Passport Renewal

[Mary229]

On 12/8/2023 at 9:31 AM, HappyTexan44 said:

Well, this is interesting.   We'd had to go into the post office.   For both DH and I, our previous passports were expired too long to just be a renewal.   Plus, I'd married since the last passport, and then we had daughter's first passport to do.   We did that shortly before Thanksgiving. 

 
At the post office, they told us that they'd send the supporting documents back separately and that they'd probably come a month after we had the passports.   I wasn't expecting any movement on the passports, but I've been checking the passport status every now and then.   I see this:

"We sent your supporting documents via First Class Mail on 12/01/2023 to the mailing address you provided on your application."

I had to reread it because my mind didn't believe it was still "processing."    That is amazingly quick.  Of course, I don't have the passports in my hands, but still.   We do live in Texas.   

 

 

I don’t know where your are in the metroplex but for future reference check the universities.  UTD has a manned passport office now which I hear is a better experience than the post office

[HappyTexan44]

53 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I don’t know where your are in the metroplex but for future reference check the universities.  UTD has a manned passport office now which I hear is a better experience than the post office

 

The post office was great, one of the joys of living in an exurb is the nice people.  Would UTD have been even quicker?   When I said we had to go to the post office, I meant we weren't able to do it online.   
Some friends of ours are waiting until their daughter is 16 before applying for a passport for her.  I will mention that to them.   

[SPacificbound]

Passport renewal of a still active passport-

 

Check was written on November 27, mailed USPS, new passport received December 9.

[CynBeth6]

On 12/7/2023 at 5:49 PM, CynBeth6 said:

My husband got his old passport back and my mom got her new passport. Mine still says in processing.

I finally got my passport today! I received an e-mail on Sunday that it was approved and it should arrive by the 19th. Yesterday I got an e-mail that my old passport had been sent back.

[scoobert2]

We realized hubby's passport was going to be expired for our Jan '24 cruise so we expedited his application. We mailed it out express on 11/27 and got his new one exactly 2 weeks later. 

[HappyTexan44]

Could the passport offices be extra efficient now because of the Christmas holiday?    Like maybe the office is promised extra time off once they process all passports received before X day?    

I don't know if this is still true, but at one time the best time to go to the DMV was in the last hour they were open.   There was a rule that anyone waiting before closing time would be processed.   Then there had also been fights on who got overtime.   So a decision was made that no workers could leave until everyone could leave.    So, the people that normally stayed in the back, not helping customers directly, would man all the booths and customers would be processed quickly.   

 

[capriccio]

3 hours ago, HappyTexan44 said:

Could the passport offices be extra efficient now because of the Christmas holiday?    Like maybe the office is promised extra time off once they process all passports received before X day?    

I don't know if this is still true, but at one time the best time to go to the DMV was in the last hour they were open.   There was a rule that anyone waiting before closing time would be processed.   Then there had also been fights on who got overtime.   So a decision was made that no workers could leave until everyone could leave.    So, the people that normally stayed in the back, not helping customers directly, would man all the booths and customers would be processed quickly.   

 

I think it is more likely that they cleared the massive backlog that occurred as cruising resumed post Covid; that December is a traditionally slow period before people start making summer plans that require a passport; and that people are more cognizant of the need to plan ahead and not wait until the last minute to renew.

[Underwatr]

There's a seasonality to passport demand. According to the State department, from late winter into summer, demand for passports is generally higher than other periods of the year. Since many people do their big vacation travel over the summer, passport demand (both first issue and renewal) is high from about March through August.
Plus as we know the pandemic reduced demand for all travel, including international travel, significantly so we're seeing an overall increase in demand as people are willing to get on an airplane of cruise ship for an extended period.

But I predict that we'll see turnaround times increase again in 4 or 5 months as the summer travel rush ramps up.

