NY Times article about passport renewal I am gifting to one and all.

It does work - I've done that several times for articles posted here. It's a nice feature by the Times! And thanks for the article! I'm very happy that my passport is good until 2026.

Thank you! I was one of those who waited 16 weeks last year for my renewal..... I suggest everyone pay the $60 fee for quicker service. I wished I had.

We renewed our passport in March and had them back in less than a month. We did not expedite but did pay for express mail option.
Guess we were lucky?

Sam, thank you for this lovely gift. Good article!!

My new goal (for which I cannot control the variables) is to feel comfortable traveling again, before the passports expire (several years).

I mailed my passport renewal on Thursday, June 23rd using priority two-day mail via USPS. I confirmed via USPS that it arrived on Monday June 27th. The passport renewal status online showed that it began processing on Wednesday, June 29th (date the money is accepted). My new passport arrived in the mail today July 21. I did NOT pay the expedited fee. So it took about four weeks for me, whereas I was expecting months. Maybe things are going better now?

I wasn’t planning a trip out of the country but in April, I planned a May trip with my passport expiring in August. At just over 2 weeks before, I called for an appointment at the Passport agency. Had the first appt of the day and was out of there in 45 min. Since I wasn’t traveling over 100 miles, I had to return the following afternoon and it took 5 min to pick it up. It was a hassle but I had my new passport a week before my trip. There was no requirement to wait until 3 business days before my trip as stated in the article. You do have to talk to someone but they pick up the phones and I didn’t have long wait times. If you need a Visa you can go in sooner depending on how long you need to get the visa.

We renewed our passport last Sept and had them back in a month. We did not expedite. Just regular processing.

Looks like 'Random" is rampant

I renewed my kids’ passports back in March. It took three weeks to get them back, and I did not expedite or express mail.

So, yes, random.

Yikes! Thanks for sharing.

I took my two (minor) children on May 20 to get theirs renewed at the post office. We got theirs in the mail a couple days ago. So right at two months for renewals. (No expedited service, etc.)

One thing I did notice is the post office lets you book only four weeks in advance. You had to book the day your date came available or you didn’t get an appointment. So for that May 20 appointment I had to book precisely on April 22.

Don't forget about the global entry renewal; you can renew anytime BEFORE your birthday year expiration date. I did mine and it took less than 24 hours before I got the confirmation that I was renewed and I received my new card within 10 days. My husband, however, has now been waiting since May and hasn't even had a notification that the application was received (we know it went though because money was documented and it shows it as pending).

Global entry is now saying it can take months and months and have extended the benefits for 24 months after you apply for newel, BUT, it must be done before it expires or you loose all benefits.