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)
Apr 5, 2021 | 6:37 am
#1081
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Miami, Florida
Posts: 22
Was wondering if anyone has sent their passport for renewal lately, I sent mine via USPS Priority Mail back on 3/17 but on 3/22 I got a tracking stating that it's been delayed, and as of now 4/4 there's no updated. I've opened a ticket to USPS and the Philadelphia regional post office has emailed me stating they are "looking into it". Feels like there's either crazy delays or it's just gone...
Apr 5, 2021 | 9:55 am
#1082
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 88
We received our kids' passports. No sign of our's. Just says processing. No idea if all the paperwork is in order and if the photos are acceptable. I took all 4 pictures. Also. We have found out that our passports (adults) which were for straight renewal, were sent to Texas center. The kids who are now both over 16 still needed to appear in person and they came from Little Rock, Arkansas center.
Chronology:
3/4 Mailed adults renewal (priority mail) and appeared at the USPS for kids renewals. Per our state, we need to mail the applications to Philadelphia.
3/7 The adults tracking number shows delivered
3/15 Kids passports show as processing and the passport fees checks are cashed
3/23 Finally after more than a couple of phone calls, the adults passports show as processing and checks are cashed on 3/24
3/31 Received approval and passport shipped emails at around 3AM citing passports were approved and shipped on 3/30 for the kids renewals
4/2 Received the kids' passports
Wife may need to fly soon and we did not put that in the application. We have called and have not gotten a good answer. They keep saying if you expedite now, it can still take 20+ business days. They are saying our best bet is book tickets, get an emergency letter for travel and then take an appointment at a facility. Nearest is 4.5 hours and they won't guarantee same day passport there either. They say they may mail it next day or you may have to go back to pick it up.
Thoughts?
Since our's is in TX, how good/bad/ugly is that center? They are saying we need to go to Atlanta (IF there is an appointment available) to get an emergency passport.
Chronology:
3/4 Mailed adults renewal (priority mail) and appeared at the USPS for kids renewals. Per our state, we need to mail the applications to Philadelphia.
3/7 The adults tracking number shows delivered
3/15 Kids passports show as processing and the passport fees checks are cashed
3/23 Finally after more than a couple of phone calls, the adults passports show as processing and checks are cashed on 3/24
3/31 Received approval and passport shipped emails at around 3AM citing passports were approved and shipped on 3/30 for the kids renewals
4/2 Received the kids' passports
Wife may need to fly soon and we did not put that in the application. We have called and have not gotten a good answer. They keep saying if you expedite now, it can still take 20+ business days. They are saying our best bet is book tickets, get an emergency letter for travel and then take an appointment at a facility. Nearest is 4.5 hours and they won't guarantee same day passport there either. They say they may mail it next day or you may have to go back to pick it up.
Thoughts?
Since our's is in TX, how good/bad/ugly is that center? They are saying we need to go to Atlanta (IF there is an appointment available) to get an emergency passport.
Apr 5, 2021 | 10:07 am
#1083
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Miami, Florida
Posts: 22
Passport processing Delays
We received our kids' passports. No sign of our's. Just says processing. No idea if all the paperwork is in order and if the photos are acceptable. I took all 4 pictures. Also. We have found out that our passports (adults) which were for straight renewal, were sent to Texas center. The kids who are now both over 16 still needed to appear in person and they came from Little Rock, Arkansas center.
Chronology:
3/4 Mailed adults renewal (priority mail) and appeared at the USPS for kids renewals. Per our state, we need to mail the applications to Philadelphia.
3/7 The adults tracking number shows delivered
3/15 Kids passports show as processing and the passport fees checks are cashed
3/23 Finally after more than a couple of phone calls, the adults passports show as processing and checks are cashed on 3/24
3/31 Received approval and passport shipped emails at around 3AM citing passports were approved and shipped on 3/30 for the kids renewals
4/2 Received the kids' passports
Wife may need to fly soon and we did not put that in the application. We have called and have not gotten a good answer. They keep saying if you expedite now, it can still take 20+ business days. They are saying our best bet is book tickets, get an emergency letter for travel and then take an appointment at a facility. Nearest is 4.5 hours and they won't guarantee same day passport there either. They say they may mail it next day or you may have to go back to pick it up.
