Vent -- Why are passports so expensive??

[AmberHeartsDisney]

they are good for 10 years too i think right?

 

[mhsjax]

I seriously don't sweat the small stuff. I figure if I'm dropping 1-2k on a cruise, the $139 bucks for a passport is not a deal breaker and hopefully I will travel a couple of more times in the next 10 years (that's a long time in my life).

I do break it down to the lowest common denominator and for me that's a love of travelling. I love to travel, if spending a couple of hundred one time allows me to do that easily. No worries.

Yes, but just yesterday we paid $345.00 for my kids to go on a cruise. We got ours a couple of years ago. We don't plan on leaving the country other than the cruise, but we don't want to take the chance of not having passports.

Yes I think it is a little bit of a rip off. Those people are on payroll, but they don't just do passports, they have other jobs. Much like everything in the Gov't. pretty much a waste of money. But I do agree, it is a choice, and we are paying the price, but not liking it that much.

 

[MomToOne]

In my experience, cruise lines are very proactive in making sure you have any documentation that MIGHT be needed to reenter the country. Even more so than the airlines for som reasons. Customs and Immigration may or may not ask for it - usually they don't! - but it would only take one case of a cruise lines taking on a passenger that wasn't allowed back into the country due to paperwork issues for them to have a mess on their hands.

I adopted my daughter as a single parent. I always carry a certified copy of her adoption decree with me when I travel outside of the US, in addition to her passport, that shows it was a single parent adoption. If I remember right, I ended up producing it while checking in for a cruise a couple of years ago...

Also, while the fees are high, the State Department is one of the few government agencies that is actually reasonable to deal with. I keep my daughter's passport up to date because I use it as proof of her citizenship - it's MUCH easier than trying to get proof of citizenship out of Immigration! I'll gladly pay their fees every 5 years just for that. The State Department has their act together, knows all the rules, enforces them stictly but fairly, and treats you like a person in the process. Immigration assumes you are a criminal trying to get something past them...

 

[NotUrsula]

Because their processing is so overstaffed. The gov't doesn't process them, they contract them out. I used to work for the large financial organization that processed them, started in data entry entering the passport info from scanned forms then worked my way up.

They staff up for the busy season in the spring. We're talking about 200 people per shift for 3 shifts, plus a weekend shift. In the spring and early summer, they need that many people; 3-4 months. The rest of the year, they don't but keep the staff. The staff are mainly temps but they keep them anyway. The rest of the year, they get paid to go home early when there is no work. The government pays for all of this. This, to me, is a poor management choice. I think you'll find similar choices in most gov't agencies and contracts.

There are also fully staffed locations in LA and CT where they both scan in the passport forms and enter in the data. There could be some cuts made in staffing. The situation could have changed, I quit 3 years ago. However, I see on FB that some of my former coworkers who still work there are still going home early through a lot of the year. Perhaps they wised up and only pay the perm staff to go home and not the temps? We can hope.

Technically, the REAL reason is because so few Americans have them. This infrastructure is necessary and must be paid for, but if the majority of Americans had a passport the per-person share of the cost of supporting that infrastructure would go down.

It's rather like the 9/11 fee that we pay when we fly. On 9/11 most of the folks who were killed or injured were on the ground, not in planes. However, for some bizarre reason it was decided to make only passengers pay the extra costs for increased security, and thus it is $2.50 per flight segment and doesn't really generate enough funds to cover costs. If they taxed ALL Americans for that purpose they would have more than enough money if they only levied a fraction of a penny per year for it.

 

[rigs32]

I always take my passport when I fly - even domestically. I've never been tapped for the additional security screening when I show my passport as my form of ID at the airport. My ex would always get tapped when he used his military ID rather than DL or passport.

 

[Gigi22]

I view the cost of passports as kind of a luxury tax (a bit like a 'sin tax') on international travel. You don't require a passport if you either can't afford, or choose not to, travel to other countries.

