Can I get a passport quickly WITHOUT paying an expediting service?

[pjlla]

When we procrastinated on DS's passport, we ended up paying an expediting service (although people thought we didn't need to, we didn't want to risk it).

Now I have a chance to go to Niagara this month (leaving about 5/20) and would love to be able to see the Canadian side of the falls, but I am without a passport. I refuse to pay the $150-ish that the expediting service would charge. Is there any way to do what THEY do, myself? I can drive my paperwork to Concord, NH or Boston, MA and wait in line, just like the expediting people do. But I'm not sure where to start (other than getting my passport photo done and getting the application printed online and filled out).

Ideas/suggestions/recommendations?...............P

 

[supersnoop]

Last time I renewed my passport, it took 9 days. My daughter's came in 7. They've been processing pretty quickly lately.

But, yes, you can go stand in line at the passport office. Show up two hours before they open, and expect to be there for 6-8 hours.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

When we procrastinated on DS's passport, we ended up paying an expediting service (although people thought we didn't need to, we didn't want to risk it).

Now I have a chance to go to Niagara this month (leaving about 5/20) and would love to be able to see the Canadian side of the falls, but I am without a passport. I refuse to pay the $150-ish that the expediting service would charge. Is there any way to do what THEY do, myself? I can drive my paperwork to Concord, NH or Boston, MA and wait in line, just like the expediting people do. But I'm not sure where to start (other than getting my passport photo done and getting the application printed online and filled out).

Ideas/suggestions/recommendations?...............P

Have you read this page?

I used Travisa when my kids were infants...back then processing times were unusually long. They have a $99 3-10 day service...your time, effort, mileage, and gas money aren't worth $99?

 

[Ranger111]

The best answer, of course, comes from the source itself (who woulda thought? )

In seconds, I found the following. It seems to explain it in much more detail than I care about, but you should find completely answers your query.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/services/expedited.html

 

[danygirl]

I went to the local office and paid a $60 expediting fee. Had it in two weeks

 

[pjlla]

This may be easier than I originally thought. Thank you all SO MUCH for helping me find this information!

And YES, my time is definitely worth $99 for the day.... especially since if I work (I'm a sub) and I make $75 for the day. But the Travisa site actually states that it costs $170. I did not see a $99 rate anywhere. But thanks for suggesting it.

................P

 

[Ranger111]

This may be easier than I originally thought. Thank you all SO MUCH for helping me find this information!

And YES, my time is definitely worth $99 for the day.... especially since if I work (I'm a sub) and I make $75 for the day. But the Travisa site actually states that it costs $170. I did not see a $99 rate anywhere. But thanks for suggesting it.

Helping???

 

[DianeV]

What about an enhanced drivers license? In Michigan we can get that for a little more than a regular drivers license and you can use it if driving in and out of Canada. It has to be driving though

 

[MomToOne]

I hope you only have to renew, which you can do by mail, not apply for a new passport.

I say this because I just spent several hours trying to complete a passport application for DD13 via the post office (you have to reapply in person for kid's passports every 5 years, you can't renew by mail). First I went to our central post office, which advertises on their website passport service from 10am-3pm without an appointment needed. So I show up a little after noon. Only to be told that they actually start taking apps at 10am, take exactly 20 applicants, then stop taking them completely for the day. When I pointed out what the website said, the worker responded "Yeah - they should really change that". Since the post office was then TOTALLY empty, I asked if there was any way they could make an exception and help me out. The guy asked the woman working behind the counter, who from their conversation was clearly one that regularly handled the apps, and she just said "No way". Glorius.

So I went out to my car and started trying to call all the other post offices in the area that say they take passport applications with an appointment. Well, that'd be fine and dandy - IF THEY EVER ANSWERED THEIR PHONES so you could make an appointment! None of them answered their phones - well, except for the branch that picked up but then also immediately hung up (multiple times)...

So I stopped by this lovely post office that hung up on me, since it was on my way to another errand, to see about getting an appointment. I stand in line for 10 minutes to get to the counter. I explain that I had had "trouble getting through on the phone" and would I be able to get a passport appointment. The rather surly agent responded that their earliest appointment was at the end of May!!

I totally see now why the Postal Service is in so much financial trouble - customer service is completely non-existant.

 

[bumbershoot]

This may be easier than I originally thought. Thank you all SO MUCH for helping me find this information!

And YES, my time is definitely worth $99 for the day.... especially since if I work (I'm a sub) and I make $75 for the day. But the Travisa site actually states that it costs $170. I did not see a $99 rate anywhere. But thanks for suggesting it.

