Renewing Passports

[MIGrandma]

Our passports will be expiring in October. We currently don't have any vacation plans that we would need a passport for, but...would it be better to renew them before they expire? They would be good for another 10 years, correct? Or, would it be better to just wait and if we need them for a future vacation renew them at that time? Which way would be less expensive, or wouldn't it matter?

 

[bcla]

Which way would be less expensive, or wouldn't it matter?

Depends on whether or not the fee goes up. The State Department had a spike in renewals and new applications back in 2010 in advance of fee increases. I got my mail-in renewal just before the increase, even though my passport didn't expire for a couple of years.

As long as they're adult passports, renewal can be done by mail as long as you have a passport or passport card issued within the last 15 years. It's a lot more convenient and doesn't come with the current $25 fee to the "acceptance facility". I really hate that. Most of the facilities are post offices that don't do it on weekends or require appointments. A child passport has to be applied for in person with preferably both parents, and that's a pain.

 

[Micca]

Not sure about the expense. To me it would be worth renewing on the possibility that I might get to take an unexpected trip somewhere that required a passport. I know that since 9/11 it takes much longer to get a passport than it used to. Who knows, maybe a valid passport burning a hole in your pocket would be the impetus for a great trip!

 

[sam_gordon]

Not sure about the expense. To me it would be worth renewing on the possibility that I might get to take an unexpected trip somewhere that required a passport. I know that since 9/11 it takes much longer to get a passport than it used to. Who knows, maybe a valid passport burning a hole in your pocket would be the impetus for a great trip!

How long did it take before? We got passports for the entire family in 2011 and I think it was only 2-3 weeks from when we turned in our application before we had them in hand.

Here's the current fee schedule: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/fees.html. If you renew, you save the $25 processing fee (per person). Just note if you have anyone under 16, it looks like you still have to pay the fee AND have to go to a designated application location.

 

[XYSRUS]

It is just easier and faster to renew a non-expired passport.

 

[firecracker725]

How long did it take before? We got passports for the entire family in 2011 and I think it was only 2-3 weeks from when we turned in our application before we had them in hand.

Here's the current fee schedule: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/fees.html. If you renew, you save the $25 processing fee (per person). Just note if you have anyone under 16, it looks like you still have to pay the fee AND have to go to a designated application location.

Yeah, we got ours in 8 days back in May 2013. I can't imagine any faster than that.

 

[Micca]

How long did it take before? We got passports for the entire family in 2011 and I think it was only 2-3 weeks from when we turned in our application before we had them in hand.

Here's the current fee schedule: http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/fees.html. If you renew, you save the $25 processing fee (per person). Just note if you have anyone under 16, it looks like you still have to pay the fee AND have to go to a designated application location.

That's a good question Sam, I'm not sure. I just recall that the process of getting a passport became a much bigger deal after 9/11. Perhaps that was only temporary and they've improved the process...you know, like the government so often does?

 

[bcla]

It is just easier and faster to renew a non-expired passport.

It can be expired. There's no difference between renewing a still-valid passport and one that has expired but is less than 15 years since issue. Once it's past 15 years it starts over again with a trip to an "acceptance facility". Even so, the expired passport is proof of nationality and identification.

And going way off-topic, anyone know a non-citizen US national? It's a pretty limited category these days. They'll get a passport with a special notation.

 

[MIGrandma]

Do they mail you a renewal form, or do we need to go to the county courthouse to renew?

 

[sam_gordon]

Do they mail you a renewal form, or do we need to go to the county courthouse to renew?

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/renew.html

 

[bcla]

How long did it take before? We got passports for the entire family in 2011 and I think it was only 2-3 weeks from when we turned in our application before we had them in hand.

There's no one answer. It's all a matter of backlog at the individual passport agencies. The vast majority of passports from in-person applications are produced at one of the regional passport agencies. My wife's first-time passport came in an envelope with a San Francisco address, as did our child's. Mail-in renewals are done at a central production facility. I'm not sure about requests forwarded from embassies and consulates. All passport cards are produced by a secure contractor.

 

[bcla]

Do they mail you a renewal form, or do we need to go to the county courthouse to renew?

County courthouse? I understand that there are different places, but I thought that post offices were the most common. Then there are city or county agencies. We did our kid's at the UC Berkeley rec gym.

http://recsports.berkeley.edu/about/member-services/get-a-u-s-passport/

Really though, the best way to do it would be online. That produces a PDF file that you can print with all your entered info as well as a bar code. The State Department will have all that information available on their servers, and all they need to do is scan the bar code to bring up your file. That means less chance that someone on their end makes a typo or gets basic info incorrect. You can also make corrections if you make a mistake since it's not official until you send in your application on paper. I've done it that way for my last renewal, as well as for our kid's and my wife's first-time applications. When we were applying for our child, someone in front of us was taking nearly forever filling out the form, which he got at the facility.

