I will be going to Ireland in 8 weeks with my adult daughter. Her passport expired three or four years ago. A year ago she applied for a new passport and followed it up until is said it was sent out. She then forgot about it. It never arrived. She did nothing about it.
Now we are 8 weeks out and she is without a current passport. How long are expedited passports taking at this time? It says 3-5 weeks, but is this accurate?
If the State Department website says 3-5 weeks for expedited (it does), I would count on that as the official guidance. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html
Regular processing may take 6-9 weeks, so it depends if you want to take the chance of not getting it by the time of the flight.
You potentially have bigger problems than you might think. She does not have a passport to renew. When you renew you send in your old passport and it makes the process quicker and smoother. Second, you cannot hold more than one active passport. The record may show an active passport that was issued a year ago. So now you have to prove that that passport was "lost" before you can obtain a replacement or new passport. Your time is short. You need to get on the phone and making some calls. This is not a question about expedited passports. I am surprised that the old passport was not return a couple weeks after the new passport had been issued. That is standard protocol.
Frank is right. I hope she has an old passport to renew to begin with, otherwise it's a totally different process.
One small correction to what Frank noted. One can have two US passports but the second one only has a validity of two years. But this is mainly for folks who are traveling constantly
Edit - 2nd passport will be valid for 4 years
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/second-passport-book.html
Go to this website and read carefully. It will tell you what you have to do. If she was issued a passport, then it is not a renewal. It is a replacement.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html
You can also call the State Dept and as what to do in your situation.
How to Replace a Lost or Stolen Passport
To replace a lost or stolen passport, you must submit Form DS-11 in person. Where you apply depends if you are in the United States or outside the country.
If you are in the United States and traveling in more than five weeks, make an appointment (if required) to apply at a passport acceptance facility to replace your passport. If you are traveling in less than five weeks, you may be eligible to make an appointment to apply in person at a passport agency or center to replace your passport. You must be traveling internationally in the next 14 calendar days, or need a foreign visa in the next 28 calendar days.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/have-passport/lost-stolen.html
As already noted, immediate action is needed.
