a couple days after my last update on…read more10/4/25. I was able to get my visa directly from the UK government website within 15 minutes for much less money.

Complete joke. Hidden fees embedded in invoices. They send multiple invoices to confuse you…read more Customer service phone system is horrible, hangs up on your all the time. Reps can't do basic math to figure out refunds. I'd suggest different avenues to get your visa. Easier to do it on your own

After first looking over this Yelp page, the great reviews seemed fishy, but I checked the…read morereviewers' accounts to see if they were legit, and they were. It actually made me feel a little more at ease to see the couple of 1-star reviews, so thanks to everyone who was honest and detailed when sharing their experience here, whether it was good or bad; it helps people come to their decision, and I don't regret choosing these guys at all! Part of this review is my positive experience with A Briggs, and another part is probably relevant only to those traveling to Brazil. The passport + visa came back 2 days earlier than my "must have visa by" date, which is great! Take advantage of the "require signature for delivery" option to be safe: the overnight shipping tracking is accurate enough that you won't need to wait at home for more than a few hours in the morning to sign for the envelope. The agents on the phone and at the SF office were so nice and helpful, and they care about allaying your worries. They are trustworthy and professional - no service is gonna be flawless, and it may be hard to reach a specific office or person sometimes, but your documents are in good hands, and you can call the main customer support line if the "order status" on the website isn't detailed enough for you. It ended up costing almost $300 extra due to the emergency fee because I procrastinated and should've sent off the papers sooner, as this time of year is so busy. But that was entirely my fault, and it was a small price to pay considering that rescheduling the flight would've been a lot pricier! A Briggs took care of everything beautifully. Still, serial procrastinators out there, please learn from my lack of foresight and mail the stuff in a couple months before your flight. If hearing about my laziness penalty saves other people money then it will have been more than worth it! BRAZIL VISA TIPS: First, do NOT try to use Firefox to submit your visa application form. It will not give you your 'application protocol number' or the receipt to print out that you affix your photo to. Internet Explorer, despite collecting dust over the years, worked fine for this purpose! Fill out the form, print the receipt, then save that protocol # and email it to Briggs after ordering with them, along with your Briggs order # so they can book your appointment before they even receive the documents in the mail. One yelper mentioned that the application form is in Portuguese... there is actually an English version here: https://scedv.serpro.gov.br/frscedv/manterVisto.do?lang=eng#inicio Knowing about Briggs sooner would've saved me so many hours of daunting research, wading through conflicting information about the whole process... it was awful before. But they have detailed instructions on the site as to what you FedEx to them! Here's exactly the plan that worked for me, as an adult traveling with no kids, and it was fairly simple to gather these things: 1) a scan of your photo ID, front and back; black and white ink works just fine, and it's okay if it's on two separate pages or not 2) your SIGNED in ink passport - flip to page 3, at the bottom it'll say "signature of bearer" so make sure you've signed it there 3) your A Briggs order receipt, printed from the email (any notes you type in the order form will be printed at the bottom of this) 4) your 2x2" visa photo - for nice looking results, have a friend or family member take it at home, ~5 feet in front of you in natural lighting (outdoors is best) in front of a solid white or light-colored background. Then crop it with this tool: http://travel.state.gov/content/dam/passports/FIG_cropper.swf A straight face or small smile is safest; google image search "Brazilian visa" to see other people's photos that got approved. Thankfully, they're not so strict about it, so just get it something close to those. Then print it at CVS if you can't at home - they cut them exactly to size and give you two copies, which is great in case you mess up 4) the printed SIGNED in ink visa application receipt that you get from the Brazilian consulate link above (ignore the 30 day expiration date; it's obsolete) 5) finally, your FedEx shipping label that was emailed to you and printed after submitting the Briggs order Bring all these things to FedEx; triple-check that you've signed both your passport AND visa application receipt, and use one of their glue sticks to affix the photo on the application receipt if you haven't already (but don't trim it to fit inside of the rectangle - it's not meant to fit in that, that's too small; it's only intended as a guide!) The FedEx guy will give you an envelope to put these papers in, then you hand him the shipping label and that's it! The hardest part is just getting the passport and a good photo; once you mail the documents off, Briggs handles the rest. I'll definitely use them again for any other visas!

