I used the government's expedited service ($60 fee) a couple of months ago to renew my passport. I think I had the new passport in my hands about 10 days later.

I want to add one caution, however, based on my recent experience. Your old passport is not returned to you with the new one if you go this route. For some reason, they send back the old passport a couple of weeks later. This would not ordinarily be a problem but my old passport included my Brazil visa which I needed for a trip that was coming up soon. I was very worried but the old passport eventually showed up a few days before I left for that trip. It takes several weeks to get a new Brazil visa. I would have had to cancel the trip if the old passport hadn't shown up when it did.

An employee from the expediter my company uses told me that when they expedite a renewal they get the old passport back at the same time as the new one. Since I didn't go that route, I have no idea if what she was telling me is correct.

Some Passport Agencies seem to require appointments while others do not. At Minnespolis, the phone system (which is very frustrating as a way to schedule an appointment) says that appointments are required, but when you go, there's a separate "line" for those without appointments.

For USA passports, passport services do nothing more than hand holding for a big fee. They also add about a day to the process on each end. It's a ridiculous waste of money unless someone cannot follow simple directions on their own.

OP has a bunch of viable choices, where using a passport service is the worst:

1. Double check whether the destination permits passports within six months of expiring, including details of whether any threshold applies to entry, planned exit, or maximum allowable stay as a tourist or business visitor. If the old passport can still be used, procrastinate on renewal until after the trip.

2. Apply for renewal by mail, pay expedite fees, and relax.

3. Apply for renewal at Pasport Agency. Perhaps not convenient but Orlando to Miami isn't impossible either. Get new passport same day or next day (with evidence of "need), have it mailed next day (with evidence of "need"), or apply for the two week turnaround by mail.

4. Apply for passport renewal without paying the expedite fee, keep fingers crossed, worry, and perhaps risk not being able to take trip as scheduled.

5. Use passport service, pay extra fees for it, go through the inconvenience of filling out their forms in addition to the required government forms, and hope they don't mess up. Remember that you pay ALL applicable federal government fees in addition to the passport agency service fees which can be substantial. For expedited service, you pay the additional $60 fee the same as if you were applying directly to the government.

These passport services don't perform any magic in getting USA passports, including renewals. You pay all of the standard fees. The service simply receives your documents and forwards them to the government, then receives your passport back from the government and sends it to you. The better ones will check that your documents are in order before forwarding them to the government, but do you need to pay someone to do this for you?

If you apply at a Passport Agency, you get the old passport back immediately when you pick up the new passport. You can also get a passport card at the same time, not mailed separately.

Your congressman's constituent service staff will neither know nor care whom you supported. Their job is to help all constituents navigate the bureaucracy.

However, the passport agency is remarkably efficient and I can't help joining the chorus: your best bet is to use the existing expedited service. You'll have your passport in a couple of weeks.

you cannot get what some expeditors can provide from government
different agencies have different minimum times for expeditors
again, there is discussion of using expeditors on FT

there is not a separate line for walk ins at washington agency

my experience >
2011 - appointment 9 days out, traveling 14 days out, got passport same day

2015 - walk in, traveling 5 days out, picked up passport 2 days later
many walk ins including many same day travel - some picked up same day
after checking in, they give you a number with a letter, re letters >
seems like 2 priority, appointment, walk in same day, other walk in

An expediter will save you the hassle form going to the passport agency in person - this can easily save you 4-6 hours (e.g. New York) + 2 trips. Expediters have standing appointments and bypass the line.

OP, it's rare to get unanimity of opinion like this on FT!

In some cases, the passport service agency just sends the documents to the government by mail or FedEx. If these operations are useful, they can help where a consulate (for instance, China) demands that visa applications be submitted and retrieved by a person rather than through mail or some courier service. In some cases, they do have an established relationship with the local consulate, but this doesn't help if they don't have a local office in the city of the consulate that you must use. [Maybe they subcontract out to a different visa service agency in these cases, resulting in yet another round of documents being mailed of FedExed, with the resulting delay of at least another day on each end. For example, I know of a travel agency located in the general MSP area that claims to specialize in getting Chinese visas, but the nearest Chinese consulate is located in Chicago. I somehow don't believe that they send a staff member to Chicago for these errands.]

True, depending on the situation. However, you must instead find/select a passport service to use, then read all of their instructions and complete their forms (in addition to the USA government instruction and forms), and finally arrange to mail (certified/registered presumably, so add a trip to the post office and standing in line in person during their full service hours) or FedEx the packet to them, sometimes including a return envelope or FedEx form.

The US triages the in-person appointments based on your travel date. If you're leaving in 10 days, they'll try to do it in 9 or less. They're not going to give you an appointment based on what's convenient to you- just based on your travel date. 8 weeks is plenty of time if you pay the US expediting fees.

If you really want one quick, it's a little sneaky, but you could book a trip 10 days from now and cancel later.

My son may have a record of getting his passport renewed.
Walked in at 9AM in Philly passport office (his appt was 8AM, but train was late from NY), explained his flight was leaving in 2 hours. Walked out 30 minutes later with a new passport. Caught his flight to Mexico.
Yes, there were many people at the passport agency ahead of him.

I'd be very interested if the expediter comments can be verified. I thought it was sop to separate old and new passport and to have old returned later as you indicate. Does the expediter just wait until he has both in hand before returning to customer? I don't believe there is any way to indicate the need to have both documents on any form.

Reading with interest as my passport has a year left, but going to China in early February, want 10 year visa in new passport, and am considering timing of renewal in Dec Jan time frame. Expedited fees and overnighting seem to make sense and then visa. The consulate is in Chicago so no issues there.

Probably 20 years ago, they were raising the PP fee, doing the math, it was cheaper to renew 3 years early. I mailed my renewal appl. on a Saturday, I received my new PP on Thursday (5 days later)--this was done in Feb. or Mar. ("off season")...but NO expedited (anything), all by regular US Mail.
[I recollect the processing center was in Pittsburg.]

Join Date: Apr 2002

i was also surprised how 'authentication' worked (the other thing handled at passport agencies)

hotline gives appointment, you dont give travel date

not sure re queue, but recall reading of others that fast
interesting how it varies, but that they can deliver

btw re waiting at an agency, if your number is called and there is still someone being served, interrupt them. (just to let employee see that your number was called.) if you dont, and your number disappears, employee may have no way of knowing that your number did come up.

If you need the passport to get a visa, you can ask the Passport Agency to give you the new passport (and also the old one and any passport card in practice) back either the same day or the next business day. You don't have to wait for these items to be sent to you, possibly separately.