U.S. Passport fees going up

[andrews_dad]

Those fees are getting high. If you travel a ton, it os fine. But many folks use their passports for one major trip in a 5-10 year span. That just adds a huge expense to that trip of a lifetime.

 

[branv]

I wanted to give everyone a heads up on my experience today trying to renew my passport.

I decided to do it in person b/c of my issue with changing my name on the passport. I knew that some post offices around us did passport services, so I went online to USPS.gov to find out which ones, as well as their hours. Read that one in the next town had one, and it did not require an appointment.

So, imagine my surprise when I drove to the post office in the next town only to find the passport office closed (as well as the two people who came in for passports while I was still standing there!). I talked to a person at the post office who explained that most of the post offices in our region were no longer open the hours that were posted on their website, and had moved to "by appointment only" for this service.

When I got home, instead of USPS.gov, I checked the travel.state.gov website for locations, which did specify the post office I went to was now by appointment only. So FYI: you might want to double check both sites, or even better, try calling them directly to see if anything has changed. I know most have to make time in a busy day to do this, so don't want you to spend your time on a goose chase

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

I think I'll be getting DD's soon then, we are going to Mexico next year. How can I verify that I can get them a passport card instead of a passport book and know that it will be accepted?

 

[cole6179]

I think I'll be getting DD's soon then, we are going to Mexico next year. How can I verify that I can get them a passport card instead of a passport book and know that it will be accepted?

You can't use a card for air travel. Unless you are driving across the border, she would need a book.

 

[samshane]

There was another thread on this and I posted there as well... I applied for my passport today and the city clerk told me the rates were going up as of June 10 - not March. She told me that because I asked about my kids getting them. Thankfully the clerks office does passports in my town 8-4 M-F.

Don't know if that will change.

She also gave me a form I mailed to my DH who is in Iraq - he is going to fill it out and get it notarized and I will be able to get the kids passports without him being present.

Been putting it off and now finally getting it all done.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

You can't use a card for air travel. Unless you are driving across the border, she would need a book.

thanks, so glad I asked. We are flying!

 

[MickeyManiac]

There was another thread on this and I posted there as well... I applied for my passport today and the city clerk told me the rates were going up as of June 10 - not March. She told me that because I asked about my kids getting them. Thankfully the clerks office does passports in my town 8-4 M-F.

I was trying to make an appointment at the post office and was surprised how far out they were booked. I asked her about the fees going up and she said "they are going up in June and they are going to double" I don't know about the double part, but that's one more person that said June.

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

I think I'll be getting DD's soon then, we are going to Mexico next year. How can I verify that I can get them a passport card instead of a passport book and know that it will be accepted?

You also can't just get the card. You can get the card AND the book but there is no way JUST to get the card (making the card IMO useless)

 

[bumbershoot]

On the form, you can just check the card. Fees:


Adult Passport Card
If you do NOT currently hold a valid Passport Book or Card
$20
+
$25


I don't see much point to the card, but it does seem you can get it on its own (they just aren't obvious about it) and you use the same form.


I think the original March date was given as the date they were ending comments/feedback/debate about the price...

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

On the form, you can just check the card. Fees:


Adult Passport Card
If you do NOT currently hold a valid Passport Book or Card
$20
+
$25


I don't see much point to the card, but it does seem you can get it on its own (they just aren't obvious about it) and you use the same form.


I think the original March date was given as the date they were ending comments/feedback/debate about the price...

You are right... i guess they changed it that you can get the card. But for $45 (or even the $20 if you have a current passport)...what is the point? Other than it's smaller?

 

[mareeld86]

Yes, I know, I know, but I still think it is expensive. Especially when you are getting 5. That's alotta $$. I wonder how the price compares in other countries...just curious.

Ang

Australian adult Passports are $280 aud so even with the exchange rate that makes it 250 us dollars so i would be happy with the price you guys have to pay!!

 

[Deffenm]

thanks for posting about the increase in fee. We went ahead and got our kids' done yesterday. It was expensive enough as is without costing me more per kid.

 

[jackie101]

Any truth to the increase. i called my local post office & they had no clue

 

[bigmama67]

No rumor. We went to get ours on Saturday and the woman commented that we were smart to do it since the rates were about to go up. Also she said that they were only told about a month ago so it probably hasn't gotten around like it should. Ridiculous, but there you go...

 

[brianheather]

There was another thread on this and I posted there as well... I applied for my passport today and the city clerk told me the rates were going up as of June 10 - not March. She told me that because I asked about my kids getting them. Thankfully the clerks office does passports in my town 8-4 M-F.

Don't know if that will change.

She also gave me a form I mailed to my DH who is in Iraq - he is going to fill it out and get it notarized and I will be able to get the kids passports without him being present.

Been putting it off and now finally getting it all done.

I work for the Clerk's Office in my county and do passports everyday... With my experiences, if the spouse is in Iraq the form that she gave you to get your DH to sign could actually be filled out by you and under special circumstances state that your Dh has been deployed over seas. You can do this if you have a hard time getting him to fill them out.
As far as fees going up, we recieved a letter stating that it has only been proposed, there is nothing set in stone as too if and when they are going up.

 

[brianheather]

Any truth to the increase. i called my local post office & they had no clue

Our office got a letter.. it was only a proposal.. they were going to vote it in april. An adult passport would go up 35.00 which would bring it to 110.00 which is crazy. But nothing is final or set in stone.

 

[apnep]

Australian adult Passports are $280 aud so even with the exchange rate that makes it 250 us dollars so i would be happy with the price you guys have to pay!!

YOWZA!

You are right about that, mate!

I got my DH and kids their passports this week. I had to get birth certificates for my DH and DS and while I was waiting, popped in to the passport office to ask about this price change. They don't know when it's going to happen and apparently it is just a suggestion so it may not actually happen.

In any case, we got them done for our cruise this summer and I am happy about that. We had to write out four separate checks which I thought was silly, but oh well. It's done and now all we have to do is wait.

Angela

 

[Rhode Island Quahog]

Fees aren't expected to be raised until sometime in April 2010.

 

[SaraJayne]

My daughter called the library to make an appointment, but the agent does come in until Wednesday. She was told they can be mailed together and also told she didn't have to write separate checks. The person at the PO may not know about it, as their seems to be a designated person to do the swearing and process the paperwork.

She can write one check for the fees associated with the applications, but each application has to have a separate check. For us 4, we ended up writing out 5 checks ~ 4 each for the applications and 1 for all the fees.

And our Clerk of Courts said the fees may "possibly" be increasing...there was no date set, yet.

 

[cole6179]

She can write one check for the fees associated with the applications, but each application has to have a separate check. For us 4, we ended up writing out 5 checks ~ 4 each for the applications and 1 for all the fees.

And our Clerk of Courts said the fees may "possibly" be increasing...there was no date set, yet.

Our PO office let us write one check for all 4 apps. (I used my card to pay the PO fees to rack up some of my points I am collecting.) They just clipped them all together. The check has been cashed, so I imagine it's not a problem for one check.