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Current US passport wait? (Merged Threads)

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 doesnt match the list above, please add or correct.
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Current US passport wait? (Merged Threads)

Old Nov 4, 2021, 12:08 pm
  #1726  
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SFO
Programs: COdbaUA Platinum 2MM
Posts: 5,531
Originally Posted by rebecuna
Of course... passports approved 11/4 and due to arrive 11/6. We didn't need to cancel our trip. Our once-in-a-lifetime trip. Sigh.
That is life.
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1KChinito is offline  
Old Nov 4, 2021, 2:32 pm
  #1727  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 26
Originally Posted by rebecuna
Of course... passports approved 11/4 and due to arrive 11/6. We didn't need to cancel our trip. Our once-in-a-lifetime trip. Sigh.
So sorry, that really stinks. I mailed mine in August, same time as my wifes. I got mine 6 weeks ago, no movements on my wifes. It all just makes no sense.
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twindaddy is offline  
Old Nov 4, 2021, 8:22 pm
  #1728  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 26
Originally Posted by twindaddy
My reps, who I have not contacted yet as my travel isnt till December, have a contact form on their website. Passport issues is one of the selections, it then asks you for tracking number and some other info, such as which passport office is processing it. I would imagine most senators have similar forms. It also auto-generates the privacy form that you sign and email or fax to them so they can look into your case.
Originally Posted by twindaddy
Two minors, applied at post office on August 6th. Regular processing, sent to Philly.

Checks cashed, in process on August 23rd. Signed up for email status updates. Never got one update ever. None.

September 9th, printing.
September 11th, shipped priority mail. I only know this because my informed delivery told me. Tracking shows shipped from Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas.

September 13th, one received, September 14th, other other received. Return address on envelope is from Seattle, which matches locator number.

Never got one email update from Department of State.

The same day we applied in person for our twins, we dropped renewals for mom and dad (me) in the mail. Cashed and in process on August 24th, no updates since then. Priority mail envelope they were sent in has never been scanned in.
Originally Posted by twindaddy
My passport is now on the way.

Mailed renewal with old passport to Philly office on August 6th. Priority mail was never scanned at destination but apparently that is common as I read they have their own post office.

Check cashed August 24

October 8th: Approved and shipped.

October 12th: Received, hopefully. But it's on the way. Mailed from Tucson but located number matches to New Orleans.

Passport for twinwife, sent the same day, is still in processing stage. No movement since check cashed in August. Her locator is New Hampshire
Still have not received my wife's passport. App put in the mailbox same day as mine, my was received October 11th. Based on the website saying they are now processing 8-11 weeks from mailing, we are past those guidelines since I sent mine the first week in August. Filed out the request for assistance form and privacy release for one of our Senators for Washington State, Maria Cantwell today.

More data points to come, but the main take away here is that depending on where your application ends up, your results can vary WIDELY.

Last edited by twindaddy; Nov 4, 2021 at 8:23 pm Reason: i kant type tooo gud
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Old Nov 6, 2021, 12:22 am
  #1729  
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 39
Here's my timeline. I hope it helps others out there suffering through the same feelings of anxiety I experienced when I found out my passport was being processed in Charleston

Routine Service

August 28- renewal application sent via priority mail from NYC to Texas


August 30 - Delivered
September 7 - Updated to Received locator number is 34

I checked the status again on October 7th and it said processing
and checked again on November 2 it said Approved. I also received an Informed delivery from the USPS that said it was also shipped on that day.

November 4th - Received the Next Generation passport from TUCSON,AZ

Last edited by foureyedscorpion; Nov 6, 2021 at 12:30 am
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Old Nov 6, 2021, 9:52 am
  #1730  
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SFO
Programs: COdbaUA Platinum 2MM
Posts: 5,531
Originally Posted by foureyedscorpion
Here's my timeline. I hope it helps others out there suffering through the same feelings of anxiety I experienced when I found out my passport was being processed in Charleston

Routine Service

August 28- renewal application sent via priority mail from NYC to Texas


August 30 - Delivered
September 7 - Updated to Received locator number is 34

I checked the status again on October 7th and it said processing
and checked again on November 2 it said Approved. I also received an Informed delivery from the USPS that said it was also shipped on that day.

