Mar 1, 2022, 6:35 am
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:
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.
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:
- 14 days before your trip, you need to schedule an appointment with the passport agency.
- 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)
- Click 1 (For English)
- Click 2 (New Passport)
- 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.
- When your it hits exactly 8:00 am Click 2 (for traveling within 14 days option)
- 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.
- If you did not click 1 exactly at 8 am, you may have to wait for more than an hour and half
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.
Current US passport wait? (Merged Threads)
Oct 29, 2021, 7:52 pm
#1711
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 11
New processing times on passport status website:
Effective October 29, routine service will take 8-11 weeks and expedited service will take 5-7 weeks. Our processing times begin the day we receive your application at a passport agency or center, not the day you mail your application or apply at a local acceptance facility. You will continue to see our older processing times listed until we complete technical upgrades to our online system by November 1st.
Effective October 29, routine service will take 8-11 weeks and expedited service will take 5-7 weeks. Our processing times begin the day we receive your application at a passport agency or center, not the day you mail your application or apply at a local acceptance facility. You will continue to see our older processing times listed until we complete technical upgrades to our online system by November 1st.
Oct 30, 2021, 2:33 pm
#1712
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.
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.
Oct 31, 2021, 6:33 pm
#1715
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 15
Minors passports renewal delivered by 10/28.
09/29/21 - Passport renewal application for two minors at the post office in Louisville, KY with expedited processing. Documents shipped to Philadelphia center.
10/04/21 - Online status updated and checks were cashed.
10/28/21 - New passports were delivered. Old style.
09/29/21 - Passport renewal application for two minors at the post office in Louisville, KY with expedited processing. Documents shipped to Philadelphia center.
10/04/21 - Online status updated and checks were cashed.
10/28/21 - New passports were delivered. Old style.
Oct 31, 2021, 7:35 pm
#1716
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 7
New processing times on passport status website:
Effective October 29, routine service will take 8-11 weeks and expedited service will take 5-7 weeks. Our processing times begin the day we receive your application at a passport agency or center, not the day you mail your application or apply at a local acceptance facility. You will continue to see our older processing times listed until we complete technical upgrades to our online system by November 1st.
Effective October 29, routine service will take 8-11 weeks and expedited service will take 5-7 weeks. Our processing times begin the day we receive your application at a passport agency or center, not the day you mail your application or apply at a local acceptance facility. You will continue to see our older processing times listed until we complete technical upgrades to our online system by November 1st.
Oct 31, 2021, 9:35 pm
#1717
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 285
Interesting... it's now been 6 weeks since we sent our kids' expedited renewals in, and they haven't even been entered into the system yet, despite USPS confirmation of delivery 5 weeks and 3 days ago. Does this mean they're lost somewhere? What recourse do we have? My passport renewal that was sent the same day is already approved. I can't get any information from anyone or follow up because we don't have the application numbers, since they haven't been entered into the system yet.
My own application spent about 5 weeks in this Citicorp limbo.
Oct 31, 2021, 10:44 pm
#1718
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Taipei
Posts: 1,128
Two new data points:
Wife submitted renewal - 8/20/21
Son submitted "new" application - 8/20/21
Both using priority return shipping but standard processing.
Wife's passport received on 10/3/21 so 5-6 weeks door-to-door (I only check the mail once a week so it could have been up to a week sooner)
Son's passport received on 10/31/21 so about 9-10 weeks door-to-door (again, could have arrived at any point this entire week I just didn't check til today)
Wife submitted renewal - 8/20/21
Son submitted "new" application - 8/20/21
Both using priority return shipping but standard processing.
Wife's passport received on 10/3/21 so 5-6 weeks door-to-door (I only check the mail once a week so it could have been up to a week sooner)
Son's passport received on 10/31/21 so about 9-10 weeks door-to-door (again, could have arrived at any point this entire week I just didn't check til today)
Nov 1, 2021, 4:21 pm
#1719
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.
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.
Nov 2, 2021, 5:14 am
#1720
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: NYC/PHL/HKG
Posts: 210
Another DP here, applied and requested Expedited service for a renewal, large book.
9/27/21 - Application mailed out via Priority Mail
9/28/21 - Delivered to Philadelphia
9/29/21 - Shows Processed on website (locator number 68-)
9/30/21 - Check cashed
10/28/21 - Shows approved on website
10/30/21 - Passport mailed out from Tucson, AZ (based on USPS Informed Delivery)
11/1/21 - Received new passport (NOT Next Gen) in the mail
9/27/21 - Application mailed out via Priority Mail
9/28/21 - Delivered to Philadelphia
9/29/21 - Shows Processed on website (locator number 68-)
9/30/21 - Check cashed
10/28/21 - Shows approved on website
10/30/21 - Passport mailed out from Tucson, AZ (based on USPS Informed Delivery)
11/1/21 - Received new passport (NOT Next Gen) in the mail
Nov 2, 2021, 11:49 am
#1722
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: TOA
Programs: HH Diamond, Marriott LTPP/Platinum Premier, Hyatt Lame-ist, UA !K
Posts: 20,061
Nov 3, 2021, 9:29 am
#1723
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 7
Update
reference point: child renewal at USPS, expedited everything
9/25 applied for both kids + 1 adult to renew at the post office, expedited application and express return mail
9/27 applications arrived at destination (Philadelphia) according to USPS
9/29 adult application "in process", kids "not available"
10/26 adult application "approved", kids "not available"
10/29 adult passport arrived (old style)
9/25 applied for both kids + 1 adult to renew at the post office, expedited application and express return mail
9/27 applications arrived at destination (Philadelphia) according to USPS
9/29 adult application "in process", kids "not available"
10/26 adult application "approved", kids "not available"
10/29 adult passport arrived (old style)
We already canceled our trip to avoid more sunk costs. It's going to really stink if the passports arrive in time...
Nov 3, 2021, 8:49 pm
#1724
Join Date: Oct 2018
Posts: 1,656
10/4 - submitted application for a child at the local post office. Regular processing, nothing expedited.
10/8 - check cashed
10/9 - "in process" online, Boston (10...)
10/28 - "approved" online
11/03 - passport in the mailbox, priority mail (never saw the tracking number online, also not in the Informed Delivery, I wonder)
Past experience suggests there is no difference between expedited and regular service, this was no exception.
10/8 - check cashed
10/9 - "in process" online, Boston (10...)
10/28 - "approved" online
11/03 - passport in the mailbox, priority mail (never saw the tracking number online, also not in the Informed Delivery, I wonder)
Past experience suggests there is no difference between expedited and regular service, this was no exception.
Nov 4, 2021, 6:45 am
#1725
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 7
Originally Posted by rebecuna View Post
reference point: child renewal at USPS, expedited everything
9/25 applied for both kids + 1 adult to renew at the post office, expedited application and express return mail
9/27 applications arrived at destination (Philadelphia) according to USPS
9/29 adult application "in process", kids "not available"
10/26 adult application "approved", kids "not available"
10/29 adult passport arrived (old style)
11/1 kids passports now "in process", finally!
We already canceled our trip to avoid more sunk costs. It's going to really stink if the passports arrive in time...
reference point: child renewal at USPS, expedited everything
9/25 applied for both kids + 1 adult to renew at the post office, expedited application and express return mail
9/27 applications arrived at destination (Philadelphia) according to USPS
9/29 adult application "in process", kids "not available"
10/26 adult application "approved", kids "not available"
10/29 adult passport arrived (old style)
11/1 kids passports now "in process", finally!
We already canceled our trip to avoid more sunk costs. It's going to really stink if the passports arrive in time...