Anybody ever have a passport application rejected?

Maybe it's just me freaking out because we only have 7.5 weeks until we leave. But, I'm admittedly a little worried. (A little? Who am I kidding. I'm too worried!!!)

So, I think I got the situation with the name change stuff settled. But, this morning (after having submitted my application last night), I see online that you are no longer allowed to smile (with teeth) in your passport photo. When I had it taken at Walgreens yesterday, I did just that. The woman at the Passport Acceptance desk didn't even look at the pictures (that I know of), and nobody told me anything about this.

So, now I'm worried it might get rejected. Anyone have any experience with having photos (or anything else for that matter) rejected? What happened then? Did they notify you and let you correct it? Did it delay getting your passport, and if so, by how long?

I could try to call the City Clerks office (where I submitted the stuff) on Monday and see if they've sent it yet. I already had Walgreens redo the photos (for free). But, I'd have to take time off of work just to get to the City Clerks office to swap the pictures (if they'd let me).

Should I just wait and see what happens? I just don't want to miss our cruise! And I can't use the birth certificate, because of the different name stuff. That's why I decided to get the passport -- to avoid that mess. But, it seems like someone doesn't want me to have a vacation without having to work for it first. =(

I submitted my son's passport application in July. I took my own pictures, and the lady at the passport office thought that they might be too dark. She told me if they were, I would be notified by the national passport agency to send in new ones. As it turned out, I received the passport with no problem, even though the picture is quite dark.

If I were you, I would wait to see if the photo is rejected, which I bet it won't be. If it is, then you can get the whole process expedited for an additional fee. I don't think you need to stress about it yet. Hopefully they gave you an estimate of when you should receive your passport.

Good luck and have a great cruise.

Hubby and I both smiled (with teeth) and just got our passports in the mail. Never saw anything about not doing this. It took only 4 weeks too. I wouldn't fret over it.

My husband was born at home in Appalachia in 1921. When we applied for our passports the fellow at the desk was concerned about the validity of DH's birth certificate (official with raised seal from Tennessee) because or something about the signature and told us we'd need to get a notorized statement from the midwife who delivered him or someone who was present at the birth or a baptismal certificate or early school records. Obviously any of those would be impossible. I'm sure his birth was recorded in the family bible, but who knows who has that. DH was the 3rd of 4 boys and didn't inherit up with any of the family "treasures." So the clerk shrugged his shoulders and said he'd submit the application and see what happened. What happened was that the passport arrived in the mail in about 3 weeks.

Hubby and I both smiled (with teeth) and just got our passports in the mail. Never saw anything about not doing this. It took only 4 weeks too. I wouldn't fret over it.

I called the passport office before we renewed out passports and they told me that, unless your face is covered or distorted, it is not a problem. Also, you no longer have to sign your photo or put it in a padded envelope. Too bad, they don't make that clear online.

She also suggested that I mail it with a tracer number on it and if you're renewing more than one passport, send them all in the same envelope. It was nice to be able to tell when they had received my passport renewal info. She also suggested that I have it returned with a tracer number on it, which I didn't do. I didn't want to pay the extra money. There's a number you can call to see if your passports have been processed. They will tell you if they've been processed and where they were mailed from.

We received our passports about a month after they received the info.

:) I received a letter today from the Charleston Passport Agency. It said to contact the agency because there is a problem with processing applications.

This is all since Katrina hit New Orleans and it is a major passport processing

agency. I live in Tennessee and applied for my passport in Knoxville on

August 18, 2005. It has been 3 weeks. To talk to someone on the phone

is a possible 30 - 40 - minute wait since they are so busy with the backlash

of applications. You can also email, which I just did just a few minutes ago.

I told them it was a must that I receive my passport since they have my birth certificate (my other form of indentification.) I leave for my first cruise on November 7, but I will be leaving my home several days before the cruise.