November 4th - Received the Next Generation passport from TUCSON,AZ
Thank you for sharing. Did you request expedited service or just regular processing?
1KChinito is offline  
Old Nov 6, 2021, 3:43 pm
  #1731  
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 39
I requested regular processing
foureyedscorpion is offline  
Old Nov 9, 2021, 2:21 pm
  #1732  
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 11
Folks, how long does it get the old passport and birth certificate back? I received the new passport on 10/31. Thanks!
tlvslr is offline  
Old Nov 9, 2021, 3:28 pm
  #1733  
Original Member
 
Join Date: May 1998
Location: The shape-shifting urban sprawl that is El Lay. FT member #71.
Programs: UA Gold & MM; DL & AA credit card dirt status; Hilton Diamond; Marriott Fool's Gold
Posts: 4,679
Can't speak for a birth certificate, but my wife's old passport showed up last month, about five weeks after the new one. Her new one was handled via expedited service, but it certainly would appear the return of the cancelled one is processed in normal course.
Craig6z is offline  
Old Nov 9, 2021, 10:51 pm
  #1734  
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 2
Mailed priority July 29th, in process August 17. No movement 11/1 and late Nov trip so I called. Id done normal process. They said they would relay that I was willing to pay anything to speed it up, but never was charged.

Last Friday 11/5 website changed to approved, and said I should receive around 11/13. Received today in the mail 11/9. Website never changed status to mailed.

Before receiving it Id called to see about appointments for in-person and they said they had no availability anywhere in the West.

Last edited by Markb4; Nov 10, 2021 at 9:42 am
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Old Nov 10, 2021, 8:54 am
  #1735  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: WAS
Programs: enjoyed being warm spit for a few years on CO/UA but now nothing :(
Posts: 2,498
Originally Posted by Markb4
Mailed priority July 29th, in process August 17. No movement 11/1 and late Nov trip so I called. Id done normal process. They said they would relay that I was willing to pay anything to speed it up, but never was charged.

Last Friday 8/5 website changed to approved, and said I should receive around 11/13. Received today in the mail 8/9. Website never changed status to mailed.

Before receiving it Id called to see about appointments for in-person and they said they had no availability anywhere in the West.
This must be the most "hot-tub time machine/Matrix" confusing listing of dates I have seen.... glad you got your passport though!
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Section 107 is offline  
Old Nov 10, 2021, 8:55 am
  #1736  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: WAS
Programs: enjoyed being warm spit for a few years on CO/UA but now nothing :(
Posts: 2,498
Originally Posted by tlvslr
Folks, how long does it get the old passport and birth certificate back? I received the new passport on 10/31. Thanks!
usually within 10 working days/2 weeks.
Section 107 is offline  
Old Nov 10, 2021, 9:26 am
  #1737  
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SFO
Programs: COdbaUA Platinum 2MM
Posts: 5,531
Originally Posted by Markb4
Mailed priority July 29th, in process August 17. No movement 11/1 and late Nov trip so I called. Id done normal process. They said they would relay that I was willing to pay anything to speed it up, but never was charged.

Last Friday 8/5 website changed to approved, and said I should receive around 11/13. Received today in the mail 8/9. Website never changed status to mailed.

Before receiving it Id called to see about appointments for in-person and they said they had no availability anywhere in the West.
Welcome to FT. Perhaps you meant last Friday, 5 Nov 2021 website changed to approved. Received today in the mail 9 Nov 2021.
1KChinito is offline  
Old Nov 10, 2021, 9:41 am
  #1738  
 
Join Date: Nov 2021
Posts: 2
Originally Posted by 1KChinito
Welcome to FT. Perhaps you meant last Friday, 5 Nov 2021 website changed to approved. Received today in the mail 9 Nov 2021.
oh geez youre right while typing that up quickly I wrote some of the wrong dates. Fixed in original as well. Clean recap:

mailed 7/29/21
in process 8/17/21
approved 11/5/21
estimated delivery 11/13/21
actual delivery 11/9/21
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Old Nov 10, 2021, 11:26 am
  #1739  
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 11
Originally Posted by Section 107
usually within 10 working days/2 weeks.
I called them and they told me it can take up to 4 weeks to receive supporting documents back after the passport is received.
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Old Nov 10, 2021, 12:03 pm
  #1740  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Helvetia
Programs: AS; BA Silver; UA; HH Diamond; Sprngli Connaisseur
Posts: 2,902
I live in Switzerland and my US passport is expiring this coming summer, I don't want to send it in as I may have to travel on short notice. Has anyone requested a second passport by going into an Embassy/Consulate in person, and then after receiving the second passport sent the original in for renewal. Is this possible?
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