Extra page inserts are no longer allowed by the USG, as that service option ended several years ago.

There are now very few US passports left to expire with extra page inserts already in them, but some extra page passports are still being seen by passport control types as a result of there still being some valid visas on expired and yet to expire US passports with these extra pages. Last couple of years, the extra page passports have resulted in a bit more extra scrutiny at passport control checkpoints than used to be the case several years ago.

Passport Renewal Help
 

Sorry if this is not the correct place to post this. If anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it. I sent out my package with application with photo, money order, and old passport - I just realized that I made the money order out to “National Passport Processing Center” and not to the Department of State. I’m so annoyed with myself for overseeing this.

Does anyone have any suggestions or think it will be any issue being that the money order is with my application which has all my correct info on it. The money order in the “from” section has my name and address but I did not include birthdate as it states to write. This is all on my application though. Thank you for any suggestions. I am going to try to call the customer service center if that helps any.

Until then I’ll keep checking the status and hopefully it will all be fine.

I am in the US, and the package has already been delivered to the Passport Processing Center in Philadelphia. Tried calling main number for Passport Services and on Monday mornings the call volume is so high it said they couldn't even take the call at the moment.

Looking for some reassurance please :( my anxiety is eating at me

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Is this recent? I was able to order a large book in my online renewal application 12/20/22.

A new 48 page passport book is different from adding new pages to an existing unexpired passport. Adding new pages to an existing unexpired passport is no longer available.

Ah. There's the difference. Thanks.

Correct GU, as my 220+ page monster "retired" a few years ago, it still sees some duty as I have two ten year visas in it, and will continue to see duty for 3 and 4 years respectively!

Adult renewal - expedited

Locator 18 (Chicago)
Received 4/11/23
Marked in process 4/14/23
Shipped 5/19/23
Received 5/22/23

So from Payment Date of April 14 (Friday) to May 19 (Friday) is exactly 5 weeks (+ the shipping time on both ends). Ok... that's somewhat hopeful (but I am sure not at all guaranteed).
Thanks for sharing the dates!

Our Payment Date is May 3, so this week we are at three weeks (but at center /69)

Is this possible and/or allowed? Will the airline not query the (likely) place of birth in the USA noted in the other passport? I believe this happened to BoJo a few years back...
I can't recall anymore if the ESTA requires providing the place of birth.

Alex

It’s definitely been not only possible — before, during and in the years after that Boris Johnson incident — but repeatedly accomplished. Most of the times where I’ve seen it done are during the ESTA era.

Even having a listed US place of birth on a non-US passport doesn’t guarantee that the person is a US citizen — and sometimes even CBP needs a reminder of that. ESTA does require a place of birth.

For years and years during the ESTA era — BoJo’s incident was pre-ESTA — CBP used to even have language on its website noting this possibility of US dual-citizens doing this. CBP eventually scrubbed all such language from its website. Even after that language was removed, it has continued to be done.

Just for comparison. italdesign mailed 3/23, expedited, 69 locator, approved ~5/1.

Mine was mailed out on 3/25 (and 3/24 was the date that changed the processing time to 10-13 weeks), passport renewal, regular (not expedited), locator 69, and mine is showing in transit by the USPS. (I signed up the automatic notification from the dept of state, but haven't received one yet. However, when I logged in after the USPS notification, it does say approved today, 5/25.)

So my regular processing time was ~9 weeks, including transit on both ends, but it was a renewal so I assume those are a bit faster than a new application.

Edit: This morning when I checked, 5/25, the passport side said approved and I should expect it 5/30. First thing in the morning, USPS showed it scanned in Tucson yesterday and said I would receive it tomorrow. I actually received it today in SoCal, so Priority Mail was quite fast.

Here's the timeline I just experienced for passport renewal this Spring.

tl;dr Mailed out on March 16 (via Canada Post), renewal of an emergency passport, regular / not expedited, marked as mailed back on May 25 — exactly 10 weeks after initial mailing.

I'm a US citizen living in Canada, and this might be useful for others in similar situations.

1. In Summer 2022, I got a one-year limited-validity/emergency passport from a US consulate thanks to advice in this thread; due to various immigration and travel constraints, I hadn't been able to do a normal renewal.
2. On March 16th (2023), I put my limited-validity passport in the mail (via Canada Post) with the DS-82 renewal form; no fee is required for replacing an unexpired limited-validity passport with a full-validity one.
3. Within days after I had mailed it, the State Department bumped its Routine Processing time from "8 to 11 weeks" up to "10 to 13 weeks"… urk 😳
4. On March 30th (14 days after mailing), the Passport Status page site marked my application as "In Process"
   • Locator number 35
5. There were no updates to the status until May 25th, and I was repeatedly unable to reach the National Passport Information Center due to high call volume.
6. In the meantime I travelled back and forth to the US twice (by land… can't fly without a valid passport or Nexus card).
7. On May 23rd (68 days after mailing, 54 days after "In Process"), I contacted my Congressional representative’s office, explaining my summer travel plans and passport processing delays. They promptly got back to me, but with a somewhat formulaic response, mostly just offered to help me figure out how to make the payment to expedite it.
8. On May 25th (70 days after mailing, 56 days after "In Process"), the Passport Status page changed to "Mailed via US First Class Mail"… whew 🙌
9. On June 2 (78 days after mailing, 64 days after "In Process", 8 days after "Mailed via US First Class Mail"), I received the new passport.

I have no idea if contacting my Congressional representative’s office helped or not, but I'm glad I did it.

Why would you not just go back to the consulate in Vancouver or wherever you did it? You would have probably had your passport back by March 25th.

I actually had made an appointment with them, but it's a pain to do the renewal there (hard to get an appointment, 20+ minutes of multiple security checks to get in the door, and they require you to show up with some very special flavor of prepaid Canada Post envelope to send the new passport… they won't just put it in the regular mail, even though the main State Dept offices will 🤷🏻‍♂️).

I was going to renew my passport at the consulate anyway, in hopes of getting it back faster, but then the night before the appointment they sent me an email urging me to renew by mail, and claiming that it would be just as fast.

Do you think the consulate is being misleading about this, in order to reduce their local workload? Would it actually have been a lot faster if I had gone to the consulate?

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?