I called today and upgraded my existing application to expedited service (when I applied, it said do not select expedited service as it was not available). They said they will only charge it if it is accepted for expedited processing. 10-13 weeks for routine service, 4-6 for expedited service. I'm past the six weeks now, so hopefully this will help push me closer to the front of the line.

Does anybody have experience to relate for renewal for a minor?

I'm already 6 weeks in. It seems like quite the rip-off to now pay an expedited fee to get the passport back in the normal timeframe. Add the 4-6 weeks for expedited service, and I am still at 10 - 12 weeks. Unless all sorts of others expedited themselves above me. If they could tell me when I would get it back under either scenario, I would think about it, but I seriously doubt I would get an answer to that question. And what payment is accepted for an application already in process? Do I have to send in another check? Thanks to the USPS slow down, it took 4 days to get my application received the last time.

I'm sure that, by following the listed instructions, the questions above could be answered.

I'm glad there is an option for people who have already submitted their application. Hopefully, it will help.

I'll take you up on that. I'll call and ask when I get it if I do nothing else, and when I get it if I pay the $60 extra. My bet is that they will say they can't say.

I applied at a consulate yesterday for a renewal. They said it would take 2-3 weeks for me to get the new passport. I'll update the actual timeline once I receive the new one.

One of the US embassies to which I've been by in recent days in Europe took 11-12 business days for the applicant's passport to get back for pick-up. And that was about 2-5 business days more than what I was seeing there in say January or at this time last year.

See my words above.

Where/how are you planning to apply? I generally try to minimize use of a non-State facility as the application acceptance agent if I can help it -- and I would avoid it more so in this era when the USPS is messed up more than usual.

If I were in your situation, I would not pay the expedite fee at this point even if they said it would get the passport back 3-10 days earlier than is possibly the case already.

Updated: Friend called again on Monday and they said she could pay the $60 expedited fee and if they could get it expedited, then they'd charge the card, otherwise, they wouldn't. Yesterday they got notification he'll have his passport on Friday. So about 8-9 weeks (not sure if she got charged the expediting fee or not).

was expecting to use the local post office but may take your advice and do it at the DC Passport Agency.

I'm not sure it's a viable option.

A friend of mine got his from a US mission abroad, received it back last week, had put it in 8 days before.

Depending on if and where the child is outside of the US, the turnaround is quite often less than 15 business days nowadays when using State's facilities outside of the US. This is about 4-7 business days worse than what I've frequently seen (in prior years) at embassies in cities with pretty convenient flight schedules to the US.

State's facilities inside the US aren't necessarily as readily available for such quick turns since there's the issue of whether or not the applicant is even qualified for in-person services with State's own people as application acceptance agents at such facilities.

Speaking of passport acceptance by say the USPS's passport application acceptance staff or other contracted acceptance agents, make sure to double check that you've done the proverbially dotting of the i's and crossing of the t's for the DS-11 application nowadays before they say you're good to go. You don't want the application to be hung up because an acceptance agent got something wrong, since then you may be stuck with finding out via a letter or email that they need a fix from your side before they can issue the passport. Those kind of mistakes will drag things out.

Renewal by mail -- extra large book and passport card

Mailed from Berkeley, Cal.: July 30 [applications from California go to Texas processing center]
Check cashed: Aug. 10
"In process" status when I logged in to check: late Aug.
Email that my application is "in process": Sep. 26 [I had requested email alert on the website]
Email that my application was approved: Sep. 28
Received in the mail: Oct. 1

Nothing unusual about my application or my travels in the last decade.

Mine expires next August.

Since I'm not using it for travel, it might be nice to get it done now.

I think the State Dept. site says you can apply for renewal 9 months before?

Now seems like a really good time to renew (if you're eligible). They've worked through the backlog and it's unlikely we'll see any surge in applications in the next couple of months. But down the road, as the end of the pandemic nears, there might be a big surge in applications.

If that is said anywhere, it's not been universal in application.

Over many years, including earlier this year, I've seen US passports sent in with renewal applications where the passports had years and years left on them before the expiration date. And the applicants were issued new passports. One such application where the renewal was issued for an applicant whose submitted passport wasn't expiring for several years literally had it done this year because the bearer didn't like the printed date of issue on the passport as it was a reminder of a bad day. And I have a lot of other examples of renewal passports being issued for people whose submitted passports weren't expiring for years and years and yet had other reasons -- from the trivial to the very material -- to renew years in advance of the printed expiration date.

