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Current US passport wait? (Merged Threads)

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Old Mar 1, 2022, 6:35 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: CKDGM
Passport Agency Appointments (same day expedited service)
Appointments for same-day expedited service often go quickly. It is best that you schedule your appointment with the passport agency exactly 14 days before your trip. You will want to call the passport number before the center opens at 8am EST as they will have just opened up one day (14 days out) of appointments at all agencies. Appointment times start at 8am. It is important that you have enough buffer in your travel schedule. For example, if you make an appointment for a new passport at 11am and your time of travel is at 2pm, there will not be enough time for you to get your passport. If you book the 8am slot you may have to wait until the end of the business day to get your new passport or it may only be a few hours.

You will want to have your date of travel, time of travel, your flight itinerary number, name of destination, full name of applicant, and applicant's birth city, and the zip code of where you live (to help them find the closest available center with open slots). Use the following steps to increase your chances of success to booking an appointment as they can go very quickly:
  1. 14 days before your trip, you need to schedule an appointment with the passport agency.
  2. At 7:55 am call the passport number 877-487-2778 (This have to be exactly 14 days before your plane ticket or less. If less, it will get harder to find an appointment)
  3. Click 1 (For English)
  4. Click 2 (New Passport)
  5. Continue to Click 7 to repeat, and keep doing this while watching your watch or using Time.gov to get the exact time down to the second.
  6. When your it hits exactly 8:00 am Click 2 (for traveling within 14 days option)
  7. There will be a delay of 3-4 second and you will wait for the next available agent. If you are very lucky, you will be put straight through to an agent. You may be waiting few minutes or maybe as long as 15-20 minutes.
  8. If you did not click 1 exactly at 8 am, you may have to wait for more than an hour and half
After the appointment slot has been reserved you will be provided with a unique identifier code and reservation number. These details will also be emailed to you.

Credit: chgoeditor

Known office locator numbers (not complete)
Note: The office code (first two digits of your application locator number returned by Passport Status) is the office reviewing your documents and approving your application. It isn't necessarily the address you mailed the forms to (always Irving or Philadelphia for renewals) nor the facility where the book is physically printed and mailed (often Tucson or Hot Springs).

10: Boston
11: NYC
12: Honolulu
14: Stamford, CT
15: Portsmouth, NH
17: Aurora, CO
18: Chicago
19: Washington, DC
20-29: Portsmouth, NH
34-39: Charleston
40-42: New Orleans, LA
45: Portsmouth, NH
50: Los Angeles, CA
51: Miami
53: Seattle
54: Minneapolis
55: Dallas
56: Detroit
57: San Francisco
58: Philadelphia, PA
61-64: Tucson
65: Hot Springs, AR
67: San Juan, PR
68: Portsmouth, NH
69: Portsmouth, NH
71: US embassies/consulates abroad (possibly Portsmouth, NH)
74: Atlanta
75: St Albans, VT
76: San Diego, CA
77: Buffalo, NY
78: El Paso, TX
79: Houston, TX
80: Special Issuance Agency ("Issues diplomatic, official, service, and no-fee regular passports, and facilitates visa processing for those traveling on behalf of the U.S. government.")
95: Online

A list of agencies and their locator numbers is listed on this page under the heading, "List of passport agencies and centers with locator numbers."

H/T Nayef, txviking, and various individual posts both here and on Reddit. If you have a locator not in the above list, check the return address agency name or postmark/ZIP on your returned citizenship docs, or passport card if you applied for one, which may be the processing office, although the address itself is likely to be a PO Box in Sterling, VA in all cases (which appears to be a lockbox location that processes mail for all locations). The passport books are printed in fewer locations, often Hot Springs and Tucson, and may not correspond to the agency where the processing steps occurred. If it doesn’t match the list above, please add or correct.
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Current US passport wait? (Merged Threads)

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Old Oct 24, 2021, 2:34 pm
  #1696  
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: MFR
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,885
Originally Posted by FallenPlat
And now I'm the same as mnbp: after three (!) weeks, the Global Entry website finally accepted my updated passport information. Thanks to all the posters who told me what to expect, and to wait, since I really didn't want to drive out to DFW for an on-site update.
Thanks from me as well!

Wanted to bump this up in case someone didn't catch it.
Just tried to renew my new passport on Global Entry and it said I have to appear in person (arrgh).
But then I thought, let's see what FT thinks has a solution?
chavala is offline  
Old Oct 24, 2021, 2:55 pm
  #1697  
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Colorado (anywhere between DEN DMM BAH)
Programs: United MileagePlus, SkyMiles, AAdvantage, NEXUS
Posts: 3,034
Originally Posted by chavala
Thanks from me as well!

Wanted to bump this up in case someone didn't catch it.
Just tried to renew my new passport on Global Entry and it said I have to appear in person (arrgh).
But then I thought, let's see what FT thinks has a solution?
Go to the nearest enrollment center at your nearest major international airport and get it done there. Bring your GE card and new passport and another form of ID.
Nayef is online now  
Old Oct 24, 2021, 6:40 pm
  #1698  
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: MFR
Programs: UA 1K 1.9MM, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,885
Originally Posted by Nayef
Go to the nearest enrollment center at your nearest major international airport and get it done there. Bring your GE card and new passport and another form of ID.
Um, no thanks. I’m happy to wait a couple weeks when I can do it online.
That is why I’m thankful I read about it here.

Not everyone lives near an international airport. I wonder how many people think they have to go through that hassle?

Last edited by chavala; Oct 25, 2021 at 9:21 am
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Old Oct 25, 2021, 6:42 pm
  #1699  
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 13
Originally Posted by trs23
I wonder if I'm going to hit the record for passport delays. Standard service, no rush, we don't have any international travel plans until Feb.