[SC LTC]

3 hours ago, Underwatr said:

There's a seasonality to passport demand. According to the State department, from late winter into summer, demand for passports is generally higher than other periods of the year. Since many people do their big vacation travel over the summer, passport demand (both first issue and renewal) is high from about March through August.
Plus as we know the pandemic reduced demand for all travel, including international travel, significantly so we're seeing an overall increase in demand as people are willing to get on an airplane of cruise ship for an extended period.

But I predict that we'll see turnaround times increase again in 4 or 5 months as the summer travel rush ramps up.

Question daughter needs to renewed her passport is it a good idea to do it before the year is up? We need it for the beginning of October 2024…

[njkruzer]

2 hours ago, SC LTC said:

Question daughter needs to renewed her passport is it a good idea to do it before the year is up? We need it for the beginning of October 2024…

Do it now unless she needs it for something soon.

[link99]

If you're thinking of renewing your passport, now may be the time to do it.DW and I sent our passport renewals in Dec 04 ,2023 Just received them both back today Dec 18 2023, 14 Days total, I was shocked. We paid for regular service but did pay for 2 day Priority Mail there and back. Did not want then stuck in all the Christmas Mail.They were Processed at the Irving Texas center.

[rolloman]

This is good to hear. The backlog must be gone. I sent my daughters renewal around mid May and did not receive it back until end of August. 

[Kellie in Texas]

Wow @link99 that's amazing. We're cruising in a month. Our passports don't expire until August 2025 but I'm going to send in the renewals as soon as we get back. 

[RocCruisers]

We had the same experience.  Sent out late October, back by December1!  

[capriccio]

An article in today's Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/12/18/passport-wait-time-pre-pandemic/) contains a State Department announcement with these highlights:

 

Passport processing times have returned to pre-pandemic standards with routine services taking between six and eight weeks, and expedited services two to three weeks for a $60 fee.

 

The Passport Agency workforce has increased by 12 percent with hundreds of additional staff in the hiring pipeline. The agency also authorized more overtime hours.

 

The Department has invested in modernizing technology and can now send reminder notifications to passport holders to renew.

 

More than 24 million passport books and cards were issued between October 2022 and September 2023 (the federal fiscal year). That’s the highest amount in American history. Today, there are more than 160 million valid U.S. passports, representing 48 percent of the American population, compared to 5 percent in 1990.

[logan25]

I just read an article which related passport processing times have improved, back to pre-pandemic levels.

[Valen9]

My expedited passport renewal came in about 4 weeks.  The times on their website seem pretty accurate these days, perhaps even pessimistic.

[smokeybandit]

I've seen a lot of people reporting quick turnarounds. Maybe the post-covid demand for new/renewing passports has finally subsided.

[Cruise Gopher]

Just saw a news report on this tonight. The renewal times are indeed back to normal!

[cruisemom42]

That's good news -- I'll need to renew mine at some point this year.

 

[CanobieFan]

Well, I guess I can chime in here. Passport expired end of this month. Put it in the mail at the beginning of the month... went to check the status just now and all it shows was that my old passport has been received but no further information 🙃  oops, hopefully it makes it here within 7 weeks, or I'll be having to do the birth certificate thing, and I really don't wanna. (I also wasn't expecting to need my passport this soon, I didn't have anything originally planned until November)

[CynBeth6]

On 12/12/2023 at 9:37 PM, CynBeth6 said:

I finally got my passport today! I received an e-mail on Sunday that it was approved and it should arrive by the 19th. Yesterday I got an e-mail that my old passport had been sent back.

I got my old passport back. All 3 of us now have our new passports and the old ones were returned.

[KarlK]

Leave from states, and return to states no passport is required. Plus they are like a hundred bucks!

[njkruzer]

Just now, KarlK said:

Leave from states, and return to states no passport is required. Plus they are like a hundred bucks!

Good for 10 years.  If you don't have one and need to fly home in an emergency  you have a problem. 

[SC LTC]

3 hours ago, njkruzer said:

Good for 10 years.  If you don't have one and need to fly home in an emergency  you have a problem. 

That’s so true