 

[emma'smom]

The simple solution--- go on more international vacations!

 

[Lewisc]

Technically, the REAL reason is because so few Americans have them. This infrastructure is necessary and must be paid for, but if the majority of Americans had a passport the per-person share of the cost of supporting that infrastructure would go down.

The majority of Americans don't have, and probably don't need, passports. About 114 million Americans (37%) have passports. I don't know what percentage is "so few".

 

[thebeesknees]

I am sitting here with my kids' passport applications right now. What annoys me about the ones for the kids is not that they are only for 5 years, it's that you have to apply from scratch each time, rather than being able to renew my mail. I have to drag all the kids with me (because they have to appear in person), get DH to take time off of work (or get his notorized permission, which is another hassle), and go into the office in person, wait a ridiculous amount of time to see someone to file, etc. I don't understand why my kids need to show their birth certificates AGAIN, when they already have been issued passports before. The State Department has verified their identity once...why do it again?

 

[WDWisTheBest]

I am sitting here with my kids' passport applications right now. What annoys me about the ones for the kids is not that they are only for 5 years, it's that you have to apply from scratch each time, rather than being able to renew my mail. I have to drag all the kids with me (because they have to appear in person), get DH to take time off of work (or get his notorized permission, which is another hassle), and go into the office in person, wait a ridiculous amount of time to see someone to file, etc. I don't understand why my kids need to show their birth certificates AGAIN, when they already have been issued passports before. The State Department has verified their identity once...why do it again?

The only thing that matters is that you have to comply with the requirements just as everyone else does. It is not easy to do the work but..............?

 

[debster812]

Our family has staggered passports. DS got his last January, I've had mine for a while, and DH will be getting his in the next month or so.

DS's soccer team plays in a league that has a member in Ottawa. We head north once to play them, so we got DS the passport for this last year. DH could not make that trip last year, so he did not get one. He will be joining us this year, so he'll get a passport.

DS and I are also going to England in August with the team, so they'll be getting a good workout this summer.

 

[eliza61]

I am sitting here with my kids' passport applications right now. What annoys me about the ones for the kids is not that they are only for 5 years, it's that you have to apply from scratch each time, rather than being able to renew my mail. I have to drag all the kids with me (because they have to appear in person), get DH to take time off of work (or get his notorized permission, which is another hassle), and go into the office in person, wait a ridiculous amount of time to see someone to file, etc. I don't understand why my kids need to show their birth certificates AGAIN, when they already have been issued passports before. The State Department has verified their identity once...why do it again?

1) Identity theft.
2) child abduction
3) 5 years, kids features change.

Why do we assume every thing has to be easy and convenient.

Please forgive the rudness but really, you're mad because you have to drag YOUR kids with you? The state departments job is to make sure the correct information and the correct person is applying. Not to make sure you can do it in a manner that is easy because you have kids.
It's not Disney, the agency is not there to be entertaining.

If some one had a phoney copy of your kids birth certificate wouldn't you'd like the state department to take the time to VERIFY their identity?

 

[eliza61]

Yes, but just yesterday we paid $345.00 for my kids to go on a cruise. We got ours a couple of years ago. We don't plan on leaving the country other than the cruise, but we don't want to take the chance of not having passports.

Yes I think it is a little bit of a rip off. Those people are on payroll, but they don't just do passports, they have other jobs. Much like everything in the Gov't. pretty much a waste of money. But I do agree, it is a choice, and we are paying the price, but not liking it that much.

but the price of most items are not dependant on the number of uses. If you brought a lawn mower or snow blower you couldn't go into sears and say, listen I only plan on using this one time would you lower the price? Or if you buy a dvc time share, you can't go to Disney and say "you know, could you drop the price 5 grand, I only plan on using it for 2 or 3 trips". The price is fixed and the value comes in using it more than once but that does not change the selling point.

 

[thebeesknees]

1) Identity theft.
2) child abduction
3) 5 years, kids features change.

