Why would they do that?

David

This is great news! I’m not too far from your timeline but didn’t request priority mailing of the passport.

Do you recall which processing center your app was completed by?

My status has been "Approved" since Feb 1. Says I should receive on or around 2/7 (unchanged), but now says routine service 8-11 weeks where it used to say 6-9[/QUOTE]


My status also has been "Approved". Waiting for the next.

i have to travel within 2 weeks, but not sure i can wait in chicago after my appt

it was code 10, so Boston I believe

Data point for anyone interested

44 days from Received to Approved, standard processing time, was quoted 10-13 weeks when applied. Passport location was Aurora CO

Not sure what you want.
Hire an expediter for $500 if you can't wait.

Data point - 10 days from the date they received it until it arrived at my house. Amazingly fast. Passport renewal with name change. Paid the extra $60 for expedited. Mailed to Philly office

Online Status Check
 

If they send a letter due to a problem with the application, will that be documented on the online system, such as “letter mailed” or something? Or will it continue to show “In Process”?

Data Point
15 Aug 2023 USPS NDA Philadelphia Expedited Passport Book Expedited Processing.
Quoted 7-9 week processing time with expedited fees enclosed $220.
Assigned to 45, National Passport Center
16 Aug 2023 In Process. Checking website daily.
Do any of you have any insight into the timeline for this location?
** Update ***
Status: Approved 9/13/2023

Renewal Time - US Embassy Bangkok, Thailand.

I wanted to share that I just renewed my US passport through the US Embassy in Thailand. New passport arrived back today - 5 weeks after I mailed in completed DS-82 renewal application form and other documents. There is no expedited service when applying for US passport overseas. Given the possible wait times I read about in the United States, I am quite happy with this result. :)

Renewal application mailed to Irving: 25-July
Issued: 04-Sep
Received: 08-Sep
Regular service, not expedited

Times are improving!
 

My application was received at the New Orleans location Aug 18, check cleared Aug 21.
Passport was mailed to me Sept 8, and I received it Sept 11.
I had done expedited, with USPS priority shipping of the passport. Renewal with name change.

My passport was expiring in February 2024, but I was concerned about waiting until then...my mom lives in Germany, and is 86 so I may have to travel at any minute.

So, having just returned visiting her in early September, I sent out my passport (Expedited and Express return...around $210 total) using USPS Priority Mail ($9.xx)...I went to ship via Fedex, but they don't ship to P.O. Boxes...good to know. This was September 8th.

Today, in my mail box, 13 days later was a brand new passport!

A very pleasant surprise.

PS. I received my expired, old passport today, September 27, via USPS in a plain brown envelop. Man am I losing my hair!

Applied for adult renewal at US Embassy in Bangkok.
Application status says in process and received as of 9/7.

Any idea how fast it'll get to me in Bangkok?
My Thailand visa ends on October 22.

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).

Things are moving.

Expedited service, expedited shipping
Delivered to Philadelphia: September 28th (Thursday)
New passport delivered: October 13th (Friday)

Glad to see times are getting back to normal!

Passport received - 10/14/23

63 days from application submission to receiving the passport. Not bad at all.

Standard Passport renewal, routine service, shipped USPS First Class (from post office).

Mailed to Irving, TX - September 26
In Process - October 11
Check Cleared - October 13
Approved - October 26
Mailed - October 27
Received - October 30

Location 50 - Los Angeles Passport Agency

Renewal, expedited service, expedited shipping:

Priority mailed to Philadelphia, PA: September 12th
New passport delivered: October 17th

5 week turnaround 👍🏻

10/03 P2 applied for brand new passport at usps, expedited service
10/20 status updated to say arrive 10/21 but shipping details were never updated
10/21 received passport in the mail

10/16 Mailed in two passport renewal applications expedited to PA, in two different envelopes.
10/20 online application status for both changed to In progress
10/20 one check was cashed electronically
10/23 Second check cashed by deposit.

Essentially same here from PA for expedited:

Delivered to them Fri 10/13
Marked as received Mon 10/16
Check cashed Tue 10/17
Shipped Tue 10/24
Arrived back (paid for priority) 10/26

If anyone needs to get your passport renewed, now is absolutely the time to do it.

10/19/23 - Submitted passport application at USPO (minor) - paid for expedited processing (regular mail both directions).
10/27/23 - Passport approved (could have been sooner as first time I checked).
11/01/23 - Projected delivery date and actual arrival date.

Still waiting on the passport card and docs.

This has to be some kind of record for us - my last "expedited" app took 2+ months .

Turned in emergency passport with application at the Tokyo embassy on 9/28. Passport received by mail here in Tokyo on 10/28. Expedite not possible from abroad.

Just got the passport via priority mail - standard renewal took 4.5 weeks from sending in the application, not too bad at all!