Passport renewal

[Copper10-8]

Has any of you fine cruise fans had to renew your (U.S.) passport recently? Just wondering what the current turnaround time by the feds is??

Thanks for any info!:)

[Druke I]

Had a six week turnaround when I renewed mine, but that was Dec 2004, before the current rush!

[hammybee]

3weeks on this end.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Had to renew mine in 2004 -- 2 weeks turnaround time.

DH renewed his in 2005 -- nearly 10 weeks.

[AlohaPride]

We didn't "renew" but we did get our first passports and we got them here in about 3-4 weeks. Got them in June '06. Not too bad!

[SDHALFAN]

I renewed mine by mail in November 2005 and the turnaround time was 2 weeks.

Valerie:)

[CCCM]

Sent DDs in July and exactly 6 weeks later it was in our hands.

[sail7seas]

We renewed ours in May.....six to seven week turnaround.

[JesMil]

My Husband just had his renewed: 5 weeks. We are located in the mid-west. Good Luck.

[Sunshine91]

John's was due for renewal. The certified receipt is dated Aug 22. The Passport Office in Pittsburgh stamped the green certified post card Aug 24 (not bad :rolleyes: ).

I'll let you know when we get his new one. :)

[booboo29]

I renewed mine in May and it took 6 weeks to the day. I just help my father in law get his first passport and he paid big bucks ($200) through an online expediting agent and he got his in 5 days.

Jennifer

[waltl]

Sent application first week of Aug. 2006. Passports arrived just short of six weeks. This is the exact timing stated on the State Dept. website.

[Sunshine91]

Hey Copper - Nice new pic of you & Maria!

Does she ever post or read over your shoulder to give an opinion?

[Copper10-8]

Hey Copper - Nice new pic of you & Maria!

Does she ever post or read over your shoulder to give an opinion?

Hi Susan; thanks!

No, she doesn't post but, at times, does look over my shoulder especially at the more "controversial" topics;)

Take care!

[Betsy's Mom]

We expedited (paid more) and got them in 16 days as we have a home outside US and always need to be able to go if needed. At the State Dept. site you can check on how far along yours is. This was in July.
B.

[elmorejj]

Renewed mine last month and paid the extra $60 for expedition. Rec`d it 15 days later. Hate to be without my passport in case of emergency ...........jean:cool:

[vie lee]

We renewed in April 06 and it took just a little over 6 weeks but they bring the mail into here by pony express..........:p

[skertso]

Both hubby and I had to renew. I sent mine off first and turnaround was 3 weeks. He renewed a month later and his was 4 weeks. Both my sons were first time passport applicants and both took 5 weeks. So all within the last couple of months period with different turnaround times but the most recent taking the longest!

:)

[jhannah]

John, can't you just walk into the Passport office there in LA and get it done?

[Copper10-8]

John, can't you just walk into the Passport office there in LA and get it done?

Thanks for all your answers!

Jim, the last time I went there, the line went out the door!:eek:

[Sunshine91]

To those that pay the extra $$$ for the quick processing - how close were the passports to expiring?

John's passport expires in February. We're cruising in January. I remember reading that when you travel, your passport needs to be valid for 6 months longer than your departure date, so clearly he needed a new one.

I'm figuring that with the new regs effective the end of this year, the passport agency is soon going to be swamped, so I sent in his renewal app the end of August, plenty of time for processing. That $67 fee plus $9 for the pix is steep enough.

[Vic The Parrot]

To those that pay the extra $$$ for the quick processing - how close were the passports to expiring?

John's passport expires in February. We're cruising in January. I remember reading that when you travel, your passport needs to be valid for 6 months longer than your departure date, so clearly he needed a new one.

I'm figuring that with the new regs effective the end of this year, the passport agency is soon going to be swamped, so I sent in his renewal app the end of August, plenty of time for processing. That $67 fee plus $9 for the pix is steep enough.


Hey babes ...

I'm in the same predicament ... my current passport will expire on 20Nov2006.
And since I'm sailing in 40 days on my next cruise, I'll be joining the mad rush at the passport office in NY to get expedited, nee, same-day service for renewal.

Out of curiousity, I asked my TA if it was necessary for me to get a new passport, even tho I'll have half a month left within the expiry period. He got the "canned response" from a HAL rep ..... - A current passport is one that is valid for 6 months after the return date of your voyage .... blah blah blah, yada yada yada ... -

6 months .... I come home on the 4th of Nov ... sheesh

I'll have 16 days left on the little blue book, and it's not considered "current"
Go figyah .....

