Today I was able to get an early morning appointment in DC for next week. Whenever I've called & appointments with earlier dates / closer cities are available, by the time the rep enters my info, the appt is no longer available.

I'm glad I didn't apply online when it was available. Even with expedited, I risked the passport arriving days before or after my travel date. I''m reading the nightmares of those turned away at their appointment because their passport has been shipped & they aren't notified. The current process of getting a passport within 6 weeks of travel isn't one I would wish on anyone.

Yes, you will receive the canceled passport book back. It arrives separately, usually within a week of the new passport, but sometimes it can take a little longer.

I got mine back with two holes punched in it, just as in the past.

I have a standard processing application submitted on Jan 29th that is still listed as 'Adjudication'. Am I right in assuming that if I change the request from standard to expedited processing, my position resets in the queue as if I just submitted a new expedited application today?

Assuming you submitted online - it does NOT reset your position in the queue. Quite the contrary, it seems to wake your application back up and get it going. I'd do it during business hours on Monday so that it floats to the top of whatever adjudicator's queue you've been assigned to.

I did this on Friday 3/10 in the afternoon, and by early Monday morning, I was in fulfillment. That said.... I've been in fulfillment since and I've since contacted my HoR member to see if any of her staffers can do anything. This week marks 13 weeks of processing for me after being quoted 6-9 back in December.

great, thanks!

To close the loop on this:
Paid for expedited renewal of large passport book & card. Also paid for 1-2 day return mail.
USPS tracking showed Application rec’d on 2/8/23
Status remained “not available” until 3/6/23.
On 3/6/23, status changed to: ‘in process” and “received on 3/5/23”
On 3/14/23 at 9 AM status changed to “approved” with a 69 locator number (Nat’l passport Center in Portsmouth,NH) and a blank space for ETA.
3/14/23 9pm status updated to show: “You should receive your passport book and card on or around 03/17/2023.”

3/15/23 Passport book delivered (USPS Informed Delivery showed it coming from Tucson, AZ, but return address on envelope was NH)
3/20/23 Passport card received
3/27/23 Envelope, presumably with Old passport book & card, showing from Sterling, VA in my USPS Informed delivery.

Summary:
Expedited renewal application with 1-2 day delivery mailed in on 2/6/23

Took 5 weeks (35 days) from USPS delivery of application to receipt of passport book.
Processing time for expedited applications was promised for 5-7 weeks when I applied in early Feb, so they made that deadline.

At no time did I receive any email updates of status. I was signed up and did check my Spam/junk mail regularly.
Biggest issue was with poor communication.
Jane

i am helping someone with a new passport in process 3/10/23, expedited, 69 locator too. travel 4/17 put them right at 5 weeks. it was tight but had a lost ups package with birth certificate and usps appt at post office had the post office literally burn down(literally) so those delayed me by weeks (rescheduled a week and a half later at a different one). Classic. just praying but your info definitely gives me some hope.

wow that’s what I would expect. I was stunned for the zero holes.

This. I did expedite / 1-2 day delivery and indeed the new passport arrived via Express priority mail in good time and the old passport arrived separately by first class (?) mail a few weeks later. I’m not really sure what to do with the old passport. I have other old passports. Seriously what use are they yet I’m not going to toss them.

My passport & card were also returned with zero holes yesterday — twelve days after new passport arrived. I don’t have any unexpired visa stamps in it, so I probably didn’t need it back. Will stick in safe deposit box. Not sure how I would safely dispose of it.

For many/most people they are momentos documenting the travel that you have done, all the stamps and history. I get a kick looking at past East German stamps, Yugoslavian visas and the like. For others they are vital proof of entering and leaving countries for a variety of reasons.

As this thread is now past 2300 posts and I have not posted in awhile, here is the advice I give to anyone who needs to get their passport relatively quickly.............


1) Assuming you live in or near one of the "centers", wait until you are within 14 days, show proof of travel, make an appointment and go get it in person, you will get it same or next day.

2) If you are going abroad, have enough time left on it and are going to be abroad for at least 2 weeks in one country. Apply for your passport from the Embassy of the country you will be in.

I would not mess with mail in and the like.

I'm in almost exactly your situation to the day: In process 3/9, travel 4/25, 69 locator (nice). Hopeful it comes through without the need to go through the hassle and stress of an in-person appointment somewhere.

As noted by another, there are lots of situations where having expired passports is helpful. Common situations springing to mind are where someone is required to document physical presence say, for establishing eligibility for citizenship, maintaining LPR status, or taxation situations. Also for documenting one did not overstay. They also come in very handy during national security background investigations. Just those situations annually cover millions of use cases. There are other use cases, too.

I've got a photo box filled with expired passports. They are reminders of a wonderful travel life and there are some great visa stamps..Christmas in Bethlehem Easter Island for two. It used to be easy to peruse a passport and know when and where you had been. I wish or maybe there is a way to print out all the entry and exits now that many are done electronically and there are no stamps.

Thanks for all who have posted. While we definitely see outliers it does seem like the stated wait times are mostly met. It also appears that this is getting more news attention and being worked on. I would presume the number of people requesting passports will continue to be grow.

I suggest keeping old passports for much the same reason as the above and others. I am still using a grandparent’s last diplomatic passport to make life easier for that deceased grandparent’s relatives. Never know if the old passports will still be useful for the person’s great-great-great grandchildren in some way beyond just being a souvenir.