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)
Aug 26, 2022 | 6:56 am
#2071
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 91
If they boost the speed of a full transition to only NGP type passports, the costs would skyrocket even faster for us applicants — both financially and in terms of time to get a valid passport back.
Given the long set “user fee” mentality — set in by quasi/faux”-budget hawks” — that is had when it comes to providing services such as US passports, this is the result. “Starve the (federal government) beast” this way has its consequences. And personally, I don’t see any downside to still getting the legacy generation version of the US passport.
Given the long set “user fee” mentality — set in by quasi/faux”-budget hawks” — that is had when it comes to providing services such as US passports, this is the result. “Starve the (federal government) beast” this way has its consequences. And personally, I don’t see any downside to still getting the legacy generation version of the US passport.
Last edited by Valerian; Aug 26, 2022 at 7:08 am
Aug 26, 2022 | 8:18 am
#2072
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,077
Don’t agree. DoS has witnessed large budget increases of late. And consular services in particular got rather large increases. It is taking nearly ten years to roll this program out where less developed countries are taking a few short years to launch. There has been massive schedule slippage. Some European countries redesign their polycarbonate passports every 5 years. A far better explanation is just serial incompetence, lack of proper program oversight and accountability.
Aug 26, 2022 | 8:55 am
#2073
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 91
The “user fee” mentality in the US is the big factor in why the US passport application situation is what it is. The European countries in which I’ve had more recent involvement haven’t had the same long lasting affinity to the user fee mentality for passports that plagues US passport issues, so if they want to blow their money on more frequent redesigns and limit validity to 5 and 3 years as much as they do, they can eat it as far as I’m concerned. In the case of the US, we the more common US passport fee paying applicants are the ones who get hit faster and more with cost increases when massive schedule slippages don’t happen and thereby fail to act as a sort of restraint on inflation. The slower the transition the better it is for me.
Aug 26, 2022 | 10:59 am
#2074
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: SFO
Programs: AY Gold, HH Diamond
Posts: 8,616
We have travel planned to Sweden and the UK in late November and just realized our 2 under-16 year old kids passports expire in early January. It seems UK only requires the passport to be valid during our stay, but Sweden requires 90 days validity, which we won't meet.
Since the kids are under 16, I can't find a single post office with an appointment near me over the next couple of weeks, and am concerned that if we find an appointment in mid-September or later, the renewals won't be processed in time for our trip.
Any ideas on how we might best go about this?
Since the kids are under 16, I can't find a single post office with an appointment near me over the next couple of weeks, and am concerned that if we find an appointment in mid-September or later, the renewals won't be processed in time for our trip.
Any ideas on how we might best go about this?
Aug 26, 2022 | 3:47 pm
#2075
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 15,859
Several options:
Safest route:
1) When there are less than 14 days before the trip, get an emergency appointment at a passport center. Or line up and wait. They should be able to do everything same day.
and/or
2) Contact Swedish Embassy/consulate near you. Explain the circumstances and also include the fact that Covid disruptions have made it difficult impossible to get their passports done in time, explaining that you will still leave far before the passports expire. IF they say it is ok, then that letter/e-mail should be enough for the airline, and will def be good enough for Swedish passport control.
If you are brave, and know what you are doing.
3) Go to a notary and make a notarized signed statement (for the airline) saying that you do know that your kid's passports have less than 90 days of validity BUT you all still want to fly and you will not seek compensation and will hold the airline NOT RESPONSIBLE for any costs should you be denied entry into Sweden. Ultimately this is all airlines care about, which is ultimately the cost of returning you and a possible fine. In my experience Swedish passport control will care less, especially as Swedes can travel to the US up until the day their passports expire I believe. Again, this is the brave route that I only follow when I am very familiar with a country and their "rules" on the ground, otherwise you are opening yourself up to potential serious costs.