If you are eligible to mail it in, you're not going to need to pay the $25 fee to the "acceptance facility". You'll need to pay for mailing costs though, which you wouldn't in person. The other pain is that if you write a check, you'll need to make out a separate one for the facility (or pay cash), as well as one for the State Department.

 

[JanaDee]

County courthouse? I understand that there are different places, but I thought that post offices were the most common. Then there are city or county agencies. We did our kid's at the UC Berkeley rec gym.

http://recsports.berkeley.edu/about/member-services/get-a-u-s-passport/

Really though, the best way to do it would be online. That produces a PDF file that you can print with all your entered info as well as a bar code. The State Department will have all that information available on their servers, and all they need to do is scan the bar code to bring up your file. That means less chance that someone on their end makes a typo or gets basic info incorrect. You can also make corrections if you make a mistake since it's not official until you send in your application on paper. I've done it that way for my last renewal, as well as for our kid's and my wife's first-time applications. When we were applying for our child, someone in front of us was taking nearly forever filling out the form, which he got at the facility.

If you are eligible to mail it in, you're not going to need to pay the $25 fee to the "acceptance facility". You'll need to pay for mailing costs though, which you wouldn't in person. The other pain is that if you write a check, you'll need to make out a separate one for the facility (or pay cash), as well as one for the State Department.

I just renewed our kids' passports. It is common around here to do it at either a Clerk of Courts office (courthouse) or the PO. DS's came in about 14 days, DD's took a bit longer, since she is under 16 and there was an issue with a piece of paperwork. We just got hers a couple days ago and we applied for them on Feb 5th.

 

[JanaDee]

OP, just do the mail-in renewal. It is so much easier.

 

[NFLDERS]

It is just easier and faster to renew a non-expired passport.

This is the case here (Ontario, Canada), and we were able to do so online. We rec'd them in about 5 days.

 

[NFLDERS]

OP, just do the mail-in renewal. It is so much easier.

We were advised by our Post Office (Niagara area in Ontario, Canada) not to do this; Maybe because our current passport has to be included, and they have had them lost even with special security measures.

 

[JanaDee]

We were advised by our Post Office (Niagara area in Ontario, Canada) not to do this; Maybe because our current passport has to be included, and they have had them lost even with special security measures.

Even if you apply in person, you're without your passport until you receive a new one. Mail in renewal or in person are the only options in the US. http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/renew.html

 

[MIGrandma]

County courthouse? I understand that there are different places, but I thought that post offices were the most common. Then there are city or county agencies. We did our kid's at the UC Berkeley rec gym.

http://recsports.berkeley.edu/about/member-services/get-a-u-s-passport/

Really though, the best way to do it would be online. That produces a PDF file that you can print with all your entered info as well as a bar code. The State Department will have all that information available on their servers, and all they need to do is scan the bar code to bring up your file. That means less chance that someone on their end makes a typo or gets basic info incorrect. You can also make corrections if you make a mistake since it's not official until you send in your application on paper. I've done it that way for my last renewal, as well as for our kid's and my wife's first-time applications. When we were applying for our child, someone in front of us was taking nearly forever filling out the form, which he got at the facility.

If you are eligible to mail it in, you're not going to need to pay the $25 fee to the "acceptance facility". You'll need to pay for mailing costs though, which you wouldn't in person. The other pain is that if you write a check, you'll need to make out a separate one for the facility (or pay cash), as well as one for the State Department.

We're only 10 miles from our county courthouse, which is where we went to get our original passports back in 2005. They took the photo right there for them too.

 

[bcla]

I just renewed our kids' passports. It is common around here to do it at either a Clerk of Courts office (courthouse) or the PO. DS's came in about 14 days, DD's took a bit longer, since she is under 16 and there was an issue with a piece of paperwork. We just got hers a couple days ago and we applied for them on Feb 5th.

If I look for the closest ones to where I work (in Silicon Valley), it's mostly post offices. I pulled up the closest ones to where I work, and in the first 20 entries (the first page) it's 18 post offices, one city clerk's office, and one county clerk-recorder office. The next 20 include 3 city clerks, one county clerk, and the rest post offices. The final 10 are two city clerks, the UC Santa Cruz student bookstore (about 33 miles away), and the rest post offices.

Around here county clerk-recorders run the whole gamut of recording duties, including grant deeds and vital records (birth/death/marriage). I've been to a few court clerks, but they never came across as anyone who really wanted to be handling passport duties. The same might be said for postal clerks, but they're the primary people who do this stuff.

 

[bcla]

We were advised by our Post Office (Niagara area in Ontario, Canada) not to do this; Maybe because our current passport has to be included, and they have had them lost even with special security measures.

Must be different in Canada.

At least in the US, acceptance facilities simply mail the applications in. About the only way to avoid using mail is to apply directly at a passport agency, pay the expedite fee, and request in-person pickup. My wife did that since we were in a hurry and the passport was available the next business day for pickup.