................P

If you look at the areas that accept passport applications in your area, and find that there are some right there in your area, just do it on your own. There's just no need to hire someone else to do it. And if this is your first, you have to go in person anyway.

All it becomes then is a matter of paying the right amounts in the right way. Check in x amount to y agency, etc etc. Pay to send it fast, pay to have them process it fast, pay to have them send it back fast. As long as you live in an area that has passport acceptance offices and you can find out the times they are open for accepting applications, you're not going to waste that much time.

You can even cross reference and look up a PO at usps's website. For instance, the PO in Concord that accepts passports is here, with hopefully good info.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

This may be easier than I originally thought. Thank you all SO MUCH for helping me find this information!

And YES, my time is definitely worth $99 for the day.... especially since if I work (I'm a sub) and I make $75 for the day. But the Travisa site actually states that it costs $170. I did not see a $99 rate anywhere. But thanks for suggesting it.

................P

$170 is the what you pay to the US government for expedited service. You will pay that if you do it yourself or if you have a service get the passport for you.

Look on the left side of the page I linked to. It has Travisa's fees listed...the fees vary by the speed you need. Your paying $99 for them to do the leg work with the passport agency.

 

[beth5762]

There are places besides the post office that accept passport applications. I searched in our town and found out the town offices do them. I called and asked for an appointment and they said to come on over. We went right over and were in and out in less than 30 minutes and that was for 3 first time applications. I had heard stories about it taking forever at the post office and was trying to avoid going there.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

What about an enhanced drivers license? In Michigan we can get that for a little more than a regular drivers license and you can use it if driving in and out of Canada. It has to be driving though

New Hampshire does not currently issue enhanced licenses.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I hope you only have to renew, which you can do by mail, not apply for a new passport.

I say this because I just spent several hours trying to complete a passport application for DD13 via the post office (you have to reapply in person for kid's passports every 5 years, you can't renew by mail). First I went to our central post office, which advertises on their website passport service from 10am-3pm without an appointment needed. So I show up a little after noon. Only to be told that they actually start taking apps at 10am, take exactly 20 applicants, then stop taking them completely for the day. When I pointed out what the website said, the worker responded "Yeah - they should really change that". Since the post office was then TOTALLY empty, I asked if there was any way they could make an exception and help me out. The guy asked the woman working behind the counter, who from their conversation was clearly one that regularly handled the apps, and she just said "No way". Glorius.

So I went out to my car and started trying to call all the other post offices in the area that say they take passport applications with an appointment. Well, that'd be fine and dandy - IF THEY EVER ANSWERED THEIR PHONES so you could make an appointment! None of them answered their phones - well, except for the branch that picked up but then also immediately hung up (multiple times)...

So I stopped by this lovely post office that hung up on me, since it was on my way to another errand, to see about getting an appointment. I stand in line for 10 minutes to get to the counter. I explain that I had had "trouble getting through on the phone" and would I be able to get a passport appointment. The rather surly agent responded that their earliest appointment was at the end of May!!

I totally see now why the Postal Service is in so much financial trouble - customer service is completely non-existant.

I hear ya! I recently went through the same thing getting a passport for my DS. I asked for the scoop at one Post Office when I mailed the Christmas packages and they said they have stopped taking applications over the holidays but to come in after the first week of January. So I get all the forms ready, get the passport photo, hubby and I go in with DS and then they tell me we have to have an appointment. they only do apps 3 days a week between the hours of 10:00 and 2:00. I was very disgruntled that they didn't mention this when I asked IN PERSON the month before!

Then I hit the phone and called every Post Office in town. Appointments were all booked solid for two months. I didn't want to wait that long and risk having to pay the expedited fee to get it in time for his trip. There was only one Post Office in my city that took walk ins. I went about 45 minutes before they started and got my number. My DH and DS met me there about 45 minutes later. They actually started taking people about 45 minutes before the stated opening time and at opening a second clerk started helping people. We were in and out in about 1.5 hours. Not bad at all. Next time I would go even earlier and get one of the first numbers.

His passport came in the mail 4 weeks later.

 

[MomToOne]

I hear ya! I recently went through the same thing getting a passport for my DS. I asked for the scoop at one Post Office when I mailed the Christmas packages and they said they have stopped taking applications over the holidays but to come in after the first week of January. So I get all the forms ready, get the passport photo, hubby and I go in with DS and then they tell me we have to have an appointment. they only do apps 3 days a week between the hours of 10:00 and 2:00. I was very disgruntled that they didn't mention this when I asked IN PERSON the month before!

