Passport Renewal

Thanks for the info. We are up in May 22 so probably will send about Feb 22. If you have Global Entry, don't forget to up date on-line with the new passport number.

I checked mine and it expires March 22 so I also sent it for renewal. I mailed it on March 31. I figured if we get to go on our trip in September/October I wouldn’t have 6 months after our return date. We have the time now so why wait. Yes. I have a note to myself to update the Global Entry info.

NOW aka Covid is the perfect time to renew. Get it done....I simply do not see the logic of people waiting until the last few months before it expires to renew and risk not having it available if there are delays or a last minute trip comes up.

Even if you renew it a full year early, so at 9 yrs instead of 10 years it is NO Big deal. Over the average travelers life time you will end up in maybe needing only 1 extra renewal. ONLY 1 extra renewal at best over an entire lifetime... so $160 divided by say 60 traveling years...oh my god..a loss of $2.66 a year. The travesty; the absolute inhumanity of such an event. And if your a late bloomer and didn’t start international travel (aka passport) until your 30’s you will never have the need for an ‘extra’...so the savings would be $0.

10 yr renewal: age 25, 35, 45, 55, 65, 75 (covers you to age 85). 6 passports over your life.
9 yr renewal: age 25, 34, 43, 52, 61, 70 (covers you to age 80) 6 passports over your life—you would need an extra renewal ONLY if you started traveling before age 25 and wanted to continue after age 80.

Talk about absolute false economy.

Schteffi, we sent in and received ours on very nearly the same schedule as yours. It took a little over two weeks JUST for the things to arrive at the designated office (Irving, Texas.) LOL, COVID muddled our heads enough that we thought we had another year on them but, lo and behold, the darn things had just expired.

Bob, got my first passport at age 3 months. Still have it. :O)

Kathy and Schteffi...did you get expedited service?

I sent my renewal in on 3/8 and my check was cashed on 4/9. Still have not received it. I have an appt at the airport on 4/24 for Global Entry interview. Hoping I have it back by then.

No, I did not use expedited service. Mbeaulieu, I hope you have it in hand for your appointment. The government is built for comfort (their own), not speed. Lots of luck.

No expedited service for us either; we just put tracking on them.

I did not do expedited, either. i did send it back in a priority envelope w/tracking. They obviously received it as my check was just cashed. I still have like 12 days to get it. If not, I will reschedule my GE appt.

I just got back my renewed passport - I’m good till May 2031. Ugh, will I even need another renewal? I hope I will. Now let’s also hope I get to use it this year as planned.

I decided the same thing..... I'm not going anywhere right now so it was a good time to renew. I mailed it off and they still haven't cashed the check even. It does make me feel better to hear the stories and dates above. Maybe they haven't lost everything after all.

Speaking of lost, I recently gave myself a good scare. I had just purchased airfare for a trip and needed to put the passport information in the reservation. I went to get the passport from the location where it is kept, and it wasn't there! 3 minutes of searching and panic later, I remembered that I had sent it in for renewal. :)

Carol, I hope your airfare is waiting for you when you actually have your passport in hand.

Thank you. I did get the airfare because you can always add that info in later as long as you do it before the flight.

Had not realized ours expired in 2020!! until we were considering a trip to Switzerland early Sept.

From mailing application (Irving , TX.) to receiving passport books, it took 5+ wks. We used standard processing, & were told 10-12 wks., so this was a serendipity.
Happy Travels, Everyone!!

I thought my passport expires next year. I checked after I had booked our flights, only to discover to my horror it expired June 2021. I just mailed it along with my son’s on July 3. Our trip is on August 16, so now I’m freaking out! I did pay for expedited service. I was willing to go to Philly, but I didn’t qualify because I’m not flying within 2 weeks. I had no idea that you could renew before the expiration date. The postal worker told me that the department of state works only 2 days a week and only checks the lockbox only once (or was it twice) a month! Has anyone sent their passport for renewal late in May, and if so, when did you get it back? Does anyone know what we should do if we don’t get it back within a couple days of our trip? Thank you!

There is another thread on passports where Laura from the Rick Steves Office gave an excellent answer to your questions.

I did not ask for expedited service, but I mailed mine in at the end of April, they acknowledged receiving it at the beginning of June, and it is the start of July. I am hoping to have my passport by the end of August. It took so long, that I have moved during the process, but there is no way to communicate with the passport office…..

I sent my passport certified receipt on April 4---i still don't have it back!!
I got confirmation they received it on May 9 BUT my check was not cashed till JUNE 4TH

i did get a live person by calling---877-487-2778 weeks ago--i will call again tomorrow.

very frustrating.

Just heard on the news this morning--average time to get passport back is------------4 1/2 months!!!!!

I mailed in my application on May 29 by priority mail, paid an extra $60 for expedited service and $17.56 for 1-2 day return delivery. The post office delivered it on May 31 (holiday). The passport office began processing it on June 4. My check cleared the bank that day. The only updates they give are "in process" (they are reviewing the documents submitted) or "printng" (approved and passport is being printed). When I applied the website said 4-6 weeks for processing, now it just says "up to 6 weeks", all with the caveat that the 6 weeks do not include mailing time.

