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)
Dec 27, 2021, 6:13 pm
#1801
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
My "magical back door" is to go in the front door at US embassies/consulates that are located pretty close to airports with non-stop flights to the US. No expedite fee involved, and it also doesn't encourage the application slot squatting that goes on with some of these commercial service providers. And the passport turns are in a tighter range on average this way.
Last edited by GUWonder; Dec 27, 2021 at 6:20 pm
Dec 27, 2021, 6:39 pm
#1802
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NC
Programs: AAConciergeKey/1MM, DL DM/2 MM, UA Gold,Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 11,980
To the annoyance of some at State, some of these commercial service providers do sort of have a "magical back door" to get in applications for faster turns than "going it alone".
My "magical back door" is to go in the front door at US embassies/consulates that are located pretty close to airports with non-stop flights to the US. No expedite fee involved, and it also doesn't encourage the application slot squatting that goes on with some of these commercial service providers. And the passport turns are in a tighter range on average this way.
My "magical back door" is to go in the front door at US embassies/consulates that are located pretty close to airports with non-stop flights to the US. No expedite fee involved, and it also doesn't encourage the application slot squatting that goes on with some of these commercial service providers. And the passport turns are in a tighter range on average this way.
Dec 28, 2021, 6:57 am
#1803
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: DL PM 1MM
Posts: 3,441
My suggestion is to get your renewal application into the system right now, via the expedite service option and using standard USPS services. The turnaround time for renewals right now is the best it's been for some months.
Dec 28, 2021, 10:02 am
#1804
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NC
Programs: AAConciergeKey/1MM, DL DM/2 MM, UA Gold,Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 11,980
Thanks, but I once had my passport lost by USPS so I will not be using that option. It has to be in person or via an expeditor. Believe me, losing a passport is not a pleasant experience, and USPS did nothing even when I sent Priority Mail.
Dec 29, 2021, 7:44 pm
#1805
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 74
A DP for a new passport application for expired passports for minors. For minors, you have to apply in person at a post office.
All routine service, nothing expedited.
Post office appointment: 11/17/2021
Passport processing/$ cashed: 11/23/2021
Passport approved: 12/28/2021
USPS tracking shows pending delivery on 12/31/2021
No email confirmation whatsoever despite signing up. I have 2 other passport renewals for adults that were sent a week prior and still not approved yet. 34 locator.
All routine service, nothing expedited.
Post office appointment: 11/17/2021
Passport processing/$ cashed: 11/23/2021
Passport approved: 12/28/2021
USPS tracking shows pending delivery on 12/31/2021
No email confirmation whatsoever despite signing up. I have 2 other passport renewals for adults that were sent a week prior and still not approved yet. 34 locator.
Dec 30, 2021, 5:52 am
#1806
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: Nexus
Posts: 21
A DP for a new passport application for expired passports for minors. For minors, you have to apply in person at a post office.
All routine service, nothing expedited.
Post office appointment: 11/17/2021
Passport processing/$ cashed: 11/23/2021
Passport approved: 12/28/2021
USPS tracking shows pending delivery on 12/31/2021
No email confirmation whatsoever despite signing up. I have 2 other passport renewals for adults that were sent a week prior and still not approved yet. 34 locator.
All routine service, nothing expedited.
Post office appointment: 11/17/2021
Passport processing/$ cashed: 11/23/2021
Passport approved: 12/28/2021
USPS tracking shows pending delivery on 12/31/2021
No email confirmation whatsoever despite signing up. I have 2 other passport renewals for adults that were sent a week prior and still not approved yet. 34 locator.
Dec 30, 2021, 12:21 pm
#1807
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: NJ
Programs: UA LTG, AA LTG, Bonvoy LTP, IHG Plat, LHW Sterling
Posts: 2,405
Dec 31, 2021, 8:59 am
#1809
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: NYC
Programs: Nexus
Posts: 21
Delivered: 11/18/21
Check Cashed: 11/19/21
Approved: 12/30/21
Dec 31, 2021, 6:21 pm
#1810
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 74
Same. Two renewals for adults sent on 11/9 and approved on 12/31. All routine. I should have it next week so it is averaging 6.5 weeks from point of mailing to having it in hand.
The 2 passport for minors are the NG ones. Will update when ours arrive.
The 2 passport for minors are the NG ones. Will update when ours arrive.
Last edited by haner; Jan 1, 2022 at 7:31 pm
Jan 2, 2022, 12:51 pm
#1811
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: OKC
Programs: IHG Spire, National Exec, AA Plat
Posts: 2,274
Oh that's interesting...I don't see why that would be an issue from their point of view. Not everyone lives near a passport center or can do a walk-in appointment. As someone who has had their passport lost by USPS, I would rather someone walk it in. That is disappointing.
Jan 2, 2022, 12:55 pm
#1812
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: OKC
Programs: IHG Spire, National Exec, AA Plat
Posts: 2,274
What did you have to go through, and did the fact that USPS is who lost it matter at all vs. you randomly losing it somewhere in public?
Jan 18, 2022, 7:13 am
#1813
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 861
Can you explain more? I wondered about this with my recent renewal - sent it via Priority Mail so that it would be trackable (and possibly less likely to be lost). It was due to be delivered in 3 days but on the 3rd day just showed delayed with no location scans. I got really nervous, but after a few days, it finally got delivered.
What did you have to go through, and did the fact that USPS is who lost it matter at all vs. you randomly losing it somewhere in public?
What did you have to go through, and did the fact that USPS is who lost it matter at all vs. you randomly losing it somewhere in public?
they leave the mail at the PO until they are ready to start dealing with it.
Jan 18, 2022, 7:16 am
#1814
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 861
Status
Reminder to Schedule Redelivery of your item before January 27, 2022
Delivery Attempted: Action Needed
Definitely will use Fed Ex next time. And try to figure out what to do now.
Jan 18, 2022, 9:51 am
#1815
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: WAS
Programs: enjoyed being warm spit for a few years on CO/UA but now nothing :(
Posts: 2,507
Can you explain more? I wondered about this with my recent renewal - sent it via Priority Mail so that it would be trackable (and possibly less likely to be lost). It was due to be delivered in 3 days but on the 3rd day just showed delayed with no location scans. I got really nervous, but after a few days, it finally got delivered.
What did you have to go through, and did the fact that USPS is who lost it matter at all vs. you randomly losing it somewhere in public?
What did you have to go through, and did the fact that USPS is who lost it matter at all vs. you randomly losing it somewhere in public?