*(copied and pasted most of the announcement here because State.gov website has been hard to get into today, probably due to hundreds of thousands of people trying to figure out the status of the passports)

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https://travel.state.gov/content/tra...-covid-19.html

Change in Passport Services Operations

Due to public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, effective March 20, 2020, we are only able to offer service for customers with a qualified life-or-death emergency and who need a passport for immediate international travel within 72 hours.

Life-or-death emergencies are serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family (e.g. parent, child, spouse, sibling, aunt, uncle, etc) that require you to travel outside the United States within 72 hours (3 days). You must provide:

• A passport application with supporting documents
• Proof of the life-or-death emergency such as a death certificate, a statement from a mortuary, or a signed letter from a hospital or medical professional. Documents must be translated or in English.
• Proof of international travel (e.g. reservation, ticket, itinerary)

Final update:

​​​​​​2/8/2020: Mailed renewal via Priority Mail (not express)
2/12/2020: Delivery to Processing Center in Irving, TX
2/14/2020: Check cashed
2/14/2020: Website shows application as received 2/13/2020 and processing
3/23/2020: Status updated to Approved
3/24/2020: Shipped with tracking number provided
3/26/2020: Arrived at residence via Priority Mail, old passport not returned quite yet (coming separately of course)

Sent passport a while back
 

i sent my passport and my son's passport in mid February. My son's was processed at USPS and I sent mine independently of his. I see from the timelines posted above that most who sent theirs in early February or late January using the normal processing service have received their renewed passports. Mine and my son's are still pending.

I know we can't travel but I do not like the fact that they will hold on to the passports for who knows for how long. Anyone sent theirs in February using normal processing and received an update on their application?

have you tried calling them? I called them last week and they still had agents answering the phones.

​​​​​​2/12/2020: Mailed renewal via Priority Mail (not express)
2/14/2020: Delivery to Processing Center in Irving, TX
2/19/2020: Check cashed
3/27/2020: Email showing status to Approved (est 4/4 passport arrival)
3/28/2020: Email showing Renewal received on 2/18
3/28/2020: Shipped From AZ with tracking number from USPS Informed delivery email
3/30/2020: New passport received via Priority Mail, waiting for old passport
6/19/2020: Old passport received via regular mail

Not in my case, fastest renewal I've ever had (routine service):

​​​​​​3/18/2020: Mailed renewal package via Priority Mail
3/20/2020: Delivery to Processing Center in Philadelphia
3/24/2020: Check cashed
3/26/2020: Website shows application as processing (currently processing in 6-8 weeks)
3/28/2020: Status changed to "approved" and e-mail sent stating passport shipped with tracking #. Expected delivery on or around 4/4/2020
3/31/2020: Received passport

So a total of 13 days from dropping this off at the PO until receipt of the new passport.

wait a second.... my renewal was received by the same Philly processing center on 3/19. one day earlier than yours...

where is my passport!!!??? :(

You'll probably get yours soon. But, why does it even matter? We can't use our passports right now.

Mine was received on 2/25 and still pending. Seems like they are not processed in order.

Mail-in passport renewal applications to US embassies/consulates in the Schengen area were resulting in the passports getting back to applicants within about two weeks during March. That’s marginally worse than before in parts but very good for the circumstances, with the bulk of the slow-down in these parts being the mail-side at times.

I'm not sure what to do in my situation.

I have travel currently scheduled for July 1 and my passport expires in July 27. I understand that there are no renewals now due to Covid. Should I still submit my renewal to "get in line" or should I wait until they open up and submit it then? Thanks.

For now at least, US passport applications will no longer be accepted for processing by the State Department in the US unless it’s a life and death emergency:

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/artic...ies/index.html

At least it's good to know that "Applications received on or before March 19 will get processed, the agency said."

Post office delivered my routine application the passport processing center in Philadelphia at 8:47AM on March 18.

State dept passport application status website shows that they received my application on March 19. Sure hope my application was in the one of the piles that made the cut-off. :)

Depends on the rules for where you're traveling. If that country requires any kind of validity period beyond your departure date, and you don't have a second passport, then your current US passport likely won't work for entry. I would submit the renewal now to get into the queue. My previous US passport expired 4/15, but I was able to enter Italy last month using a UK passport instead (since my US passport was due to expire within 60 days), and just needed the US passport to get home.

Seems just to be sloppy reporting by CNN. The passport agency's website (updated yesterday) says that the life and death emergencies only apply for in person processing. Although expedited processing is suspended, routine service is only delayed, not suspended.

https://travel.state.gov/content/tra...ort/renew.html