Renewal for two minor Children
 

Regular service (did not pay extra to expedite)

Submitted application and paperwork for 2 minors at the Beverly Hills Library office Passport Acceptance Facility on August 19, 2023

Checks cleared on August 28, 2023

Received one of the passports on September 23, 2023 and the other on September 25, 2023

One took exactly 5 weeks. The other was 5 weeks and 2 days

Even faster for Mrs. ftnoob:
Renewal application mailed to Irving: 11-Sep
Issued: 25-Sep (yes, 14 days!)
Received: 02-Oct
Regular service, not expedited

Well it turns out you were wrong.
Applied for passport renewal in Bangkok on 8/31.
Received passport in mail on 10/5.
35 days total.
Glad I didn't listen and stay in a country that allows only 30 days during the process!

So let me get this straight Mordakky, You took advice that I gave on May 26th, at a time where everyone was complaining that it was taking 3-4 months or more to get passports in the US, and I reported that it could be done from any US mission abroad in less than a month (and yes sometimes magically in less, but I said definately a month).

In the ensuing 4.5 months, this subject has become a headline news issue in the US and DoS has had tons of congressional pressure to improve the situation, and as one can see just from this thread in recent posts that times have come down. So you waited 3-4 months to follow my advice and complain that it took you 35 days, and fail to also mention that during that time there were also 2 Federal Holidays one in Thailand and one in the United States. For that matter according to what you stated, you submitted on a Thursday, so your pouch did not go until at least Monday. Furthermore you say that you received it by mail, that cost you at least what, 5 days? Why did you not cite imminent travel, you could have picked it up the day it arrived instead of it arriving, them processing it, packaging it, sneding it to the post office, and then being send by Thai Royal Post? According to the Thai site, you can also renew via mail in BKK, did you do that as well? As they say straight that that can add 2 weeks to your process. Did you do all this solely so you could come back here and tell me that I was wrong? Make up something about "Glad I didn't listen and stay in a country that allows only 30 days during the process" Which country would that have been?

Perhaps there was something off about your application that they had to double or triple check?

Currently missions are promising no more than 6 weeks, but delivering most often within a month. I know someone who did it in the exact same time frame as you from the Mideast, and it took 22 days, someone from Malaysia, it took 26. Yes times have gotten slower as guess what? They have pulled people off of "mission" passports, to regular passports to help break the domestic logjam. In any case 35 days, 22 Business/work days (including getting it BY MAIL which probably ate up a quarter of those days, so in reality probably SEVENTEEN DAYS), is far superior to the 90 day+ that everyone was reporting when you last graced us with your presence.

By mail is the only option. If you look at the Thailand US Embassy site, it says they don't accept in person renewal applications and that mail is the only option.

Any downsides to 14-days prior-to-travel option?
 

My brother has travel to Tahiti in 3 weeks and just discovered his and his wife's passports were expired. Is there a reason not to do the 14 day thing in-person? Does it ever not work out? The regional office is not far away (San Francisco) so the in-person stuff isn't a hardship. Just the nervousness of having something like that up in the air with so little time left, and this idea that you can't do anything until exactly 14 days prior to trip. The alternative would be one of the $500-$700 expediting services, which at least gives you some peace of mind that you're doing something right now (but at a very high cost). Thanks!

Mike you absolutely should do it, and get the appointment right at the 14 day mark.

Thanks, I let my brother know. Just discovered my (adult) daughter has an expired passport too. If I didn't 100% trust my wife, I'd be getting a DNA test to make sure she's really mine. I get concerned when there's two years left.

Moderator's Comment
 

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US Consulate Vancouver Adult Passport Renewal Experience:
I'm a dual Canadian-US national and I recently went to the US Consulate in Vancouver to renew my adult US passport. I made the appointment online, as you must. I had an appointment at 1pm and there was no wait. The guy at the window was friendly. He did not ask why I needed to renew or why I was doing it in person. I asked what would happen if I had to travel urgently to the States and he said that they keep my old passport there on the premises, so in an emergency, I could go get it and use it to fly to the States (it has a couple of months on it still). But, he said they'd probably mail the new one to me within three weeks. Also, he said that crossing the land border would be possible with my US birth certificate. I'll update when I get my new passport and give the total days from application to receipt of new passport.

Intelligence is associated with the X chromosome. Thus, while sons inherit intellect from their mothers, daughters can get their smarts from either parent.

Of course, if you know you're not travelling, and finances are a consideration, is it wise to renew one's passport early?

And done. 69 days from start to finish for kiddo's first passport + passport card.

For those interested, it was locator 35.

Daughter renewed hers by going in person to the USPS, as it was her first renewal after age 18.

Appointment was on August 11
Passportstatus.state.gov claims it was mailed October 7
USPS tracking says they actually received it October 10
Delivered home October 11

So appointment to receipt was 61 days - 8 weeks, 5 days. Six days quicker than mine a few months ago.

Old passport return - October 19.

Current data point, from Eastern Europe. In person appointment made for Consulate on September 14th (appointment was made online, for about a week in the future i.e. on around Sep 5th - very easy to get if one actually needs to get it done quickly, do not accept "mail in" options if available, and you have haste, need to have your old passport in the interim, etc). Informed that passport was ready for collection at Consulate on October 11th, passport picked up today October 13th. Incidentally is the New laminate passport for those interested. so EXACTLY 19 Business Days (there was a one day Fed holiday in there).