Passport time

[ladybugmommy84]

How long did it take for you to receive your passports? It's just my daughter and I. We cruise May 22nd and I definitely want to get passports in case something happens. We have vacation insurance as well.

Thanks in advance

 

[mischief32]

They say 6 - 8 weeks but we got ours in 2- 3 weeks. You can pay extra for faster processing.

 

[ladybugmommy84]

They say 6 - 8 weeks but we got ours in 2- 3 weeks. You can pay extra for faster processing.

Thank you! That's not bad. Hopefully I can get it done the end of this month.

 

[Owl X]

My passport took 2 weeks in November last year. My wife's took 3 weeks.

 

[WiscMomof2]

We just sent our renewals out last week and noticed yesterday that the checks have cleared. I'm guessing we should have them soon. Still, I would plan on 6-8 weeks to be safe.

 

[dprincessmom]

Submitted paperwork today for ours - they said takes 6 weeks. You could pay $60 extra for express - 3 weeks.

Just something to think about - We "should" have had an appointment according to the not pleasant lady at the USPS. The kind Ms. Julia took us since we had the forms, pictures and all of our documentation ready. Also not certain if you wear glasses, but in researching our passport they are no longer allowing for glasses in the passport pictures, something to do with the glare and facial recognition.

Good luck!

 

[tink1970]

DD's took a little less than 3 weeks but I agree with planning on 6-8 weeks. I've read other places that say as summer gets closer more people apply so it takes longer. Don't know if that's true but "they" are usually correct

 

[Mushu's Twin]

They say 6-8 but it never takes that long. There are several Regional Passport Agencies where you can get a passport in a day, but they're only located in very large cities usually.

 

[Dug720]

They say 6-8 but it never takes that long. There are several Regional Passport Agencies where you can get a passport in a day, but they're only located in very large cities usually.

And I believe with those you have to show proof of travel within a week or two.

 

[jetskigrl]

We had our appointment for new passports for our kids at the end of January and it took just about 3 weeks to get them.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you are waiting, please make sure you have a second certified copy of your birth certificate, just in case the passport and BC don't come back in time (they come back separately FYI).

 

[ladybugmommy84]

Thank you all so much!

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Whether you will need an appointment to get passports at the post office varies by post office. (And remember, not every post office does it at all.)

Near us, there was one that required appointments at all times, one that never did, and one that didn't if it was a weekday, but did need an appointment if you wanted it to be on a Saturday.

Also, you don't mention a father of your daughter. Most of the time, they either want both parents to attend or for the second one to fill out notarized paperwork in advance. If he is completely out of the picture, you may want to call them ahead of time to make sure you have the proper documentation. My apologies for telling you this if you already know it, but I just didn't want you to be surprised when you got there.

 

[carolina_yankee]

We just replaced a stolen passport in NJ. It took 6 weeks exactly. The renewals last fall took 2 1/2 weeks. Don't know if there was extra time because the passport was stolen, but we did have to go through the whole appointment thing. Renewals were just send in with new photo.

Given that it's spring, there is a federal hiring freeze affecting staffing levels, and just dumb bad luck, plan on 6 weeks!

Dirk

 

[jtkboston]

My wife just renewed her passport (you can do this by mail, no appointment needed and you only need to include the old passport--you don't need to send in birth certificate, etc.). She just got it back in the mail yesterday, took about 3-4 weeks total.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

How long did it take for you to receive your passports? It's just my daughter and I. We cruise May 22nd and I definitely want to get passports in case something happens. We have vacation insurance as well.

Thanks in advance

My husband & I mailed in our passport renewal applications on Jan 6. His passport was issued Jan 17 and he received it in the mail Jan 25. My passport was issued Jan 22 and I received it Jan 27.

 

[lbus42]

One thing to keep in mind is that there are several states that issue driver's licenses that are not compliant with Homeland Security's real-ID requirements. As of January 18, 2018, you will not be able to fly using a driver's license from a non-compliant state, without an alternative ID, such as a military ID or a passport. The passport lines in our local post office have been extremely long for weeks now because of this. More information is on the Homeland Security web site.

 

[ladybugmommy84]

Whether you will need an appointment to get passports at the post office varies by post office. (And remember, not every post office does it at all.)

Near us, there was one that required appointments at all times, one that never did, and one that didn't if it was a weekday, but did need an appointment if you wanted it to be on a Saturday.

Also, you don't mention a father of your daughter. Most of the time, they either want both parents to attend or for the second one to fill out notarized paperwork in advance. If he is completely out of the picture, you may want to call them ahead of time to make sure you have the proper documentation. My apologies for telling you this if you already know it, but I just didn't want you to be surprised when you got there.

Thank you I didn't mention a father because it's just the two of us traveling but thanks!

 

[bevcgg]

We just renewed passports for our kids two weeks ago. The only place we could go without an appointment during the week (requiring everyone take days off school/work) had MASSIVE lines. They are SUPER busy this time of year anyway and this year there are more than 46 million passport expiring- half of whom are minors. Minors have to be renewed in person. Not to mention the current political issues encouraging more demand for passports as proof if citizenship. And the shortage of staff in the Fed workforce. When we arrived that Sat we waited in line 45 min before the post office opened. When they opened at 9AM- they let in the specific number of people they could process before 5:00PM closing and then sent they other 50 in line people (when they opened) away. We were #63 and it took us 6 hours to get processed. It was grueling!!!!! This is their 3rd passport- never experienced anything like this before.
Here is what we learned:

• Make sure you have what you need- notarized form of a parent not present.
• Triple check your paperwork
• Don't plan anything else for that day
• Everyone (the whole family) had to be in line for 6 hours
• Don't wait- sooner is better- lines will only get longer
• Bring snacks and books
• Be super nice to the people having to work in this environment everyday- they were amazing
• This seems to be the "new normal"

I hope your experience is different! But better forewarned than sorry!

 

[Beth06015]

My husband & I mailed in our passport renewal applications on Jan 6. His passport was issued Jan 17 and he received it in the mail Jan 25. My passport was issued Jan 22 and I received it Jan 27.

How did you know when they were issued? We applied for ours at the post office two weeks ago. I checked the status online and it says processing. I'll feel better when I have the kids birth certificates back!!