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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 Jul 14, 2022, 10:17 am
  #2041  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Helvetia
Programs: AS; BA Silver; UA; HH Gold; Sprüngli Connaisseur
Posts: 2,912
Originally Posted by txviking
The polycarbonate page in my Norwegian passport turned brittle and came loose while entering Jamaica on my honeymoon. Granted, that was a design flaw and Norway started issuing polycarbonate passports 20 years before the US did.

Still, it was a huge hassle. When I received my first US passport, I was relieved to see it was the older design with a laminated paper biodata page.
My previous Swiss passport had a polycarbonate page that lasted 10 years with no problem. I did keep it in a pouch, and didn't carry it in my pocket though.
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Old Jul 21, 2022, 11:40 am
  #2042  
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Originally Posted by greg5
My previous Swiss passport had a polycarbonate page that lasted 10 years with no problem. I did keep it in a pouch, and didn't carry it in my pocket though.
If I travel with an NGP passport like I have done with some of my ordinary full duration US passports then it’s likely I will eventually get hit with some kind of problem because of a different damage risk profile for the NGP version than for the legacy version.

I deliberately did what I could to maximize my own chance of getting a legacy version when I did. I don’t know if NGPs are now a higher proportion of new US passports issued than they were at the start of the year, but both versions are still being sent out.
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Old Jul 30, 2022, 9:47 am
  #2043  
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: NYC Area
Programs: AA EP, United Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond
Posts: 150
Applied online for adult renewal, routine processing (but did enter my scheduled November trip).

Applied: July 14
In Process: July 15
Shipped: July 28

Received a NGP. Don’t really understand why they have the picture quality so low but it is what it is.
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Old Jul 30, 2022, 1:51 pm
  #2044  
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Los Angeles California
Posts: 1,395
Daughter turned 18 and renewal status

Daughter has had 4 passports so far and she turned 18 in June and latest passport expires Jan 2023. So we applied for renewal and this would be her first adult passport.

June 15 - Applied at local library. Gave her birth certificate and current passport. They said they need BC again.. not sure why but maybe cos it's first adult.

June 21 - Checks cashed and got online tracking

July 30 - Still IN PROCESS. Since its not expedited, timeframe is 8 to 11 weeks.
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MNSWEEps is offline  
Old Jul 30, 2022, 3:30 pm
  #2045  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 3
Jun.15 printed then mailed out passport renewal application via USPS Priority to the Irving,TX address. Routine delivery, expanded 52-pager requested.
Jun.18 tracking number showed delivered.
Jun.27 email received from State Dept that application was received Jun.21 and in process. Locator number starts with 69. They cashed my check Jun.22.
Jul.30 email received from State Dept that application is approved as of Jul.30 and I should receive passport on or around Aug.6.
I'll update this post when I receive my new passport. A lot shorter than the 8-11 week estimate.

Last edited by jet987; Jul 30, 2022 at 3:46 pm
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Old Aug 2, 2022, 11:57 am
  #2046  
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,531
Whoa, they're actually sending emails again?
threeoh is offline  
Old Aug 3, 2022, 10:43 pm
  #2047  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 3
Originally Posted by jet987
Jun.15 printed then mailed out passport renewal application via USPS Priority to the Irving,TX address. Routine delivery, expanded 52-pager requested.
Jun.18 tracking number showed delivered.
Jun.27 email received from State Dept that application was received Jun.21 and in process. Locator number starts with 69. They cashed my check Jun.22.
Jul.30 email received from State Dept that application is approved as of Jul.30 and I should receive passport on or around Aug.6.
I'll update this post when I receive my new passport. A lot shorter than the 8-11 week estimate.
Received passport today Aug.3, it was the older style passport. Waiting for my old passport in the mail.
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Old Aug 4, 2022, 11:20 am
  #2048  
 
Join Date: Aug 2022
Posts: 1
Quick question here. I have a trip in ~3 weeks and need to renew. Has anyone had experience booking a refundable flight to get an earlier urgent renewal appointment and then canceling the flight before the appointment and presenting the actual flight then? The later flight would still be within 2 weeks of the appointment date but since the destination mentioned on the phone and on the itinerary when you show up are different I worry this could cause issues. Do they care?
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Old Aug 4, 2022, 3:25 pm
  #2049  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: EWR
Programs: UA Platinum 1MM
Posts: 12
Adult renewal with expedited processing and 1-2 day delivery.

