Mar 1, 2022, 6:35 am
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 doesnt 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 doesnt match the list above, please add or correct.
Current US passport wait? (Merged Threads)
Aug 22, 2019 | 7:27 pm
#407
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 74
I received the 'processing' email today. They received my renewal docs on 8/7. In reading several posts it seems there's movement in a couple of weeks or less from receiving the initial email. I wonder if that is just coincidence or if the email actually means it's being worked.
Last edited by kf2k3; Aug 22, 2019 at 8:51 pm Reason: Edit
Aug 24, 2019 | 12:27 pm
#408
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 74
Update: Received this email today. Regular processing, renewal of an expired passport.
Status: Approved
The U.S. Department of State approved your application for your passport book. We're now printing your passport book and preparing to give it to you.
You requested routine service when you applied, which we are currently processing in 6-8 weeks. You should receive your passport book on or around 08/31/2019.
Status: Approved
The U.S. Department of State approved your application for your passport book. We're now printing your passport book and preparing to give it to you.
You requested routine service when you applied, which we are currently processing in 6-8 weeks. You should receive your passport book on or around 08/31/2019.
Aug 25, 2019 | 8:13 am
#409
Join Date: Aug 2019
Posts: 1
Received within 4 weeks, Regular Service
Live in Los Angeles, paid $120 for Passport renewal. Current passport not expired.
8/1 - Sent via USPS
8/5 - In process
8/23 4PM - Approved, ready to print
8/23 6PM - Shipped, received USPS tracking number
8/25 - USPS.com shows Passport sent from Tucson AZ on 8/23
8/26 - Received new passport
8/31 - Received old passport
8/1 - Sent via USPS
8/5 - In process
8/23 4PM - Approved, ready to print
8/23 6PM - Shipped, received USPS tracking number
8/25 - USPS.com shows Passport sent from Tucson AZ on 8/23
8/26 - Received new passport
8/31 - Received old passport
Last edited by Ccpual; Sep 1, 2019 at 7:01 am
Sep 3, 2019 | 11:58 pm
#411
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 4
Regular service for non-expired renewal of passport book:
7/31: App sent via USPS
8/8: Received for processing (really slow transit even
though I paid for 2-day shipping. I actually filed a
claim and recouped costs and the tracking to this
day still says the package is in transit)
8/9: Check was cashed
8/10: Processing application status on website
9/3: Received email about processing status
9/4: Received email about approval status and
imminent printing with expected delivery date of
9/9
Just a little less than 4 weeks from receipt to approval and probably 4.5 weeks door to door (not including the unusually slow transit time to the processing center)
7/31: App sent via USPS
8/8: Received for processing (really slow transit even
though I paid for 2-day shipping. I actually filed a
claim and recouped costs and the tracking to this
day still says the package is in transit)
8/9: Check was cashed
8/10: Processing application status on website
9/3: Received email about processing status
9/4: Received email about approval status and
imminent printing with expected delivery date of
9/9
Just a little less than 4 weeks from receipt to approval and probably 4.5 weeks door to door (not including the unusually slow transit time to the processing center)
Sep 5, 2019 | 9:13 pm
#412
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: PHX
Posts: 8
Routine renewal of passport book and application for a new card
Old passport book was expiring in mid-November 2019.
8/6 Application mailed from Arizona to Philadelphia PO Box by first class mail.
8/12 Application received.
8/13 Check cashed.
9/5 Two e-mails received 6 hours apart: Application approved and Passport book and card shipped to be delivered by Priority mail around 9/11. Only one USPS tracking number was provided, so far the tracking states Label created, not yet in system.
This means about 5 weeks door to door, or mailbox to mailbox.
8/6 Application mailed from Arizona to Philadelphia PO Box by first class mail.
8/12 Application received.
8/13 Check cashed.
9/5 Two e-mails received 6 hours apart: Application approved and Passport book and card shipped to be delivered by Priority mail around 9/11. Only one USPS tracking number was provided, so far the tracking states Label created, not yet in system.