If you are looking for visa services, I would avoid A Briggs at all costs. They are dishonest with…read moretheir charging practices and have no transparency. I went to A Briggs for agency services for an L visa to China. They had me input my credit card information up front. Unlike almost every online purchasing process, there was no subtotal displayed before checkout. I was not comfortable with this, but continued because I'd had a relative use their services in the past without issue. They proceeded to charge me $601, when from what was explained on the website, I expected to pay just around $450. They then sent me an invoice via email, which included itemized fees that were not disclosed upfront. The company gave me a full refund after I called in. The service rep was very agreeable and offered to remove the extra fees that had "been selected"--but certainly not by me! I opted to cancel the whole order, because if there are undisclosed fees from the very start of the process, who knows what my grand total might be by the end of it.

I am not one to write reviews unless they are either very bad (as a warning) or very good as an…read moreappreciative nod to the efficiency, training, empathy and sense of humor of the representative who assisted me. This review is one that was the very good kind and shockingly involves a US Government agency! I had misplaced my passport and it was 2 weeks out from departure date so stress levels were kinda high. After ransacking the house I researched replacement process. Was directed by the website which was an easy experience (kudos to the designer) and made an appointment the very next morning, I was there ahead of the appointment with the documents needed. About a 10 minute wait I was to see the rep by the name of Madelyn. This young lady was a professional, assured me that everything was there and stated it would be delivered by Friday and I would be getting updates to the process electronically. I left trusting that not only did she know what she was doing but her execution was flawless. THe office was in San Francisco.

I had flights booked for Thailand and Singapore and realized five days before my trip that my…read morepassport was going to expire in January. I panicked when I saw that passports need at least six months validity and started looking for ways to get it renewed quickly. I scheduled an appointment at the San Francisco Passport Agency for Thursday morning at 9:30. I took BART and walked about seven minutes to the building. When you get there, you go through security and take the elevator up to the passport agency. I was second in line and was in and out in less than eight minutes. The staff were extremely friendly, and the lady at the counter was able to expedite my passport for same-day pick up. I would have had to pick it up at 4 PM, but I couldn't stay in the city all day, so I opted to pick it up on Monday instead. One thing to note is that having all your paperwork ready is crucial. They mention everything you need online, and when I was there, a lot of people were scrambling to fill out forms on the floor. Come prepared if you want a smooth, fast experience. On Monday, I returned to pick up my passport. I was literally the only person there and was in and out in less than eight minutes. Overall, this was hands down the smoothest passport process I've ever experienced.

I whole-heartedly recommend Travel Vis Pro. Eleven years ago I used them for expediting a new…read morepassport and Chinese tourist visa, and they were great. So I recently used them again for renewing the China visa. Happy to say that they're still great. They helped correct a problem (of my own making) with the visa application, and then guided the process of getting my passport to the consulate and back into my hands. The fee was reasonable. A bargain, in fact. Thanks, TVP.

Update: The Owner reached out to me right away and corrected the situation. He put me in touch…read morewith one of his experts Lester who was able to answer my questions. It appears what happened below is a training issue. I didn't end up going with them in the end, but I appreciated the follow up and resolving the issues. I'd consider them in the future. Original Review: Wow, the communication is horrible. I called just to ask what they do differently so I can understand the value. Quite simply the question is "Can you get the visa for me at the chinese consulate faster than if I were to go myself?" The answer was "I don't understand why you would ask that" by Katrina. Uh, because your business advertises that it provides expedited services, why wouldn't I ask that. Katrina was very defensive and not helpful at all. I guess I'm going to the consulate myself.....

This business is now CLOSED in San Francisco…read more We have used these agency multiple times and I am so sad that it is not open now that the government has slowed their response in getting passports issued. What a loss for the city and surrounding communities.

The worst. Don't waste your money nor time. They pretend they going to make you an app with agent…read more They lied. Once you go to "agent app" they said this company always do this. I had to tu o bug her to please help me. "The Passport Office" is a rip off. I did all paper work and mail my self. The Passport Office only gets your money that's all.

