Thanks for clarifying. Now I feel stupid for not knowing that I should’ve asked for expedited shipping. For some reason I thought it would be automatically shipped quickly and I wasn’t offered anything at the post office. I thought paying the $60 expedited fee and the $17.56 to mail it back quickly was enough to expedite everything.

And I feel extra stupid for knowing any of this beforehand despite reading about it supposedly thoroughly in FT and other places.

So here are the datapoints I have some pictures for (some stuff is marked out for obvious reasons):

1. Naturalized on Aug 7 (it was a saturday but they are doing it on weekends to clear the huge backlog)

2. Submitted to USPS (Aug 9). Don't have the receipt but it is similar to what was posted earlier. I found a same day appointment in a small town on the south edge of Houston. There is no tracking information on the receipt.:


3. Check Cashed (Aug 13)


4. Passport status updated to shipped with return tracking number (Please note that there was no tracking information available to me before this step):

Thank you for sharing your info and screenshots. You really didn’t have to.

So you sent your application packet without expediting that shipment, and the check got cashed about 4 days after you sent it?

Well, never mind all my crying and confusion. My passport tracker application says in process now (Aug 20)! The locator number starts with 34.

That's good news. good luck

Aug. 17: Applied for US passport, expedited processing, 1-2 express delivery, barcoded application from online wizard.
Aug. 20: Online status changed to “in process” with 34 locator number.
Aug. 23: Check cashed.

You should not feel stupid. The USPS is doing its job well- it still only takes only a couple of days for most mail to move clear across the country to final destination. But for some reason, Citibank was/is taking up to six weeks to receive, scan and enter applications into the system so actual State employees can review and make a determination about the application. Submitting the application with expedited shipping (priority or express mail) results not so much in the application reaching the processing center more quickly but in it being entered into the system (and check cashed) ahead of all of the "regularly submitted" or non-expedited shipping applications.

One thing I did that I’m hoping might help is that I submitted a passport application generated by the state dept’s online wizard, so it contains a barcode that they can just scan to get the info. I don’t know if most applicants actually do that but I doubt it. Hopefully this makes processing it faster.

Baby Swede's passport expires in March 2022. No immediate int'l travel plans (sky-high prices to the Caribbean over Thanksgiving and Christmas squashed those ideas), but I still paid for expedited service just in case.

7/23 - Miraculous found an evening weekday appointment for 8/19 at the USPS Altura Facility in Aurora, CO
8/19 5:30pm - Took Baby Swede to get her passport renewed; Mrs. Swede had to attend Miss Swede's back-to-school night, so we got the DS-3053 form filled out
8/19 6:00pm - Arrived and knocked on the door; USPS employee confirmed name and let us in
8/19 6:05pm - Ask to approach the desk; USPS employee looks over everything and rejects the application. DS-3053 was filled out with blue ink, not black. Ugh.
8/19 6:10pm - USPS employee was super helpful, and said everything else was acceptable.
8/19 6:10pm - He also said that walk-ins are accepted first-come-first-serve between 9-11am every Tuesday through Saturday, but he did warn that people line up super early. It's not the Aurora Passport Agency, but hey.
8/19 7:00pm - Came home and hopped on my laptop to find another passport appointment that wasn't in the middle of the weekday 100 miles away
8/19 7:02pm - Book appointment for the next morning at 7:45am at the same USPS facility! :eek:
8/20 6:45am - Baby Swede, Mrs. Swede, and I drive back to Aurora
8/20 7:25am - Arrive and knock on the door; we're let inside
8/20 7:32am - The 7:30am appointment doesn't show up, so we're processed
8/20 7:45am - Back out the door

Props to the employees at the USPS Altura Facility. They run a super efficient operation.

tl;dr - if you don't want to drive to rural Colorado, you might want to give the walk-in line at the USPS Altura Facility a try

As soon as I got my citizenship interview notice, I made a USPS passport appointment at the closest office to me in the southern suburbs and there was only one slot left for that same day, which was like a month later.

I read through all the posts from the past 30 days so I think I have a feel for what's going on.

Our situation...wife and 5 y/o son had to get "renewals" for expiring passports, but we are not planning to travel out of the country until Jan 2022 at the earliest. 18 weeks door-to-door is kinda pushing it (would be last week of December), not to mention that the lady at USPS who authorized our son's passport estimated "up to 6 months" and also warned us that our son's photos were technically not acceptable but that the passport center seems to approve most kids' passports even when they shouldn't. It also makes me nervous cause I'm not sure if I should book flights for early January before knowing we will have the passport.

Well thanks to this thread I'm feeling far less anxiety now. It seems like it would be safe to book travel for January, and if necessary, contact passport office to switch to expedite and/or contact congressperson to help as the date approaches. Probably don't need to worry about that til November. Anything I'm missing?

well, thats a loaded question, but I would start with - what about YOUR passport? :)

LOL. Mine is good for three more years.

To clarify: Would anyone reading disagree that it is sensible for me to book travel for the family in January 2022 having just submitted regular applications/renewals on Aug. 20? With the fact that we can later expedite/contact congressperson for help if it comes to that? TIA!

I would send them in - although it's a crap shoot as to which processing center they would be sent to, it does seem that processing times at many locations is dropping, with several reports here of it taking only 3 or 4 weeks which is better than pre-COVID for many locations. And, as you said, you can get your congresscri-, um, congressperson's office involved if it seems to be going south. Just remember to pay for expedited mailing of the applications TO the State Dept at the time of application. You can add expedited processing later on if you like.

One more data point. Two passports mailed in same package (but in separate internal envelopes). A month (30th to 30th) from them receiving to me receiving, 3 extra days if you count from when I dropped at USPS.

• Expedited application, passport+card, no overnight return, $200
• July 27 mailed priority mail
• July 30th late night/31st delivered to national passport center
• August 3 received and "in process", "reviewing documents"
• August 30 "approved", "we're now printing", should receive around September 4
• (checked on Friday 27th, still said reviewing documents, but didn't check over the weekend)
• August 30 priority mail dropped two passports in my mail slot (website still says 9/4)
• September 2 passport cards arrived
• September 17 old passports and passport cards arrived bundled
• Signed up for email notices, never received one
• [edited to update the last two item dates]

I can't complain about my experience. Now just need to update GE but I read on another thread I should wait a month for some reason.