This means about 5 weeks door to door, or mailbox to mailbox.
Sep 5, 2019 | 9:28 pm
#413
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 4
Regular service for non-expired renewal of passport book:
7/31: App sent via USPS
8/8: Received for processing (really slow transit even
though I paid for 2-day shipping. I actually filed a
claim and recouped costs and the tracking to this
day still says the package is in transit)
8/9: Check was cashed
8/10: Processing application status on website
9/3: Received email about processing status
9/4: Received email about approval status and
imminent printing with expected delivery date of
9/9
Just a little less than 4 weeks from receipt to approval and probably 4.5 weeks door to door (not including the unusually slow transit time to the processing center)
7/31: App sent via USPS
8/8: Received for processing (really slow transit even
though I paid for 2-day shipping. I actually filed a
claim and recouped costs and the tracking to this
day still says the package is in transit)
8/9: Check was cashed
8/10: Processing application status on website
9/3: Received email about processing status
9/4: Received email about approval status and
imminent printing with expected delivery date of
9/9
Just a little less than 4 weeks from receipt to approval and probably 4.5 weeks door to door (not including the unusually slow transit time to the processing center)
Sep 16, 2019 | 10:19 am
#416
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 2
08/13/19 - Submitted DS11 application to Passport office @ Chula Vista Library, CA. Regular passport book, non-expedited.
08/20/19 - U.S. Department of State received application.
09/05/19 - U.S. Department of State approved passport book. Est arrival 9/11/19.
09/06/19 - Shipped via Priority Mail. Est arrival 9/14.
09/09/19 - Delivered
Old passport and supporting documents received 2 days later.
28 workdays total; less than the posted 6-8 weeks for non-expedited service
08/20/19 - U.S. Department of State received application.
09/05/19 - U.S. Department of State approved passport book. Est arrival 9/11/19.
09/06/19 - Shipped via Priority Mail. Est arrival 9/14.
09/09/19 - Delivered
Old passport and supporting documents received 2 days later.
28 workdays total; less than the posted 6-8 weeks for non-expedited service
Last edited by lest2; Sep 16, 2019 at 10:26 am
Sep 16, 2019 | 11:35 am
#417
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: UA 1P, SPG Gold
Posts: 3
08/13/19 - Submitted DS11 application to Passport office @ Chula Vista Library, CA. Regular passport book, non-expedited.
08/20/19 - U.S. Department of State received application.
09/05/19 - U.S. Department of State approved passport book. Est arrival 9/11/19.
09/06/19 - Shipped via Priority Mail. Est arrival 9/14.
09/09/19 - Delivered
Old passport and supporting documents received 2 days later.
28 workdays total; less than the posted 6-8 weeks for non-expedited service
08/20/19 - U.S. Department of State received application.
09/05/19 - U.S. Department of State approved passport book. Est arrival 9/11/19.
09/06/19 - Shipped via Priority Mail. Est arrival 9/14.
09/09/19 - Delivered
Old passport and supporting documents received 2 days later.
28 workdays total; less than the posted 6-8 weeks for non-expedited service
Sep 16, 2019 | 2:08 pm
#418
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 2
My passport was 15 years expired ... but I had all my documents exactly as needed. I even corrected the clerk who was taking my application; he would not take my expired passport, because it was expired and said I had filled out the wrong form. After I had him talk with his supervisor, he processed my app and even thanked me because "he learned something new".
Sep 16, 2019 | 2:45 pm
#419
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: UA 1P, SPG Gold
Posts: 3
My passport was 15 years expired ... but I had all my documents exactly as needed. I even corrected the clerk who was taking my application; he would not take my expired passport, because it was expired and said I had filled out the wrong form. After I had him talk with his supervisor, he processed my app and even thanked me because "he learned something new".
EDIT: I spoke too soon. Just got the email. Approved and estimated arrival on 9/22 (original date for receipt and processing was 8/20). So well ahead of the promised 6-8 weeks for routine service.
Last edited by brianindc; Sep 16, 2019 at 5:03 pm