Hi, I am Kanakaraj Selvakumar, an entrepreneur and IT professional. I am grateful to mention here…read moreabout Marcus and Vanessa in Visa network for their outstanding customer service. Yes, when I was in need to renew my US Passport and to travel India in another couple of weeks. My passport had some restrictions and was a little complicated to understand. When I browsed on google for best customer service, I found Visa Network and when going through their reviews, it was so impressive. I just contacted them, and they researched and called me to their office in Market Street and discussed. They took all my documents and consulted the passport agency and came back with options which were amazing and surprising for me. Yes, they asked me to go for renewal and get my passport within 3-5 Business days. Even though their fees were a little expensive, I thought they deserved it. For my pleasant surprise, they called me on 4th day and informed my passport is ready for another 10 years validity. I would say their customer services are beyond my expectations. I would strongly recommend their services to my Client's and IT vendors to use Visa Network for their requirements. Marcus, I need to mention a little more about him. His customer relationship management skills have some sought of magnetic power to attract many clients towards him. His humble, respectful, good attitude, smiling face makes you so comfortable discussing your situations with him. Thank you, Marcus. I wish him and his team the very best of luck and success in the future.

I called Visa Network with some questions about getting help with obtaining a visa into Vietnam…read more The representative I talked with - Vanessa - was really helpful. She was very pleasant and I clearly felt she was interested in giving me the best guidance and advice possible. I still don't know if I will try to do an eVisa myself through the local Vietnam Consulate or go through Visa Network and I told Vanessa that. She said she understood and she still encouraged me to call back if I have any questions whether I go through Visa Network or not. Very good and wise customer service. Kim

These guys are great for what amounts to a discount service, and though what you get is just as…read moregood as any of the big, expensive companies, it's worth noting that it's discounted for a reason--in this case, the bathroom on the time machine was a little bit foul. My girlfriend and I used Golden Time Travel when we wanted to take a vacation but couldn't get any time off. It's a great vacation option since you can be gone for literally months and return to the present only a moment after you left. Our first trip booked with Golden was pretty great. We wanted to get away to somewhere familiar so we went to San Francisco in 1905. It was real nice and the exchange rate was excellent, particularly because of inflation since then. The trolleys got us around real easily, and everyone was very friendly. We had a nice time staying at the Palace Hotel, and our bellhop, Edward, was wonderful. You can imagine our shock when, upon arriving home, we looked him up and found out he died the next year in the earthquake, along with the hotel which was destroyed in the ensuing fire. Very sad. I kind of wish we'd warned him now. The next year we saved up a bit and went to classical Greece. Golden Time Travel dropped us off and picked us up two weeks later without a hitch. My girlfriend has a lighter complexion, and though she got made fun of a bit for being a "barbarian"--several times we heard children chanting "bar-bar-bar" and making fun of our yet-uninvented tongue--the famous "Athenian hospitality" more than made up for it. Plus, those togas are surprisingly flattering. My only critique is that the cuisine left something to be desired. We forgot that this was pre-Columbian exchange, so no tomatoes, potatoes, chocolate, corn or avocados. Also, they hadn't quite figured out chemistry in that era, much less baking, so don't expect to be impressed with the pastries (no baklava yet). For our next trip we decided to check out the Bay Area in 2085. Now, I know this wasn't Golden Time Travel's fault, as they just provide the time machine, but this trip was an absolute disaster. Apparently Mark Zuckerberg is a robot fascist dictator in that year, and he forces loyalty through perpetual social surveillance. Well, it was really terrifying, and we spent most of the trip dodging the Google Civilian View drone copters that track down "nonconsumers" and install g-chips to catalog their brain. I know the contents of the future aren't the fault of Golden, but we would have appreciated some forewarning. They certainly have the technology.

These guys are legit. I wanted to visit 18th century France, and lo and behold, there I was. Now…read moregranted, I've only tried them out once, and I really don't know the extent of their capabilities. As other Yelpers point out, it's definitely a service at a discount, no frills, and you have to be *really* explicit with your request. Don't leave anything up to chance, as I don't think they even have insurance (I bought my own). FWIW I think the Wild West and Ancient Egypt would be a blast, and who knows, maybe check out some dinosaurs? Note: they do *not* offer visits to the future.