I am just a pessimist. Saving personnel / money / increase-security == worse service etc. pp. Whats the last service paid through your taxes that improved over the years ?

The RFP calls for two high capacity printer and about 2 dozen low capacity printers to be installed at various passport agencies. The output from the lower capacity printer should be indistinguishable from that of the high capacity printers. I don't believe production of passport is really funded thru tax but rather it is funded thru fees collected.

Nice. Thanks for the RFP pointer.

but tax dollars pay the salaries of the passport agency employees, no? :)

I didn't even know that they could print passports on-site unti I got my last passport. I booked an appointment and went to the DC passport agency. I was expecing to make a 2nd trip a couple of days later to pick it up. I showed up at 10AM.... the lady told me to go have lunch and come back.

When I came back, they handed me my documents and my new passport! It only took them about 4 hours.

The strange thing was that they didn't even ask if I had an emergency or last-minute trip. I assumed that as long as I paid the extra expedite fee, they didn't reall care...

The only downside was that I ended up parking longer than I expected at the nearby garage and ended up paying almost $40 for parking. (plus the $25 lunch that I had at a restaurnt two blocks away) :) But I guess that was better than having to make the 2nd trip. :)

On my visit to the agency in San Francisco i also had the impression as if it was running under capacity. I guess it is quite difficult to define the rules so that they run well at capacity but not above it so as to guarantee short turnaround times for those cases that really need it. Or maybe for most people convenience of never having to go to an agency outweights the time for normal processing, Who knows.

Standard passport book renewal:

Mailed Priority: August 24th (was told it would arrive at passport office Aug 27th)
Rec'd notice passport was completed: September 11th
USPS stated it would make it to my house (from Arizona to New York) ---September 15th

Total time door to door? 3 weeks 1 day.

Standard passport book application for new passport (due to my previous passport being expired and lost; within 5 months, so not that old). Standard processing.

Submitted at Acceptance Center (USPS): September 5
Check cashed by Dept of State: September 11
Issue date on Passport: September 13
Date received: September 18

Total time: 13 days (11 business days).

Hi all.

I submitted my application regular service on 9/12 from Palm Springs, Ca.

I do not even know if the application was sent normal mail or expedited. But I am assuming the package went out on 9/13.

I received an email today with a passport application locator number.

Does this mean the passport application was received and given this tracking # or is this tracking # for future
use?

Submitted Priority Mail AUG 25
Delivered AUG 27
Passport in the mail SEP 17 for delivery SEP 19.

16 business days

The current US passport wait times for (non-expedited) applications made in the US look way better now than several years ago. Would any here say the same thing for applications made outside of the US for US passports?

Sent in via US Mail First Class Parcel on 9/14/18, received by Passport Office on 9/16/18.

Mailed by Passport Office back to me on 9/27/18, received by me on 9/29/18.

Not bad, 15 (calendar, not business) days from time I sent application to the time I received the passport back in the mail.

Expedited Renewal:

9/17 Mailed via Priority Mail
9/19 Received in Philadelphia PA
9/25 Notified Photo was not acceptable
9/26 Mailed new photo via Priority Mail
9/28 Received in Portsmouth, NH
10/2 Notified passport being shipped Express Mail for delivery to me 10/3

16 calendar days door-to-door with the 3 day photo delay included.
My photo was deemed "not recent enough" I assume because I was wearing the same shirt as the one in a visa pasted in the old one ~7 months ago

Really fast.

Standard passport renewal
10/22 Shipped USPS Priority
10/24 Received
10/29 Passport Status system shows processing 11/5 Delivered