Safest route:
1) When there are less than 14 days before the trip, get an emergency appointment at a passport center. Or line up and wait. They should be able to do everything same day.
and/or
2) Contact Swedish Embassy/consulate near you. Explain the circumstances and also include the fact that Covid disruptions have made it difficult impossible to get their passports done in time, explaining that you will still leave far before the passports expire. IF they say it is ok, then that letter/e-mail should be enough for the airline, and will def be good enough for Swedish passport control.
If you are brave, and know what you are doing.
3) Go to a notary and make a notarized signed statement (for the airline) saying that you do know that your kid's passports have less than 90 days of validity BUT you all still want to fly and you will not seek compensation and will hold the airline NOT RESPONSIBLE for any costs should you be denied entry into Sweden. Ultimately this is all airlines care about, which is ultimately the cost of returning you and a possible fine. In my experience Swedish passport control will care less, especially as Swedes can travel to the US up until the day their passports expire I believe. Again, this is the brave route that I only follow when I am very familiar with a country and their "rules" on the ground, otherwise you are opening yourself up to potential serious costs.
Aug 26, 2022 | 7:06 pm
#2076
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,374
https://iafdb.travel.state.gov/
Even if you can’t submit the applications until mid-Sept, my gut says if you don’t mind paying the expedite fee, you might be okay — most of the recent data points in this thread suggest 3-4 week expedited turnaround, and in fact, it seems like your time frame even falls within the official (conservative) estimate of 5-7 weeks. Also, having an application already submitted wouldn’t preclude calling in for an agency appointment 14 days before departure, and/or contacting your Congressperson for an extra nudge, if that’s necessary when the time comes.
Last edited by 21A; Aug 26, 2022 at 7:26 pm
Aug 28, 2022 | 11:08 am
#2077
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 37
Two new passports for Mr and Ms Tivv, both expedited processing, priority mail
Ms Tivv locator number starts with 69 and it corresponds to the passport card return address of Portsmouth, NH
Mr Tivv locator number starts with 75
Jul 23 - Mr Tivv application submitted
Jul 26 - Ms Tivv application submitted
Jul 28 - Mr Tivv application in process (still in this state by Aug 15)
Aug 1 - Ms Tivv application in process
Aug 9 - Ms Tivv passport issued date
Aug 10 - Ms Tivv application approved & shipped
Aug 11 - Ms Tivv priority mail accepted in TUCSON, AZ
Aug 12 - Ms Tivv passport book delivered, large book, new design.
Aug 12 Mr Tivv passport issue date
Aug 15 - Ms Tivv passport card delivered, regular mail
Aug 16 Mr Tivv approved
Aug 17 Mr Tivv priority mail accepted in Hot Springs National Park, AR, 71913
Aug 18 Mr Tivv passport book delivered, old design
Ms Tivv locator number starts with 69 and it corresponds to the passport card return address of Portsmouth, NH
Mr Tivv locator number starts with 75
Jul 23 - Mr Tivv application submitted
Jul 26 - Ms Tivv application submitted
Jul 28 - Mr Tivv application in process (still in this state by Aug 15)
Aug 1 - Ms Tivv application in process
Aug 9 - Ms Tivv passport issued date
Aug 10 - Ms Tivv application approved & shipped
Aug 11 - Ms Tivv priority mail accepted in TUCSON, AZ
Aug 12 - Ms Tivv passport book delivered, large book, new design.
Aug 12 Mr Tivv passport issue date
Aug 15 - Ms Tivv passport card delivered, regular mail
Aug 16 Mr Tivv approved
Aug 17 Mr Tivv priority mail accepted in Hot Springs National Park, AR, 71913
Aug 18 Mr Tivv passport book delivered, old design
Mr Tivv passport card delivered, return address St. Albans, VT 05478
Mr Tivv original document received Aug 23, return address Sterling, VA 20166-1171. I did not capture postal stamp zip code
Ms Tivv original document received Aug 25,return address Sterling, VA 20166-1171. postal stamp zip code 03801 (Portsmouth, NH).