:rolleyes:

[jhannah]

The requirement to have a passport valid for 6 months after the end of the cruise is for your protection. If you should become seriously ill or be injured in an accident, you could be laid up in a hospital for a long, long time. The last thing in the world you'd need when trying to get home is the hassle of attempting that with an expired passport. Six months does seem long, but better safe than sorry.

[booboo29]

My passport was due to expire in October and I renewed in May while I was thinking about it. I could just picture myself packing for our November cruise and remembering how I forgot to renew my passport:eek:

Jennifer

[sail7seas]

Our passports would not have expired until early March 2007 but I renewed them late May as I was aware of the 'effective for six months' after travel rule (which would have required renewal by October). With our travel schedule, I had to find a 'window' when we could part with them in order to send them for renewal.

I was aware I could have done the one day renewal thing and paid expedited fees but it was easiest to simply send them for renewal early and not have to cope with a possible problem due to tons of people 'waking up' and learning they couldn't go to the Caribbean, Canada or Mexico without one.

It was worth it to me to get it done and not have to worry about it.

[Copper10-8]

Quick follow-up question:

For the "one-day renewal". do you have to go through a "broker agency" or do the feds have ths service also? If so, does anyone have any recommendations?

[Stevesan]

Quick follow-up question:

For the "one-day renewal". do you have to go through a "broker agency" or do the feds have ths service also? If so, does anyone have any recommendations?

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

[Copper10-8]

http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Much obliged, Stevesan!

[TikiMeekie]

How early can you renew your passport? I thought you'd need to wait till it was expired, but I guess I was wrong about that. My husband and mine are a few years apart for expiring, can I just do both of them at the same time? Or do they need to be within the last year or something?

[AAAAmerican]

Quick follow-up question:

For the "one-day renewal". do you have to go through a "broker agency" or do the feds have ths service also? If so, does anyone have any recommendations?


On the Govt site look at renewals and go through the options.

Some USPS offices do that for limited hours each day too.:cool:

[cruiserfromohio]

Recent experience with my wife's passport. The overall turnaround time was six weeks. The check was cashed within a week of mailing the renewal application to Pittsburg. Checked on the DOS web site and the cite specifically cited the fact that she requested routine processing and forecast a six-week processing cycle. What it didn't say that five of the six weeks consisted of waiting in a que for processing. We mailed the appliction on July 10, 2006. Her old passport was cancelled on Aug 10, 2006, the new passport was mailed on August 15, 2006 and was received on August 17, 2006.

In answer to the question about when can you renew, I renewed my passpaort with 4 years left on my old one. My picture had changed -- I'd gotten much grayer -- and it really didn't look my me. The moral is no need to wait ten years if there's a reason to get a new passport.:o

[sail7seas]

How early can you renew your passport? I thought you'd need to wait till it was expired, but I guess I was wrong about that. My husband and mine are a few years apart for expiring, can I just do both of them at the same time? Or do they need to be within the last year or something?

This thread has shown why people should renew their passports at a minimum when it only has six months left. If you wait until it expires, it isn't really useable for the six months prior to expiration as you won't be permitted to enter many countries without those six months.

Start thinking about renewals when you are at about 7-8 months out from expiration......IMO

[AAAAmerican]

This thread has shown why people should renew their passports at a minimum when it only has six months left. If you wait until it expires, it isn't really useable for the six months prior to expiration as you won't be permitted to enter many countries without those six months.

Start thinking about renewals when you are at about 7-8 months out from expiration......IMO

Sail7Seas is so correct.

We have alwayd done renewals prior so as not to have the time lags if we needed the Passports.

We use the regular way mail via the USPS and dont need to pay all the extra money to rush...


A man won a very large sum in a NJ lottery here at a Garden State Frams Store he mailed the ticket in to Trenton (NJ State Capital) to collect his large winnings that wre due only a few days away and he used a regular 35 cent postage stamp too...

Moral : High costs are not needed if you get it done on time and in good order. The same result will happen...:D

[doctork]

I renewed my passport (due to expire November 2006) in late April 2006 for a mid July 2006 cruise, and it took nine weeks to receive the new one. No explanation for the delay, and I was sweating those last few days, lest I miss the trip for lack of a "valid" passport. It arrived about ten days before departure, so I heartily second the advice to start early.

OTOH, when I was living in Denver ten years ago, I had an opportunity to take a short-notice trip to Tahiti, except my passport was within days of expiring. I called the Seattle Passport Office and explained the urgency to a polite and efficient employee. On a Monday afternoon I Fedex'd my old passport, check, paperwork and a self-addressed pre-paid return Fedex envelope. I had my new passport Wednesday morning, less than 48 hours later, no extra charge except the Fedex fees. Times change.