When I checked the status online - which was "in process", I also signed up for email updates. A couple days later I received an email saying my application status was "in process."

Mailed my renewal application on June 5, first class with tracking; it arrived at Irving, Texas, June 9. I received an email from passport agency on June 29, saying application was received and in process; check cashed June 30. Just after I mailed my application the processing time estimate changed from 10-12 weeks to up to 18 weeks. I did not request expedited service so my fingers are crossed that I will have my new passport in time for a trip planned for late October.

Just heard on the news this morning--average time to get passport back is------------4 1/2 months!!!!!

That means some take longer than 4 1/2 months

Here is my dilemma! My passport expires March 2023.
But, I am going to Mexico the end of February 2022.
I’m going to Europe 9/2022 and returning early October. I must renew my passport for the European trip because it expires 5 months after I return.
Because of the long processing time, should I renew now? I’d hate to send my passport in the first of March and hope that it doesn’t take 5 or 6 months to get it back. Am I over thinking this?

Hi Diane, I suspect the passport office is just dealing with the huge I-forgot-to-look-at-my-expiration-date-and-want-to-go-abroad rush. It seems you can deal with your renewal soon after you return from Mexico. The long wait time will likely be resolved by then. Breathe, relax, it will be ok. It's good to be thinking ahead though.

Diane, only you can decide. There doesn't seem to be an consistency about what happens in the renewal process other than expedited service does put you ahead in time. I read stories of those who it just took a few weeks and they wonder what all the fuss is about, and then there are those like myself who have discovered that this is going to take several months.

It is more than a "I forgot to look at my passport rush." Covid happened and the entire processing system by the state department came to a screeching halt and the backlog just built up. When it takes 4 weeks to even open your mail and begin the processing, you have to acknowledge that the system simply isn't working.

The State Department website says one can change from regular service to expedited after submitted. The website says to call the Passport information line for instructions.(877-487-2778 ) When I can that line and go through the menu tree it appears one has to talk to an agent but the wait could be over 1 hour.
I am trying to help my son who put in for renewal in May (non expedited) so he can join us on our trip on September 30th.
Has anyone done this?
If so what was the actual process?
Thanks

Update on passport renewal using expedited services:

My husband went to put his CDC card with his passport and discovered it had expired! We had already bought airline tickets to Italy!

Anyway, this was June 16. June 17 I sent everything overnight at the PO. His new passport arrived today 4.5 weeks later.

We paid for expedited processing and mail at both ends. It was logged in on June 22 and the check cleared my bank on June 23.

Thanks for the update , Beth! This is the exact reason I keep telling people to learn from my mistake and make sure they sign up for the expedited service. 4.5 weeks is very fast under current circumstances.

Let me contribute another data point:

I mailed in my passport application on Apr 17 and got an email notification on May 17 that the INS started processing it.
I received my new passport about 2 weeks ago. Still awaiting the old passport.

I sent my expired passport and my passport application today by priority mail. Will not be traveling out of the country until late next year so I can wait.

Things seem to be improving. I got email notification that my renewal application was approved, my passport was shipped July 22, and I should have my new passport July 28. Sent application first class mail June 5, “in process” June 29. I did not request expedited processing.

Update: Passport received July 26.

This is a crazy system. I’m happy for Ellen, but I think the current situation is summed up by “do you feel lucky”. Mine has been “in process” since June 9th. It remains “in process”.

It is a crazy system. I just got a third email announcing the approval of my application, but saying that I should receive it “around” July 31. Who knows.

I just saw a news report stating that the State Department was advising US citizens that, if you don't already have possession of a passport, you should not plan to have it in time to travel this summer.

Hi Stan, Considering there are only 6 weeks left of summer and passports seem to be running 18 weeks for renewal, that seems to be good advice. My heart goes out to those on pins and needles hoping that they will have it in hand for scheduled travel, and those who had to jump through expensive hoops to expedite the process.

I just received my renewed passport; much sooner than I'd anticipated. I sent in my expedited application on June 22 (I think!), overnight express mail, and paid to have it expressed back. So it took just over 4 weeks -- I'm frankly amazed, given all the other reports of 3 months or more. FWIW, I'm in North Carolina.

I just thought of something. I have reservations to travel to Italy in late October. The renewal application asks for, but does not require, the dates of any planned travel. I inserted my dates, and now wonder if that had any effect on my passport being issued much faster than I expected.

I didn't mark any travel dates and sent it priority but not expedited. They delivered my package but as of the end of two weeks haven't put it in the system. My advice-either pay the extra money or renew really really early. My passport expired early this year and I didn't look until last month.

Since I'm not going on any trip outside the country until next fall it's okay but I'd like to have it in emergencies.

It's been my understanding that they do look at the anticipated date of travel. But that was in the before times. You can't get blood out of a turnip, and I'm sure they can't get all the passports processed to meet all the requested dates.

The other thing is that passports for residents of different states are issued in different passport centers. It's possible that the backlog is worse in some than in others and/or that the staffing situation is somewhat uneven. Those variations could cause quite different processing times before one even considers that in the rush to get things moving, it's possible that the surely-intended first-in/first-out approach (after consideration of travel date) might break down.