Here is the website to check your status of your passport if you applied before 08/25/2005. If you applied after you can call 877-487-2778 . The email address is on the web site. Gosh, I hope I get mine before 11/02/2005

or I will be up the creek! :o

Countrymoon

We went yesterday to our local post office to get going on renewing our daughter's passport (she's under age so we had to go in person and not mail it in). We waited for some 40 minutes behind a woman whose original appliation was stuck in NO (and it had been a rush to begin with). So she had to pay an extra fee (the clerk trying to get info from the Agency directly was what was taking so long) and get new photos.

When I told the clerk our cruise was in December but I really needed it back by Thanksgiving (someone at Princess told me to input in the CP a month ahead) she said I should have it by mid-October on just a regular basis (assuming the photos we submitted -- done by hubby digitally -- were acceptable to the home office, fingers crossed). The clerk was concerned about the "density."

BTW, if you're just going locally (Mexico, for instance), you might be able to get away with just birth certificate for now. But we figured we'll get it renewed anyway.

Countrymoon,

To be on the safe side with your cruise, If you are going to the Caribbean or Mexico, send in for a duplicate birth certificate now. That way if your passport doesn't arrive you will have your birth certificate for your cruise.

I will try it. Thanks:)

:)

To talk to someone on the phone

is a possible 30 - 40 - minute wait since they are so busy with the backlash

of applications.

I've had to call them a number of times now. And I have had the best luck when I called around noon Pacific time. I had also called at about 9:30 am Pacific time, and had a live person within 20 minutes. The time I called at noon, I was in within 5 minutes. The other time I called (today) it was around 11 am Pacific time, and I think I waited no more than 10 minutes. So, I'd suggest calling anywhere from 9am-noon Pacific time (which would be noon-3pm Eastern time)

BTW' date=' if you're just going locally (Mexico, for instance), you might be able to get away with just birth certificate for now. But we figured we'll get it renewed anyway.[/quote']

 

Actually, because of my non-legal name change, I can't do a birth certificate. That's the only reason I'm going through the hassle of getting the passport. At this point in time, it's my only hope for leaving the country. I don't have enough time to do a legal name change (I've used my step-father's last name for the last 23 years, but my birth certificate has my biological father's last name on it, which doesn't match my DL).

 

 

Thank you to everyone who responded. You have made me feel much better. I'm glad to hear that people have had issues that they thought might be a problem, and turned out not to be.

 

I hope no one takes offense to this (because I don't mean it in that way), but one person suggested that because I was born in the US, and am middle class white that they probably won't care as much. I know it sounds horrible -- but unfortunately such prejudice does seem to exist in areas of the government. If I were middle eastern, for instance, I might get the screws put to me if there was anything questionable. I know they say they don't do it, but such biases have been observed, as unfair as some may feel it is.

 

In the meantime, I'm just going to take a deep breath, and wait and see. I'll wait 3 weeks, and then call the phone number to check the status. That way, I can hopefull catch a problem early on.

 

Thanks again for all the information everyone!

I am totally smiling with teeth in my passport photo, and I had it taken in the passport office and they didn't say anything. As a matter of fact, this is the first I have heard this rule. :D

I got my passport in 3 weeks, no problem. Teeth and all.;) This was recently, too, I think I have had it for a month now.

You can check the status of your app online. I checked ours a week after sending it (in Aug) and it said they received it. I kept checking and it was updated in maybe a week or two and it told me the date I would recive our passports. They actually came about 1 week earlier than they had posted on the update.

When we went to get the photos done at the local Kmart, I made the whole family stay straight faced, no smile. When the guy took the last pic, he asked why are we doing that? I said the passport site said no smiles, no teeth:confused: .

He said, not true. Soooooooo now we all look like we crawled out of whole after days without sunlight, food or water...LOL.. they are just aweful with no smiles. And hubby and I have to wait 10 yrs!!! for an improvement.. ugh..

