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)
#2476
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Mountain View, CA
Posts: 48
1 April 2023 sent in passport book from California for renewal via USPS first class mail to Philadelphia. Paid additional $60 for expedited service. Used online application form with bar code.
12 May 2023. Received new passport book via USPS Priority Mail. Shipped from TUCSON, AZ 85710 on 10 May 2023. Return address is Philadelphia.
Still waiting for old passport book to be returned.
12 May 2023. Received new passport book via USPS Priority Mail. Shipped from TUCSON, AZ 85710 on 10 May 2023. Return address is Philadelphia.
Still waiting for old passport book to be returned.
#2477
Join Date: May 2023
Posts: 4
Wow, very similar timeline as mine. Agree with you, seeing several posts with <7weeks processing especially from locator 69. Let's hope for the best. I'll post here as well any updates I have, Good luck.
[EDIT] - Sorry, this was a reply to "bb-miler", in-context reply didnt work, or fumbled the quoted-reply.
[EDIT] - Sorry, this was a reply to "bb-miler", in-context reply didnt work, or fumbled the quoted-reply.
#2478
Join Date: May 2019
Location: Mountain View, CA
Posts: 48
Wow, very similar timeline as mine. Agree with you, seeing several posts with <7weeks processing especially from locator 69. Let's hope for the best. I'll post here as well any updates I have, Good luck.
[EDIT] - Sorry, this was a reply to "bb-miler", in-context reply didnt work, or fumbled the quoted-reply.
[EDIT] - Sorry, this was a reply to "bb-miler", in-context reply didnt work, or fumbled the quoted-reply.
#2479
Join Date: May 2023
Posts: 4
Thought you were responding to me until the edit. are you locator 69 as well? seems like all the recent pages are locator 69. I'm 79 and according to the numerous reddit reports, it's a nightmare. I haven't seen a single success story without getting congressman involved...
#2482
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 280
Germany is also one of those countries that is adamant you must enter and exit it with its own documents if you're eligible to have them, or else! (I call them low self-confidence countries, contrasting with the UK, where you can enter with whatever document you wish to use, if it allows the purpose of your stay - anyway.) But with Germany, you have the option to fly to it with whatever passport you wish to, and then identify yourself at the border with the German national identification card.
You can see where I am going with this. Is it possible, or has anyone ever tried to, fly to the US with a foreign passport accompanied by the USA passport card? It could follow a similar principle as if you presented your friendly DPRK passport with a permanent resident card, or with a visa in your old passport.
If that's possible then alternating renewals between passport and card every 5 years could significantly diminish current and future woes...
You can see where I am going with this. Is it possible, or has anyone ever tried to, fly to the US with a foreign passport accompanied by the USA passport card? It could follow a similar principle as if you presented your friendly DPRK passport with a permanent resident card, or with a visa in your old passport.
If that's possible then alternating renewals between passport and card every 5 years could significantly diminish current and future woes...
#2483
Join Date: May 2023
Posts: 3
Mine was received and check cashed on 4/24 using expedited service. Please keep me posted on your passport progress as I will get an indication for mine. I might have to travel for an in person appointment as we have travel on 6/10. Mine locator is also 69.
Last edited by mantravel; May 19, 2023 at 11:09 am Reason: Missed something
#2484
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Yes, but that’s for those US dual-citizens with Canadian passports or an ESTA on US VWP country passports but presenting to CBP as a US citizen by use of a US passport card or US passport — sometimes even with a recently expired US passport/passport card — at the US airport of entry.
#2485
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 57
My passport only has 3 empty pages left, so I will have to renew it soon.
I've been traveling nonstop for 1.5 years and haven't been to the USA since then.
I change hotels/Airbnbs every 1-4 weeks.
1) I'll need to stay in a country for a minimum of 2 months in order to make sure I get my new passport right? I think 1 month would be too risky
2) On the renewal application can I use the US Embassy as my mailing address in whatever country I'm in?
Or should I ask the hotel front desk if I can use their mailing address even after I've already left the hotel?
I've been traveling nonstop for 1.5 years and haven't been to the USA since then.
I change hotels/Airbnbs every 1-4 weeks.
1) I'll need to stay in a country for a minimum of 2 months in order to make sure I get my new passport right? I think 1 month would be too risky
2) On the renewal application can I use the US Embassy as my mailing address in whatever country I'm in?
Or should I ask the hotel front desk if I can use their mailing address even after I've already left the hotel?
#2486
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: The shape-shifting urban sprawl that is El Lay. FT member #71.
Programs: UA Gold & MM; DL & AA credit card dirt status; Hilton Diamond; Marriott Fool's Gold
Posts: 4,690
Adult Renewal - Paid for Expedited
- Passport mailed Priority from Los Angeles, arrived at Philadelphia PO Box: March 29
- Processed in New Orleans
- Passport Approved: May 17
- Mailed from Arkansas
- Passport arrived: May 20
#2487
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: SFO
Programs: COdbaUA Platinum 2MM
Posts: 5,532
- Passport mailed Priority from Los Angeles, arrived at Philadelphia PO Box: March 29
- Processed in New Orleans
- Passport Approved: May 17
- Mailed from Arkansas
- Passport arrived: May 20
#2488
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: The shape-shifting urban sprawl that is El Lay. FT member #71.
Programs: UA Gold & MM; DL & AA credit card dirt status; Hilton Diamond; Marriott Fool's Gold
Posts: 4,690
#2489
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,653
#2490
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: TYO / WAS / NYC
Programs: American Express got a hit man lookin' for me
Posts: 4,598
However, you can get through CBP with any proof of US citizenship, e.g. a birth certificate or naturalization certificate, possibly even less robust documentation than that depending on the officer. They essentially have to let US citizens enter the country.