HelloGov Aims To Simplify Family Travel Document Applications

When you’re making arrangements for an international family trip, there is an endless list of things to do, from booking flights to packing plenty of snacks to planning enough activities to amuse the children.

But before all that, there is one thing that can spoil a holiday before it has even started: ensuring that each family member has everything they need to cross the border.

Parents may need to renew an expired passport, apply for a child’s first passport or update one after a family name change. They may also discover that their destination requires a visa or electronic travel authorisation — or notice a missing signature or incorrect photograph shortly before departure.

This is one of the challenges HelloGov and iVisa aim to address through their merger.

The two travel documentation companies have recently announced that they are combining their efforts under the HelloGov name, and they intend to offer passport services, visa applications and travel authorizations all on a single platform with plans to extend their services to other citizen services.

What this means for parents is that they may spend less time researching requirements and find it easier to keep track of multiple forms before going home.

Family Travel Comes With More Paperwork

The more people who travel internationally, the more complicated international travel becomes.

As such, it stands to reason that parents will have a lot more on their minds than simply keeping their own documents in order. Each child will need a valid passport, and in certain cases they might also be required to have visas or travel authorizations. Some destinations have additional rules for minors, and the requirements depend on the child’s citizenship, the length of stay, and the purpose of the trip.

Since each traveler has to use their own application, each extra passport, visa, or travel authorization may make it easier for a detail to be overlooked. The more traveling people do, the more complex it may become to keep track of all the details.

Parents could fill in the forms themselves, but it takes time to research the requirements, gather the required documents, and complete and review several applications. The platform is designed to simplify administrative work, offering an easy-to-use interface, step-by-step guidance, application support, document checks, and tracking, all in one place.

AI Can Catch Mistakes Before They Become Problems

AI has already found its way into plenty of parenting tasks, from homework help to meal planning. But a passport or visa application carries different stakes. A mistake doesn’t just cost time; it can mean a delayed or canceled trip. That’s part of why the platform pairs automation with human oversight, rather than leaving it to AI alone.

As parents fill out the applications, its AI assistant, Sydney, checks for any missing information, verifies supporting documents, confirms the applicant’s eligibility, and is designed to identify potential errors before an application is submitted.

According to HelloGov, each application is reviewed by its travel documentation specialists before being forwarded to the relevant government authority. This extra stage of verification helps give parents peace of mind and is one of the reasons HelloGov reports a high application approval rate.

Adam Boalt, founder and co-CEO of HelloGov, said the company was built on the belief that customer-first services should simplify and streamline the traditionally complex, nuanced process of applying for government documents.

The concept is simple: technology handles the repetitive checks, so parents can focus on planning their itinerary instead of researching requirements and redoing forms over and over.

Focus On The Fun Stuff

HelloGov expects the new combined company to handle over 1.5 million passport and visa applications each year, since iVisa’s international infrastructure covers more than 100 destinations and 14 languages.

For families, one potential benefit is having additional support to identify possible mistakes, but also having a single place to manage the whole process. Rather than having to spend time looking up the requirements in a number of different places, keeping a record of the document checklists and dealing with separate applications, parents can arrange several passport, visa and travel document applications via one platform, with guidance and customer support on offer throughout the process, in more than 14 languages.

David Perez, founder of iVisa and co-CEO of the combined company, said the companies had always been clear that joining forces would only make sense if they could build something stronger together than they could separately. HelloGov’s technology, partner network, and focus on simplifying essential government applications made the two businesses a natural fit.

The company also wants to make those services easier to access at different points in the travel journey. According to iVisa co-founder Sergio Merino, HelloGov is building a network of global commercial partners that could make government application services available in places where travelers are already thinking about their documents, such as when preparing for a flight, using a pre-check app, or getting a passport photo.

And the company’s plans extend beyond travel. HelloGov has already introduced business formation services and plans to add vehicle registration and tag-and-title services later this year.

Brian LaBasco, co-founder of HelloGov, said the aim is to improve the entire customer journey by combining AI support and real-time tracking with human assistance when travelers need it.

For parents, that ultimately may reduce the time spent navigating paperwork and allow more time to focus on the trip itself.

Technology won’t prevent flight delays, bad weather, or toddler meltdowns, but if it can eliminate one source of stress and save parents some time before their trip starts, that’s one less thing to worry about when making memories with their kids.

BDG Media newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.