My general impression is that orignal document return address means nothing, but passport card return address & original document postal stamp zip code are from the passport agency used.
So 75 locator number seems to correspond to St Albans, VT 05478. Google says that a new passport agency.
Aug 28, 2022 | 11:14 am
#2078
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 37
We have travel planned to Sweden and the UK in late November and just realized our 2 under-16 year old kids passports expire in early January. It seems UK only requires the passport to be valid during our stay, but Sweden requires 90 days validity, which we won't meet.
Since the kids are under 16, I can't find a single post office with an appointment near me over the next couple of weeks, and am concerned that if we find an appointment in mid-September or later, the renewals won't be processed in time for our trip.
Any ideas on how we might best go about this?
Since the kids are under 16, I can't find a single post office with an appointment near me over the next couple of weeks, and am concerned that if we find an appointment in mid-September or later, the renewals won't be processed in time for our trip.
Any ideas on how we might best go about this?
. With it I was able to secure 2 next day appointments and get my passports really fast. And no lines at all - 10 minute in-out time.
Aug 28, 2022 | 2:50 pm
#2079
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 42,582
We have travel planned to Sweden and the UK in late November and just realized our 2 under-16 year old kids passports expire in early January. It seems UK only requires the passport to be valid during our stay, but Sweden requires 90 days validity, which we won't meet.
Since the kids are under 16, I can't find a single post office with an appointment near me over the next couple of weeks, and am concerned that if we find an appointment in mid-September or later, the renewals won't be processed in time for our trip.
Any ideas on how we might best go about this?
Since the kids are under 16, I can't find a single post office with an appointment near me over the next couple of weeks, and am concerned that if we find an appointment in mid-September or later, the renewals won't be processed in time for our trip.
Any ideas on how we might best go about this?
Aug 28, 2022 | 3:19 pm
#2080
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: TOA
Programs: HH LTDiamond, Marriott LTPP/Platinum Premier, Hyatt Lame-ist, UA MM LT1P
Posts: 21,147
Cal (UC Berkeley) has a passport acceptance center in the sports / rec department. https://recsports.berkeley.edu/u-s-passports/
David
Aug 28, 2022 | 4:25 pm
#2081
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: oneword Emerald
Posts: 24,772
All you had to do was to follow the link:
Passport services are available to everyone – you do not need to be affiliated with UC Berkeley to take advantage of these services.
Traveling outside of the U.S?
The Customer Service Center is an authorized U.S. Government Passport Acceptance Facility and accepts the DS-11 application for the US Department of State. We offer products and services for both first-time and renewal passport applications.Passport services are available to everyone – you do not need to be affiliated with UC Berkeley to take advantage of these services.
Aug 28, 2022 | 5:08 pm
#2082
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: TOA
Programs: HH LTDiamond, Marriott LTPP/Platinum Premier, Hyatt Lame-ist, UA MM LT1P
Posts: 21,147
Aug 28, 2022 | 5:33 pm
#2083
Moderator: Travel Safety/Security, Travel Tools, California, Los Angeles; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: oneword Emerald
Posts: 24,772
Aug 28, 2022 | 5:35 pm
#2084
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: TOA
Programs: HH LTDiamond, Marriott LTPP/Platinum Premier, Hyatt Lame-ist, UA MM LT1P
Posts: 21,147
Aug 29, 2022 | 5:24 pm
#2085
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 37
Yep, UC Berkeley is exactly where we got our passports. I was not sure where in US work2fly is located, so I advised a general list. Note that if talking UC Berkeley specifically they currently have only ~Sep 20 appointments, but I find next day slots pretty often due to cancellations. Also Mill's Valley (and surroundings) USPS is pretty good (unlike Bay Area and East Bay that seems full.
My son is turning 16th in a week, so I am watching for an appointment for him as well
My son is turning 16th in a week, so I am watching for an appointment for him as well