[serendipity1499]

There was an article in today's Travel Section of the paper from Gannet News Service with a headline reading:

"Delays loom for Passports"..They quote a Industry Watcher who claims that, by the time October rolls around, cruisers booked for January & don't have a passport likely will require expedited service which doubles the cost...:( That extra amount would go a long way on your cruise!

If you are planning on cruising in the next six months, you better hurry before the 6 weeks turns into 12 weeks or more..;)

Happy Planning everyone..:) Betty

[Vic The Parrot]

The requirement to have a passport valid for 6 months after the end of the cruise is for your protection. If you should become seriously ill or be injured in an accident, you could be laid up in a hospital for a long, long time. The last thing in the world you'd need when trying to get home is the hassle of attempting that with an expired passport. Six months does seem long, but better safe than sorry.


Thanks Jim


I never really looked at it that way. (Won't be a happy camper if I'm detained in a different country after breaking my leg .... unless I break the leg in London or Fiji ... :D )

[CruisingCaraCat]

Hi - a question for all who have renewed by mail. Did you use the form that you are supposed to download from the state passsport site using adobe. When I printed that form the areas for Last and Middle name had a series of letters (q and m) filling the space that you are supposed to fill in.

Has this been your experience? When I called a passport office to see if I could get the form mailed to me they informed me I could only get it from the online site.

Thanks for any info.

[AAAAmerican]

Yes I did DL it but I used HTML and printed it.

Also certain US Postal Service Offices have a window of hours, which there they have the Hard Copy of the Forms as well.

On the Passport Site (US) they list the USPS on the left at the Renewal pages...

Find a Local USPS Office which has this near you and this will help alot.:cool:

Hi - a question for all who have renewed by mail. Did you use the form that you are supposed to download from the state passsport site using adobe. When I printed that form the areas for Last and Middle name had a series of letters (q and m) filling the space that you are supposed to fill in.

Has this been your experience? When I called a passport office to see if I could get the form mailed to me they informed me I could only get it from the online site.

Thanks for any info.

[CruisingCaraCat]

Thanks for the response AAA - I will try to find a USPS. I just don't like the looks of the online form and don't want to jeapordize renewing my passport.

[JDRMYS]

I just renewed using expedited service & express mail both to send in the application & for the return from the passport agency to me. I included the prepaid return envelope with the documents that I sent. I got my new passport in less than a week.

[k8russ8]

Hi John
I renewed mine at the post office on Narbonne in Lomita. They can take pictures there also. call for times. I got it back in 2 1/2 weeks.

[k8russ8]

Got the white screen.......... Renewed mine at the P.O. on Narbonne in Lomita. They can take your picture there too. Got it back in 2 1/2 weeks. You must call for hrs. No appt needed.

[Mr. T & Amelie]

Has any of you fine cruise fans had to renew your (U.S.) passport recently? Just wondering what the current turnaround time by the feds is??

Thanks for any info!:)
All this time I thought you WERE the Feds?

[AAAAmerican]

Yes I as well like to have things well prior to sending anything too.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/about/npic/npic_898.html


National Passport Information Center

This is the only official U.S. Government website for passport information. If you have a travel emergency, please call the National Passport Information Center to speak to a Customer Service Representative. Website for Passport Information.

* Telephone Number: 1-877-4USA-PPT (1-877-487-2778)
* TDD/TTY: 1-888-874-7793. Telephone number for customers with telecommunication devices for the hearing impaired.
* Customer Service Representatives and Operators for TDD/TTY are available Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to midnight, Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.
* Automated Information available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have a travel emergency, please call the Center to speak with a customer service representative. Do not e-mail.:eek:





Thanks for the response AAA - I will try to find a USPS. I just don't like the looks of the online form and don't want to jeapordize renewing my passport.

[AAAAmerican]

This should help any one in our Country find a location nearest them.

:D
Passport Acceptance Facility Search Page


http://iafdb.travel.state.gov


This site will allow you to find the nearest location to apply for a passport. It is provided by the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Passport Services/Customer Service, which designates many post offices, clerks of court, public libraries and other state, county, township, and municipal government offices to accept passport applications on its behalf. This page allows you to search by one of three search scopes - Zip Code, State, or State/City. Once you enter your criteria, click on the "Search" button to view a list of the nearest designated passport application facilities.


:: Hope this helps everyone.

I will always say:
God Bless America land that we love.


;)