Thank you for providing all the context, thegoodbubba. I of course understand that there are legitimate security concerns following the attacks on American embassies in different parts of the world.

It looks like the appointment situation has much improved since we were there a couple years ago. I believe we were there two or three months before the summer break, so maybe that time was particularly busy.

I did not mean to come across as too negative, but I think from a process perspective, there is room for improvement.

Just for comparison / benchmarking purposes, this is how we renew their German passports:

- we go to the local citizens office which is run by our city administration
- only one parent has to go as long as the other parent gives their consent, preferably written, although, last time we forgot and I was able to give my consent over the phone.
- the officer at the citizens office just pulled up the previous application from a few years ago, verifies / corrects the data and lets a parent sign electronically. No paperwork required.
- they have a bank card reader at the same desk so that one can stay seated and pay in one step
- they print out the passport on the spot (Germany does not require biometric passports for children)
- it's all done in less the ten minutes and costs 13 EUR to get a new one / 6 EUR to renew an existing one vs. 135 USD for a new US passport / 105 EUR to renew an existing one.