Mailed application 3/25. Delivered 3/27. Today, 3/29, check was cashed. They sure are quick to take your money despite snail pace on everything else.

the only way i even know my old passport got to them for processing was because they cashed my check weeks ago, but then status still shows "unavailable" a month later.

Online application (expedited) submitted late January 2023 took just under 9 weeks

Here is my recent experience:
​​​​​​1/27 - renewed passport online paying for expedited delivery, which should take 3-5 weeks according to the website.
1/30 - system showed "in process"
3/30 - US Postal Service Informed Delivery showed item from Tucson passport office to be delivered by April 1. Checked passport status in system and it showed "printed." No email from Passport Office itself even though I signed up for notifications.
3/31 - passport delivered
Total time was just under 9 weeks, consistent with the current timeline of 7-9 weeks for expedited delivery (but longer than the 3-5 weeks I was given on 1/27).

I honestly don't know what to do anymore. Still without a passport, will be 14 weeks this coming Wednesday.

I've gotten my representative involved, which just got a token response from the NPIC saying that my application is being processed in Washington. I've paid for expedited processing and shipping. I've been seeing people apply online for routine service, get their passports before me.

My saving grace is that I still have two months to figure this out. Nobody seems to care, no one is taking accountability for the broken system, and no one will do anything for me until it becomes an emergency which is ridiculous.

As a follow up, I was approaching 12 weeks and asked my Rep’s office for help. They got back to me in a couple of days and warned me that even congressional inquiries were taking as much as two weeks for an answer. But a day later they forwarded an email from the State Department saying they would check but maybe there was an outstanding issue I hadn’t responded to.

Online status still shows “in process” but my passport was mailed the next day and in my box two days later.

So, not scientific, but I think some applications are getting “stuck” somewhere in the system.

I am still waiting for my passport card though. I know those used to be mailed separately, so I’ll give it a few more days.

(online renewal, expedited service, regular shipping)

I have a chance to tagalong on a friend's business trip to Australia early June. The dilemma - my passport expires in Oct. If I try to renew right now (have an appointment this week at local passport office), I may not get my passport back in time or the flights would be way much to wait to book til i get passport in hand OR can i still travel with 4 months validity left? The recommendation is normally 6-month validity, but Australia's requirement is simply "Must be valid at time of entry". I didn't have problems a decade ago with same situation for travel to Italy with stopover in Amsterdam, but Australia is so much farther. What would you do? Seems like I'd have no chance if I renewed now due to processing times even if I expedited. I don't want to spend way much for an impromptu trip so I won't spend $1k for a passport service to walk my passport thru.

Also does anyone know if you renew your passport early enough, will the next expiration month change? In my case, if I renew in April, I will most likely get the passport back with an issue date of May or June. Will my next renewal/expiration date be in May/June 2033 or will they keep it Oct 2033? I renewed my driver's license 6 months early and the new DL is valid for 4 1/2 years instead of the normal 4 years. They kept the month expiration the same Oct even tho i renewed 6 mo early in May.

Data points for passport renewal by mail starting 2/8/2023, non-expedited.

Here's my friend's recent experience.

2/8 - Mailed renewal by Priority Mail $9.65 for delivery 2/11
2/14 - check cashed
3/1 - Processing started by passport office
3/30 - Received renewed passport at home, passport card will come in separate mail.
4/3 - Received passport card
4/5 - Received documents back

The first and last dates are accurate but don't have details in the middle but he commented - yeah right it sat on their desks til 3/1. I'll update the timeline if I get more info.

jeepzy, you should have no problem whatsoever. In any case for Australia you need an ETA, apply for it, if it is granted then you are good, and you will know almost immediately, and no airline person can quibble with it.

Thanks for the input! This was my thoughts too and my passport does have a chip so I should be able to do an ETA, but so many friends are warning me they wouldn't travel and they travel a lot more than I do so didn't know if I was missing anything.

Would I have to make sure I have a stopover at a country that doesn't have the 6-month validity rule like Seoul and avoid Singapore? Not sure what countries are the normal stopovers but a friend had a stopover at Seoul on way to the Philippines.

Yep, mailed separately, and sent first-class mail even if the passport book was sent priority mail express.

The new passport's expiration date will be 10 years from date of issue regardless of the prior passport's expiration date, so in your case May/June.

So your state's licenses don't automatically use your birthdate as the expiration date? I wonder what percentage do and don't.

Thanks for the DP. There aren't many DPs about old passport arrival time (this is the only one I've seen), so I appreciate it. My old passport has a visa that I need for my trip in June, so that adds to the anxiousness. If it takes 2 extra weeks to receive the old passport as in your case, I may need to postpone the trip unless processing time improves from the current stated.

Would appreciate other DPs about old passport arrival time.

1. Australia has no such 3 month or 6 month limit.
2. The ETA is only valid for a 3 month stay anyway, so by definition you cannot overstay.
3. An ETA means ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION, you cannot travel to Australia without it...........OTOH, it means that if you have it you CAN.

So rather than rely on "friends" who obviously do not have the slightest clue what they are talking about, you can rely on what is widely posted on the internet, on Australian government sites, etc. and just enjoy your trip. Also FYI, if you are going to be in OZ for several weeks, make an appointment at the Embassy and Consulate while there and you will get your passport done while away as well!

Keep your old passport. I can't overemphasize that enough. Calling the current state of US passport issuance 'dysfunctional' is being too kind. Wait for the fall when processing times tend to get significantly shorter.

I'm heading to Australia at the beginning of June. I renewed my passport before I knew I was traveling - my old one expires in September 2023. I figured I was getting ahead of the curve by applying in December in case we decided to travel to a country that required 6 months of validity. I was wrong and instead my application got stuck in the gears of the bureaucracy and an online system that was not ready to handle the sheer number of applications it received.

I'll be at 14 weeks on Wednesday after being given a 6-9 week estimate when I applied. I got a glimmer of hope this afternoon, as my status changed from "In Process" to "Printed". Until I have my passport in hand, however, I am not going to have a sense of relief.

Will do - I updated with the passport card received yesterday.

My state does use b-day for expiration date now. It kept expiration date with bday and not the earlier renewal month (i may have posted wrong early renewal month).