Passport Expediting Services
 

All of the FT posts on this topic seems to be several years old and none contain recommendations so...

My next "scheduled" international trip is 8 weeks out - Mid-August. At that time my passport will be over 9.5 years old. Just got back from an international conference and one of the hot topics was the length of time it takes for passport renewal. The consensus was that 8 weeks was cutting it too close.

Everyone recommended using an expediter, but the choices seem to be location dependent. I am in Orlando.

Looking for recommendations. Who did you use? Would you use them again?

I just used RushPassport for an expedited visa for Russia and was very happy with the experience. I worked with Tim and Paula in the New York office but the company appears to offer nation-wide service.

If (as this seems to be) the issue is your passport, not a visa, what's wrong with the Passport Service's expedited service?

Also, you didn't say where you're going. Check the requirements of the country/countries you'll visit. Many countries don't require six months from date of entry. If wherever you're going doesn't, just renew it when you get back unless you have frequent travel planned from this trip on.

I use traveldocs.com for all my visa and passport needs and have been very satisfied. You fedex them your documents, they get the visa/passport and Fedex it back, everything is tracked and you can check status online at any time.

If you want someone to handle logistics, use a service. But, if your travel is 8 weeks out and all you need is a US passport, pay the fee, complete the forms and provide a copy of your itinerary.

In a pinch, if your location has a Passport Office, they can issue you a passport in 1/2 day (e.g., show up first in the AM and you leave with it at Noon).

With 8 weeks, you should not need a service.

I appreciate all the responses. I am not near a city with a passport agency.

My concern is twofold; 1) conversations with people who recently (i.e. in 2015), tried to renew their passports indicated 8+ weeks for non-expedited renewals, 2) I may need to travel internationally sooner than the currently-planned mid-August trip. Unable to ask for congressional help as I actively supported the losing candidate in the last election...

Please don't try to convenience me to not use an expediter, just help me find the right one. Looking for renewal experiences during the last 12-18 months.

Some PP offices require an advance reservation.
At http://www.uspassporthelpguide.com/n...ssport-agency/ they seem to expect you to be prompt for your appt. time.

Unless you have a specific need skip the extra cost of a service and just use the expedited option for renewal. Send your renewal application (you can fill it out online then print it) old passport, and passport sized photo via overnight express, pay the extra $60 for expedited processing and the $15 to have it overnight express mailed back to you. I did that in January for my first passport and it took seven from applying to delivery. Current processing time for expedited applications is within 3 weeks.

I have found people who are only interested in an answer and do not listen to advice about the question itself are often asking the wrong question.

You do not need an expediting services, all you need is to pay the extra 60 bucks for expediting (and pay for an overnight envelope if you so choose) and your passport will be back within 3 weeks, if not a lot sooner. By the way, the standard passport processing time right now is 4-6 weeks.

I would guess most people you were talking to about expediting services (compared to the State Department's normal expediting process) were talking about visas, not a passport. There are very few cases in which using a passport expediting services makes sense for a simple application.

book refundable ticket and go to passport agency
appointments are not required, but factor in speed

I didn't pay for expediting, but I did pay for an overnight return shipping. Got Miss Swede's passport in a shade under 4 weeks (late April to just before Memorial Day weekend this year).

If you're referring to passport agencies, then yes, appointments ARE required.

http://travel.state.gov/content/pass.../agencies.html

But OP said he is not near a passport agency office (he appears to be near Orlando, and closest office is in Miami), so moot point for him.

i am one of many who have gone without appointment
they just categorize you differently when you are there
odd there seems to be more discussion on yelp than FT

appointments are obviously not possible for immediate travel, and the last time i went with an appointment, it was 9 days out, when travel has to be within 14 days

some of us would rather go to agency than pay 3rd party. i never understand why government does not sell expedited (like overnight) directly rather than allowing 3rd parties to do it.

You are simply wrong.

1. The government does provide an expedited passport processing service for $60. You can also overnight your documents and have them overnighted back for whatever that costs. Thus <$100.

2. You list your location as DCA/IAD. Washington does have a Passport Agency. You can call the hotline (see website) and show up and have a passport in 2-3 hours for same day travel if need be.

Paying a third-party service to expedite a US passport is both a waste of money and simply adds one more layer to the list of things which can go wrong. These services are worthwhile for certain visas where you are essentially paying people to run around with your passport and other documents so that you yourself don't have to.

only option besides walking in without appointment is 3rd party
hotline gave me appointment 9 days out
i am not the first person to mention walking in on FT
there is also discussion of 3rd party expeditors on FT