July 11 - Mailed to Philadelphia
July 13 - In process
August 3 - Approved email
August 4 - Delivered.

I received a 52 page old style passport.
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Old Aug 6, 2022, 10:03 pm
  #2050  
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Originally Posted by qqp32
Quick question here. I have a trip in ~3 weeks and need to renew. Has anyone had experience booking a refundable flight to get an earlier urgent renewal appointment and then canceling the flight before the appointment and presenting the actual flight then? The later flight would still be within 2 weeks of the appointment date but since the destination mentioned on the phone and on the itinerary when you show up are different I worry this could cause issues. Do they care?
I know that the use of refundable tickets to land appointment spots has been done for decades.

I also know that a change of dates or travel plans that remain within the two week window hasn’t generally led to systematic refusals to continue to process applications.

AFAIK, there still is no general checking to make sure a phone-call-mentioned destination is and remains the same as that which ultimately ends up being the destination for which the urgent application is submitted and its resulting passport is used. Travel destinations and dates can change for a variety of reasons between making the appointment and showing up for the appointments.
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Old Aug 11, 2022, 9:14 am
  #2051  
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Los Angeles California
Posts: 1,395
Originally Posted by MNSWEEps
Daughter has had 4 passports so far and she turned 18 in June and latest passport expires Jan 2023. So we applied for renewal and this would be her first adult passport.

June 15 - Applied at local library. Gave her birth certificate and current passport. They said they need BC again.. not sure why but maybe cos it's first adult.

June 21 - Checks cashed and got online tracking

July 30 - Still IN PROCESS. Since its not expedited, timeframe is 8 to 11 weeks.
Daughter got an email yesterday that they received her application on June 21. No other update on site. ..LOL
MNSWEEps is offline  
Old Aug 11, 2022, 9:32 pm
  #2052  
 
Join Date: Aug 2022
Posts: 2
Adult Renewal Mailed From Canada. Expedited Service.

Application sent via Canada Post on July 25th.
Arrived in Philadelphia on July 30th per tracking.
August 1st status showed as in process.
August 11 AM showed as approved.
August 11 PM now shows as mailed with an estimated arrival date of August 21.
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Old Aug 11, 2022, 11:03 pm
  #2053  
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: RBKC
Programs: AA EXP and Eurostar Carte Blanche
Posts: 3,850
Originally Posted by 737yvr
Adult Renewal Mailed From Canada. Expedited Service.

Application sent via Canada Post on July 25th.
Arrived in Philadelphia on July 30th per tracking.
August 1st status showed as in process.
August 11 AM showed as approved.
August 11 PM now shows as mailed with an estimated arrival date of August 21.
Thanks for the data point, and welcome to FT!
ExpatExp is offline  
Old Aug 12, 2022, 5:21 pm
  #2054  
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Los Angeles California
Posts: 1,395
Originally Posted by MNSWEEps
Daughter got an email yesterday that they received her application on June 21. No other update on site. ..LOL
Daughter got email that the state department has APPROVED the new passport
MNSWEEps is offline  
Old Aug 12, 2022, 5:23 pm
  #2055  
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Los Angeles California
Posts: 1,395
Daughter turned 18 and renewal status
Daughter has had 4 passports so far and she turned 18 in June and latest passport expires Jan 2023. So we applied for renewal and this would be her first adult passport.

June 15 - Applied at local library. Gave her birth certificate and current passport. They said they need BC again.. not sure why but maybe cos it's first adult.

June 21 - Checks cashed and got online tracking

July 30 - Still IN PROCESS. Since its not expedited, timeframe is 8 to 11 weeks.

Aug 10 - Daughter got email that they received her renewal application on June 21

Aug 12 - Daughter got email state department has approved her application

Apr 13 - Daughter got email her new passport is shipped from Tuszon AZ office. Delivery scheduled for Monday 8/15

Apr 15 - Daughter received the new Passport (NGP). She went ahead and updated her Global Entry successfully with new passport details.
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Last edited by MNSWEEps; Aug 15, 2022 at 4:00 pm
MNSWEEps is offline  


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