7/22/2021: Appointment at USPS for my two underage kids to renew their passports
8/06/2021: Passport "received" according to US Passport website (42 locator - New Orleans)
crickets....
Finally got our passports today 10/25/2021 (interestingly they were mailed from Tuscon)
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Old Oct 25, 2021, 6:43 pm
  #1700  
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 91
Originally Posted by trs23
Finally got our passports today 10/25/2021 (interestingly they were mailed from Tuscon)
next generation passport (plastic data page)?
Valerian is offline  
Old Oct 25, 2021, 10:17 pm
  #1701  
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: SPG Platinum (Lifetime Gold), AA Lifetime Gold, HHonors Diamond, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 182
9/18/21 - mailed passport renewal express mail (expedited service)
9/22/21 - website showed application status as processing
10/22/21 - passport received - old style passport
ORDMD80 is offline  
Old Oct 26, 2021, 9:25 pm
  #1702  
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 13
Originally Posted by Valerian
next generation passport (plastic data page)?
no. Old school.
trs23 is offline  
Old Oct 28, 2021, 1:08 pm
  #1703  
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 2
09/28/21 - New Passport Self + Minor, Standard/Non-Expedited processing. Application at a local county clerk office in Maryland
10/04/21 - Website showed application status as processing (locator #10 Boston)
10/26/21 - Passport shipped from Little Rock, Arkansas.
10/28/21 - Passport received - NOT a nextgen passport

Took a month from application to passport in hand, waiting for supporting documents to be mailed back.
No updates was received by email, although I signed up for it.
seawolf likes this.
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Old Oct 28, 2021, 2:19 pm
  #1704  
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SFO
Programs: COdbaUA Platinum 2MM
Posts: 5,532
Originally Posted by sb20770
09/28/21 - New Passport Self + Minor, Standard/Non-Expedited processing. Application at a local county clerk office in Maryland
10/04/21 - Website showed application status as processing (locator #10 Boston)
10/26/21 - Passport shipped from Little Rock, Arkansas.
10/28/21 - Passport received - NOT a nextgen passport

Took a month from application to passport in hand, waiting for supporting documents to be mailed back.
No updates was received by email, although I signed up for it.
Welcome to FT. Thank you for sharing. Pretty impressive, non expedited, 30 days from beginning to finish.
1KChinito is offline  
Old Oct 28, 2021, 2:25 pm
  #1705  
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 11
09/28/21 - Passport renewal application for two minors at the post office in Cupertino, CA with expedited processing
10/01/21 - Website shows in progress with record locator number starting with 68

No update on the website and received no email since then. Is this normal? Thanks!
tlvslr is offline  
Old Oct 28, 2021, 4:21 pm
  #1706  
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Indianapolis area
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 436
09/25/2021 - Passport renewal application sent via First Class Mail (no special handling)
10/01/2021 - Check cleared the bank
10/26/2021 - Passport mailed from Little Rock (per USPS tracking)
10/28/2021 - New passport (not nextgen) received via Priority Mail

Pretty quick turnaround considering 18 weeks was the advertised expectation.
seawolf likes this.
cjw2001 is online now  
Old Oct 28, 2021, 8:18 pm
  #1707  
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 2
I guess I was just lucky, took the regular route as I did not have any immediate travel plans.
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Old Oct 28, 2021, 10:18 pm
  #1708  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 26
Originally Posted by cjw2001
09/25/2021 - Passport renewal application sent via First Class Mail (no special handling)
10/01/2021 - Check cleared the bank
10/26/2021 - Passport mailed from Little Rock (per USPS tracking)
10/28/2021 - New passport (not nextgen) received via Priority Mail

Pretty quick turnaround considering 18 weeks was the advertised expectation.
Impressive! I am still waiting for my wife's application submitted August 10th. Check cashed and showed received August 23rd, not a peep since then. My application sent the same day, I have had mine for a month. Makes no sense.

I am going to give it till November 15th then am contacting my House Rep or Senator. Travel is not till December 20th so I figured I had plenty of time.
twindaddy is offline  
Old Oct 29, 2021, 7:18 am
  #1709  
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 7
Angry

Originally Posted by rebecuna
reference point: child renewal at USPS, expedited everything

9/25 applied for both kids to renew at the post office, expedited application and express return mail
9/27 applications arrived at destination (Philadelphia) according to USPS
10/16 as of today, both applications still say "not available" and that it may take up to 4 weeks to be listed as "in process". Check has not been cashed. It's only been 3 weeks, but this doesn't seem like a good sign...

How bad is this?? We have flight itinerary/price locked for another week, at which point we will have to decide whether to book for this trip that would start Nov. 18 (which would be just under 8 weeks from when we applied). Dates are not flexible. Do we have hope?

My adult application renewal was mailed (expedited) the same day from the same USPS facility, and showed up as in process on 9/29, with check cashed the same day. No movement since then.
Update: still no movement as of 10/29 on the kids' applications. Checks have not been cashed almost 5 weeks after submission. Senator's office reached out to State Dept. but no info on the applications. Senator's office told me expedited passports can take up to 6 weeks to be "in process"... this contradicts with the passport status website, which says up to 4 weeks. We have canceled our trip to avoid more sunk costs. I will update again when I hear something about the kids' renewals. I sure hope they aren't lost!
rebecuna is offline  
Old Oct 29, 2021, 9:43 am
  #1710  
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 11
My kid's passport got approved today. Message on the website says - will be delivered by 10/31.

09/28/21 - Passport renewal application for two minors at the post office in Cupertino, CA with expedited processing
10/01/21 - Website shows in progress with record locator number starting with 68
10/29/21 - Approved. Waiting for delivery mail.
tlvslr is offline  


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