Then I hit the phone and called every Post Office in town. Appointments were all booked solid for two months. I didn't want to wait that long and risk having to pay the expedited fee to get it in time for his trip. There was only one Post Office in my city that took walk ins. I went about 45 minutes before they started and got my number. My DH and DS met me there about 45 minutes later. They actually started taking people about 45 minutes before the stated opening time and at opening a second clerk started helping people. We were in and out in about 1.5 hours. Not bad at all. Next time I would go even earlier and get one of the first numbers.

His passport came in the mail 4 weeks later.

Ah, a kindred spirit My saga got even worse this morning. I show up this morning at the same post office I tried yesterday that takes walks-ins, half an hour before opening. The 20 numbers for the day were already gone and true to their word, they were not going to take anyone else - they even took the number machine away so people could not pull one! One man I talked to said he got there 2 hours before opening, and he was NOT the first one there...That's just dog-gone ridiculous for the central post office in a major city (and in the state capital none the less!!!)

But after 2 days of trying, I did find a bright spot in the USPS! I decided this afternoon to take a major risk and drive over to the Post Office in the next town over that said it took walk-ins. I am happy to say it was night and day as far as service goes - they were actually taking apps for the full time the advertised! They had one person doing nothing but takings the apps, and when there were no counter customers, the counter agents would also jump in and take them without any prompting. We went in at about 1pm, waited about 30 minutes for our number to be called, and were home by 2pm. Yay!!! Of course, I thanked those agents profusely. They said they were handling A LOT of folks from my city, and they were aware of the problems the post offices there seemed to be causing and were glad to help. They didn't understand why those offices were making things so difficult

So - final tally: 2 days of trying, 4 post office visits, a dozen phone calls, and about 60 miles of car mileage to get a simple passport app submitted....

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Ah, a kindred spirit My saga got even worse this morning. I show up this morning at the same post office I tried yesterday that takes walks-ins, half an hour before opening. The 20 numbers for the day were already gone and true to their word, they were not going to take anyone else - they even took the number machine away so people could not pull one! One man I talked to said he got there 2 hours before opening, and he was NOT the first one there...That's just dog-gone ridiculous for the central post office in a major city (and in the state capital none the less!!!)

But after 2 days of trying, I did find a bright spot in the USPS! I decided this afternoon to take a major risk and drive over to the Post Office in the next town over that said it took walk-ins. I am happy to say it was night and day as far as service goes - they were actually taking apps for the full time the advertised! They had one person doing nothing but takings the apps, and when there were no counter customers, the counter agents would also jump in and take them without any prompting. We went in at about 1pm, waited about 30 minutes for our number to be called, and were home by 2pm. Yay!!! Of course, I thanked those agents profusely. They said they were handling A LOT of folks from my city, and they were aware of the problems the post offices there seemed to be causing and were glad to help. They didn't understand why those offices were making things so difficult

So - final tally: 2 days of trying, 4 post office visits, a dozen phone calls, and about 60 miles of car mileage to get a simple passport app submitted....

It should NOT be this difficult to get a passport, but it is!!! I was worried you'd have to camp out over night in your own town to get a number. I'm glad you finally got it done.

 

[danygirl]

I went to the town hall of a nearby town. They told me the reason you can't get an appointment at the po is because the po is trying to get out of this business

 

[cedricandsophie]

In Chicago you can make an appointment and go to the passport office. If you have proof thst you are traveling in a few days, you can pick up the passport the same day. But I still thnk they charge an expediting fee, maybe not as much as through fed ex.

 

[MomToOne]

I went to the town hall of a nearby town. They told me the reason you can't get an appointment at the po is because the po is trying to get out of this business

Problem is - many city halls tell everyone to go to the Post Office! I know that's the case in my area - I was looking around at the other towns nearby to see if any of them would do them, and most won't these days. Our city hall will do them, but it involves it's own hastle because you have to get someone to answer the phone to make an appointment, then you have to fight your way into a busy downtown area (state capital) and pay through the nose for parking. Oh - and the only hours they take apps are during the week, mostly during school hours. So good luck if you are trying to get a passport for a school-age child who has to appear with you.

Since the post office collects $25 per person for the service, I would think they should be able to make a profit if they did it right.

ETA: The USPS Inspector General's Office doesn't appear to be thinking they want to get out of the business - in this blog post, they are wondering why revenues were down and asking for suggestions: http://www.uspsoig.gov/blog/passing-passport-revenue

 

[3boymthr]

Not just town halls and PO do them. In our town the library does them as well. You have to make an appointment as it is the reference librarian and she doesn't just work doing passports and she doesn't work 9-5 but they have an appointment book so you can make the appointment ahead of time.