That's their suggested time for renewal, but I don't see any prohibition on renewing it earlier. In fact, those who run out of pages for visas must renew their passports now that they've stopped issuing extra pages, and that could be years before expiration.

Can I get extra visa pages for my passport?

No, you cannot. Applicants who need additional pages in their valid passports must obtain a new passport by mail. Applicants within the United States may choose a 28-page or 52-page book.

So would they renew it for the 10 years from when you renew early or 10 years from when it would have expired?

Say it expires in June next year and I renew now. Would it be 10 years from say November or December or 10 years from June?

Ten years from the date of issue.

Yes, the downside of renewing early is you lose any time that remained on your old passport. No credit on the new one for that.

if the online status date is in process from 9/11 and i call today and ask for expedited. is it 4 to 6 weeks from today that ill get it or 4 to 6 weeks from 9/11

Last I checked, expedited service was suspended. It's normal service or "life and death emergency" service, the latter being what it suggests -- extreme cases of urgency only.

When did you learn that expedited service was suspended? When I called on Thursday, the information was that expediting passports was available again effective September 28. The new expediting is 4-6 weeks (not the 2 weeks that it was previously). Has anything changed since then? Nothing on the Department of State website seems to indicate otherwise. Perhaps I should call again on Monday to find out?

Fortunately, expedited service by mail is indeed available now, without any emergency requirement.

Sorry -- I didn't see that expedited service is available again. Good news for everyone.

Not good news for all applicants, but good news for applications submitted in the US.

Indeed it was on September 28th when the fee-based expedited processing service for US passports was expanded to apply to more than just applications for "life and death emergencies". That's good news for applicants in the US. Unfortunately for those applying in the US the processing time for expedited passport applications is now said to be more like what standard (non-expedited) passport application processing service time was actually like a year or two ago at this time -- whether it holds up that way or not for the rest of this quarter.

Applied August 12
Check cashed Aug 19
Called in Sep 30 to upgrade to expedited service
Shipped Oct 1
Received Oct 3

wowza exactly the info i was hoping to hear. also id love to get mine soon. been waiting to book a fantastic penthouse vacation and prices are cheap in nov so wanna go before booked

mine was delivered to philly sept 9 cashed 14th.

9/9 - applied for new passport at post office in Houston, replacing a lost one, normal/slow service available only but I paid the extra for 1-2 biz day return shipping. FWIW, on the passport application I stated that I had upcoming travel on 10/7
9/11- received 'in process' email
9/29 - starting to worry, called the passport 1-800 number to ask about status; they took my credit card number for $60 to expedite it (they said I would only get charged *if* it was returned within the next 20 biz days, they were very clear that there was no guarantee)
10/2 - received 'shipped' email with a UPS next day air tracking number
10/5 - passport received (1 biz day after 10/2)
10/7 - travel :)

Whew. Close one.

Have been following this thread for a few months and finally pulled the trigger since expedited service is back.
10/5 afternoon - Sent in my application at USPS for expedited
10/8 delivered, In Process according to Passport tracking site. Didn't get an email though.
10/9 Check processing

Will update once status changes

i paid monday for expedited and my CC wasnt charged. it really stinks. maybe i should told them i have travel in a week and it would have helped. thing is i missed out on a cheap deal in november because i didnt want to book without passport in hand. sigh.

I just wanted to make sure that everyone knew the good news--they are now allowing people to make appointments to get appointments at passport agencies within 72 hours of international travel for non life or death issues. It appears that the number of slots they have is limited but this is a major improvement.

I received notification of arrival of my new passport yesterday from the consulate. The total time was exactly 3 weeks. The issue date on the passport was actually the date I applied which I thought was interesting.

Data point
​​​​​​​California - mailed to Texas center
Received application 8/17
Passport shipped 10/20

applied oct 5,
delivered yesterday, oct 23.

email said oct 25, but got here early. Expedited service at postal center in Northern California.

needed them before thanksgiving as outside chance of international trip, but with Covid increasing, not likely.

Just got the email that my passport was approved 10/30. Email says it'll arrive 11/4.

Correction, did not actually pick up mail, but turned out it was for my wife and kids. They were either new or lost, so sent to La. Just got mine today and was through NH.

Sent passport to TX on September 3. It took about a week to get there. Received new passport and card on November 13.

info was received 9/11, 5 weeks ago i paid for expedited but heard nothing

called today and they said theres no note on about travel so i gave them my dec 10 travel date and she didnt give me any assurances but since thats even the 12 week frame i sure hope i get it by then. getting tad nervous. has anyone that applied in sept not gotten it in 12 weeks.