Renewing Passports hard to do now?

It can be done in as little as 4 weeks (perhaps less, but providing some cushion) by mail; if you pay for express mail both directions. I had mine submitted and returned in July in about 3 weeks, for a 4 week travel date. Be sure to put in a travel date on the app that expresses some urgency. Without expediting, turnaround was supposedly around 8-10 weeks during the summer. It may be better now that we're past the travel season.

If you need it faster than 3-4 weeks, you may still be able to get it issued directly at a regional passport center, but be prepared to show pre-paid tickets as part of your hardship/emergency plea.

I will say the Passport Agency is one of the more flexible ones around. When my Dad died many years ago, I heard about it at midnight; I stayed up and booked a flight overseas at 6AM for a 2PM departure. My wife didn't have a passport at all and we got her to the Los Angeles passport office when they opened, pleaded family death, someone walked her through all the stations and they had a passport issued by noon, just allowing us to make the flight.

 

Yes, Canada now requires a passport. Though they have some kind of temporary waiver right now where they will allow you to pass immigration with the usual paperwork (birth certificate, driver's license, etc) plus a copy of paperwork showing that a passport app is in process. Check the passport site for the details.

 

I got a new passport back in September. I didn't pay for the expedited service and it got back to me in 10 (yes, ten) days! I got my pics at Wal-Mart because the post office would've charged $15 instead of $7.50 at Wal-Mart. A lot of additional workers were hired to take care of the big delays that were happening several months ago. Now that they don't have as much of a workload, they can process them faster...

 

That's great service, but they're not admitting to that kind of turn-around publicly .

Here's what they're committing to on their site:

"At this time, we are processing routine applications within four to six weeks of receipt. We are processing requests for expedited service within three weeks."

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/processing/processing_1740.html

 

Don't they want everyone to get the RFID-chipped passports now?

I havent done it anytime recently, but I heard that they were optional and at some point would become mandatory, but it was more of a hassle to get one with the RFID and may be a nightmare once they became mandatory.

Perhaps that's what Uro's heard about?

 

I renewed mine a few months ago. Took about a month to get.

 

I got mine in about three weeks this past summer. I was told it could take 12 weeks.

Matt

 

I got mine this summer as well. Took roughly 9 weeks for non-expedited. They told me to expect 10-12 weeks. About a month ago, I read that they have gotten back to their normal turn-around time for passports and that there is no longer a large backlog of passport requests. That doesn't mean that the places to get the passports are slow. I think the demands for them is still large and the lines can move slow, but I think they have the system refined for a quicker processing delivery.

 

i received my renewal in about 3 weeks in September. Renewals are usually much shorter than new passports. As long as you send in your old pp as well as new correct pp photos, the process is quite quick.

 

I just did the expedited, and got the new one in less than 2 weeks.

 

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

I'll be getting my daughter's passport renewed in December and this is what a friend of mine just did to get them expedite. Depending where you live call a regional passport agency (travel.state.gov/passport/about/agencies/agencies_913.html) for an appointment, once your are there provide a flight reservation within a couple of weeks and all the paper work. My friend got the appointment the same day he called and his children's passports in two days.

 

I just got a new passport (lost my old one when moving) in 6 days with expedited service.

 

There was a waiting list when the boarder rules stiffened.

 

I received mine in 8 days. I paid for expedited service and paid overnight to State and overnight from State to me.