Why do we assume every thing has to be easy and convenient.

Please forgive the rudness but really, you're mad because you have to drag YOUR kids with you? The state departments job is to make sure the correct information and the correct person is applying. Not to make sure you can do it in a manner that is easy because you have kids.
It's not Disney, the agency is not there to be entertaining.

If some one had a phoney copy of your kids birth certificate wouldn't you'd like the state department to take the time to VERIFY their identity?

You're right, and you have valid points. I guess I'm just thinking that identity theft could happen to anyone, not just kids, so why don't they make everyone reapply from scratch each time instead of just the kids, but I suppose if the main reason is to prevent a non-custodial parent abduction, I can see the point. I have no problem with the 5-year limit on kids' passports. Obviously, their features change dramatically, and they need to be kept up-to-date. And yes, I was being petty by getting annoyed about having to bring the kids with me, but I wasn't really thinking it all the way through. Just venting about watching precious spring break time go down the tubes while we sit in a waiting room.

 

[karice2]

The price of a passport doesn't really bother me. I love the freedom that having one allows. When I need a quick getaway I am not limited to the the continental US. I go where I feel like going.

Every service that the government provides has a cost associated with it. Yes our taxes pay for most of those things but shouldn't people be responsible for paying for things that are a direct benefit to them. It is more than just a quick computer check for some of those things.

They also make sure people don't owe back child support or certain criminal records.

 

[Nicolepa]

You're right, and you have valid points. I guess I'm just thinking that identity theft could happen to anyone, not just kids, so why don't they make everyone reapply from scratch each time instead of just the kids, but I suppose if the main reason is to prevent a non-custodial parent abduction, I can see the point.

It is easier for idenity theft in a kid to go unnoticed. How often does a 5 year old apply for a credit card or an apartment?

I'd say try a different office if you can. When I did my kids passports I waited 15 minutes, max.

 

[mhsjax]

but the price of most items are not dependant on the number of uses. If you brought a lawn mower or snow blower you couldn't go into sears and say, listen I only plan on using this one time would you lower the price? Or if you buy a dvc time share, you can't go to Disney and say "you know, could you drop the price 5 grand, I only plan on using it for 2 or 3 trips". The price is fixed and the value comes in using it more than once but that does not change the selling point.

I never said it was. For us it is a waste of money because we aren't traveling out of the country except for a cruise here and there. We did pay it, I am not arguing about getting the price reduced or refusing to get one because of the price, I am simply expressing my opinion that I do think they are expensive.

People say it is a waste of money all the time for certain things that they feel they may not use as much. They have the choice to pay the full amount or not, We did pay the full amount, and did so without any complaint, I reserved that for here when the OP brought up the subject.

 

[thebeesknees]

I'd say try a different office if you can. When I did my kids passports I waited 15 minutes, max.

Thanks, I'll give that a try. The office we have gone to before doesn't do appointments, so maybe if we try one that is farther away and can get an appointment it would go quicker.

 

[disneychrista]

The passport application needs both parents if the child is 16 & under.

 

[bumbershoot]

Someone clearly forgot to relay that information to Airline personnel and US Immigration and border protection agents....

The point is that you *could* be asked for the documentation, even if you haven't been. The rule is the rule; they can ask for it.

If DH and DS ever traveled together alone, I'd make sure to get them a notarized document, and I would want them to carry DS's birth certificate. They just don't look alike to the eyes of a stranger, and I would rather make sure they have the proof, rather than risk it.

Thanks, I'll give that a try. The office we have gone to before doesn't do appointments, so maybe if we try one that is farther away and can get an appointment it would go quicker.

If you can go to a major post office, it might be faster than if you're going to a city office.

The passport application needs both parents if the child is 16 & under.

Or a notarized form from the parent that can't be there. Or a form explaining why the parent isn't there and you can't get permission. Or a court order showing that you have sole custody. And so on and so forth.