(Just thought I'd share);)

Jules

PS and BTW : Hubby had no license to submit, he turned in county gov't issue id that has no bday, no SS#, nothing but a pic and his name. Obviously to get such an id he had to show better id when he started working for the gov't, but I have to admit, I'm amazed they took only that for him. (and bc, of course) 5 weeks later, all passports arrived with our originals in tact.

There is no way now to get a Birth Certificate since the Vital Records offices were in New Orleans or Baton Rouge. So Now I am really worried since they say there may be a delay in getting my passport. They have my birth certificate too.:confused: Confused and worried whether I will receive my passport in time.

countrymoon

There is no way now to get a Birth Certificate since the Vital Records offices were in New Orleans or Baton Rouge. So Now I am really worried since they say there may be a delay in getting my passport. They have my birth certificate too.:confused: Confused and worried whether I will receive my passport in time.

 

countrymoon

I think you can call and pay an extra $60 to have it expedited.

My passport has been denied due to the fact my mother's middle name is misspelled on it. She passed over 10 years ago and there has been many attempts to get this denial reversed to no avail.

My departure date is May 10, 2017. Hoping we can find an answer to this frivolous and nitpicky decision on the government's part. They should be worried about other things besides my mother's middle name spelled wrong.

My passport has been denied due to the fact my mother's middle name is misspelled on it. She passed over 10 years ago and there has been many attempts to get this denial reversed to no avail.

My departure date is May 10, 2017. Hoping we can find an answer to this frivolous and nitpicky decision on the government's part. They should be worried about other things besides my mother's middle name spelled wrong.

This thread is 12 years old. :cool:

Sorry about the hassle with the middle name thing but resurrecting a 12 year old thread probably was not necessary. Things have probably changed a lot since 2005. Like the smile thing they mentioned back then. Now with facial recognition they want the passport to look a lot more like would would be walking into a public place - probably not smiling.

My passport has been denied due to the fact my mother's middle name is misspelled on it. She passed over 10 years ago and there has been many attempts to get this denial reversed to no avail.

My departure date is May 10, 2017. Hoping we can find an answer to this frivolous and nitpicky decision on the government's part. They should be worried about other things besides my mother's middle name spelled wrong.

Aside from picking up a ten year old thread, the described problem does not make sense. If your mother's middle name appears on the application which is supported by your birth certificate, why not just spell it on the application the same way it appears on your birth certificate? Even if it appears to be something like "Cldgg" - as long as there is consistency, there should be no,problem.

Sorry about the hassle with the middle name thing but resurrecting a 12 year old thread probably was not necessary. Things have probably changed a lot since 2005. Like the smile thing they mentioned back then. Now with facial recognition they want the passport to look a lot more like would would be walking into a public place - probably not smiling.

Well excuse the heck out of me! I asked a question about problems with my passport and this thread came up. I didn't look at the date and who cares how old it is besides you.

Well excuse the heck out of me! I asked a question about problems with my passport and this thread came up. I didn't look at the date and who cares how old it is besides you.

When you bring up a very old thread, it resurrects information that may be incorrect and confuse people now and/or give them the wrong information. Information in 2017 typically has changed and policies have changed from how they were in 2005.

We 2 reasons not to resurrect an old thread, 1 cause the info is outdated and 2, cause if you have an issue starting a new thread will allow people to see ur post first and answer it instead of having to search through the thread;

Ref your issue, I don't understand. How can a middle name be misspelled??? On what document??? There's no right or wrong spelling of a name, what's on the birth certificate is the name. So what document r u submitting that has your mothers name on besides your birth certificate? Shouldn't you just be sending in ur application w the name spelled to match your birth certificate and your birth certificate? Who cares if that's spelled differently than her birth certificate.

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How do you spell "trulll" ?

Well excuse the heck out of me! I asked a question about problems with my passport and this thread came up. I didn't look at the date and who cares how old it is besides you.

If you have problems with your passport why don't you contact the passport division of the State Department, they should be qualified to answer your question better than other cruisers.