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Current US passport wait? (Merged Threads)

Old Mar 1, 2022, 6:35 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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:
  1. 14 days before your trip, you need to schedule an appointment with the passport agency.
  2. 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)
  3. Click 1 (For English)
  4. Click 2 (New Passport)
  5. 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.
  6. When your it hits exactly 8:00 am Click 2 (for traveling within 14 days option)
  7. 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.
  8. If you did not click 1 exactly at 8 am, you may have to wait for more than an hour and half
After the appointment slot has been reserved you will be provided with a unique identifier code and reservation number. These details will also be emailed to you.

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.
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Current US passport wait? (Merged Threads)

Old Dec 6, 2018, 12:16 pm
  #256  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 7
Originally Posted by whipwhitaker
You mean you could NOT track online until the 27th, correct?
Actually, I was able to track online prior to receiving the email saying that I could do so. I checked some day between applying in person and receiving the email saying my application had been received and was now processing. When I checked using my personal details (surname, social security number, etc.) on the status website, it showed that my application was processing. Exactly what it showed once I received the email stating my application had been received. It may be that I checked the day before and that it had already been entered into the system prior to the email batch being sent out, but I'm not certain. All I can say is that I definitely was able to check the status online at some point prior to receiving the first email.
whipwhitaker likes this.

Last edited by Vola; Dec 6, 2018 at 8:18 pm
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Old Dec 6, 2018, 3:25 pm
  #257  
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Originally Posted by vga
Routine processing takes 4 to 6 weeks to complete while expedited service takes 2 to 3. Considering that it's peak travel season, processing MAY take longer than usual.
That generally hasn't been the case for applications made in recent weeks. It's generally been way better than 4-6 weeks, and it's been within 2-3 weeks even without paying for expedited service.
GUWonder is offline  
Old Dec 7, 2018, 11:31 pm
  #258  
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 299
I mailed my renewal on Saturday, Nov 17 via USPS Priority mail, non-expedited service, received the new passport Wednesday, Dec 6, just under 3 weeks. Only checked the website one time to confirm that they received my application, then just waited, didn't even expect the email saying my new passport has been printed and has been mailed back.
klew97 is offline  
Old Dec 13, 2018, 5:29 pm
  #259  
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: mountains of western NC
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I mailed my non-expedited renewal via priority mail on Nov. 20 and received my passport today, Dec. 13. So it took 23 days.
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Old Dec 20, 2018, 10:53 am
  #260  
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 4
Applied for a new passport at 7am on December 10th (Monday) at a post office. It's been 10 days now and I haven't heard anything yet, application status is not found in the system, check hasn't been cashed yet. I used expedited service and 1-2 day return shipping.
Is that normal?
nasstia is offline  
Old Dec 20, 2018, 4:44 pm
  #261  
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 1
Sent my application through acceptance facility on November 30th, Could track on the 4th still no passport, used expedited service with overnight shipping. Called and just said still processing. I'm supposed to leave on January 1st.
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Old Dec 21, 2018, 10:16 pm
  #262  
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Dec 22 the State Department just shut down. Is the passport office "essential" or will the wait be forever????
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Old Dec 23, 2018, 2:31 am
  #263  
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Originally Posted by Flaflyer
Dec 22 the State Department just shut down. Is the passport office "essential" or will the wait be forever????
Passport application handling and passport issuance continue as fundamentally normal for most, at least for this year:

https://travel.state.gov/content/tra...-shutdown.html
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Old Dec 24, 2018, 9:40 am
  #264  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Socal
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Originally Posted by nasstia
Applied for a new passport at 7am on December 10th (Monday) at a post office. It's been 10 days now and I haven't heard anything yet, application status is not found in the system, check hasn't been cashed yet. I used expedited service and 1-2 day return shipping.
Is that normal?
No, you should’ve received your passport by now. I would call them and open an investigation.
whipwhitaker is offline  
Old Dec 27, 2018, 1:10 pm
  #265  
 
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 4
Originally Posted by whipwhitaker
No, you should’ve received your passport by now. I would call them and open an investigation.
I still haven't received my passport but at least I'm able to check the status now: "It is currently being processed."

I am going to submit a request for a Refund of Expedite Passport Fee, we'll see what happens.
nasstia is offline  
Old Jan 2, 2019, 3:27 pm
  #266  
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Somewhere in Florida
Posts: 2,607
I'm VERY impressed with the speed of the service this time around. 13 days for standard processing!

Renewed Passport (52 page), also ordered a Passport Card for the first time:

Dec 9 - Mailed from Florida to Irving TX via USPS First Class, w/Certified, Return Receipt endorsements.
Dec 14 - USPS delivers.
Dec 18 - Check clears my bank
Dec 27 - Received 3 e-mails: 1) Passport Received, 2) Passport application locator number, 3) Printed & ready to ship including the USPS Tracking #
Dec 31 - USPS delivers Passport Book; not sure when the Passport Card arrived (no USPS tracking #) but it was here when I got my mail.

13 days for the State Department. 22 days if you include the USPS times. That's a big ^ from me.
KRSW is offline  
Old Jan 4, 2019, 12:54 pm
  #267  
 
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Glad to hear that the shutdown has not affected processing times
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Old Jan 8, 2019, 1:10 pm
  #268  
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Cambridge, Mass. USA
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Have a trip coming up soon and went for expedited processing of a passport renewal. The timeline:
Dec. 19 - Mailed from Massachusetts to Philadelphia via Priority Mail
Dec. 23 - Delivered
Dec. 28 - Check clears
Jan. 4 - New passport received via Priority Mail
MikeInMass is offline  
Old Jan 10, 2019, 2:00 pm
  #269  
 
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Will update this post as I receive more info. Standard processing, 52 pg book. No passport card. Money order.

1/10 - Mailed out from Kansas City to Irving via First Class w/certified
1/13 - Delivery confirmed
1/15 - Locator number assigned

Last edited by kxc262; Jan 15, 2019 at 11:27 pm
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Old Jan 11, 2019, 12:37 am
  #270  
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 2
1/7 Mailed overnight
1/8 Delivered
1/9 Locator number assigned online and check deposited.

Will update when I hear something back. I expedited it and paid for 1-2 day return shipping.
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