I am taking my parents on a trip to South Africa next month (first time out of the country for bothof them). My mom got her passport the other day, 3 weeks after submitting it, and is set to go.

However, my dad got a letter today saying that since he was born in the Canal Zone (Panama), he needs a certified birth certificate from the State Department as well as one of his parent's passports to complete his passport application. Anybody else have an experience with this? Is there any way to expedite the process?

We leave in 5 weeks for Jo'burg. Is my dad out of luck? If not, any suggestions? Thanks!