Thoughts?
Since our's is in TX, how good/bad/ugly is that center? They are saying we need to go to Atlanta (IF there is an appointment available) to get an emergency passport.
Chronology:
3/4 Mailed adults renewal (priority mail) and appeared at the USPS for kids renewals. Per our state, we need to mail the applications to Philadelphia.
3/7 The adults tracking number shows delivered
3/15 Kids passports show as processing and the passport fees checks are cashed
3/23 Finally after more than a couple of phone calls, the adults passports show as processing and checks are cashed on 3/24
3/31 Received approval and passport shipped emails at around 3AM citing passports were approved and shipped on 3/30 for the kids renewals
4/2 Received the kids' passports
Wife may need to fly soon and we did not put that in the application. We have called and have not gotten a good answer. They keep saying if you expedite now, it can still take 20+ business days. They are saying our best bet is book tickets, get an emergency letter for travel and then take an appointment at a facility. Nearest is 4.5 hours and they won't guarantee same day passport there either. They say they may mail it next day or you may have to go back to pick it up.
Thoughts?
Since our's is in TX, how good/bad/ugly is that center? They are saying we need to go to Atlanta (IF there is an appointment available) to get an emergency passport.
Apr 5, 2021 | 10:16 am
#1084
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 88
My passport renewal application is also in Texas since I live in Florida but you have one major advantage and that is that your renewal application is already in the system. What you need to do is contact your senator or congressional representative, they all have an office that deals with passport issues. Tell them that you have urgent travel coming up, they will send you a privacy form so that they can access your application information and you will have your passport back in a matter of days, for some people that have done this, they have received their passport in 24 hours since the national passport center sends it overnight.
Apr 5, 2021 | 10:21 am
#1085
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Miami, Florida
Posts: 22
Passport processing Delays
Thank you. We did not expedite as we had no plans of travel. We're willing to expedite. National Passport Center does NOT overnight the passport. Its regular priority mail. They want $60 to expedite and $17.56 for overnight. BUT. They still won't guarantee anything. Standard it can be upto 20 business days. If they say they can get it pushed through in the next 3 - 4 days, I'd pay them right now.
Apr 5, 2021 | 10:22 am
#1086
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 88
Took about two month on the dot for me to get mine renewed (regular service) -
-Feb 6 - Application mailed to TX (priority mail)
-Feb 12 - Application arrived
-Feb 18 - Application changes to in process
-March 29 - Application changes to approved
-April 2 - Passport arrived
-Feb 6 - Application mailed to TX (priority mail)
-Feb 12 - Application arrived
-Feb 18 - Application changes to in process
-March 29 - Application changes to approved
-April 2 - Passport arrived
If your's were processed in TX, that is 6 weeks just for the In process to Approved status. That is NOT good for my case.
Apr 5, 2021 | 10:28 am
#1087
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Miami, Florida
Posts: 22
Passport processing Delays
If you track your passport tracking number, where were the new passports shipped from? Was it the TX center. Seems national passport center takes on applications but then routes them internally all over the country.
If your's were processed in TX, that is 6 weeks just for the In process to Approved status. That is NOT good for my case.
If your's were processed in TX, that is 6 weeks just for the In process to Approved status. That is NOT good for my case.
Apr 5, 2021 | 10:36 am
#1088
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: MSP
Programs: UA 1K, QR Gold, DL Plat, AC 25
Posts: 4,483
If you track your passport tracking number, where were the new passports shipped from? Was it the TX center. Seems national passport center takes on applications but then routes them internally all over the country.
If your's were processed in TX, that is 6 weeks just for the In process to Approved status. That is NOT good for my case.
If your's were processed in TX, that is 6 weeks just for the In process to Approved status. That is NOT good for my case.
Apr 5, 2021 | 10:42 am
#1089
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 88
The Irving Texas processing center is just a mailing center where application envelopes are opened and applications are scanned and sent electronically to the passport processing centers in New Hampshire, Minneapolis, Virginia or Charleston South Carolina depending on the processing service you paid for. The actual passport books are mailed from Arkansas or Arizona
Apr 5, 2021 | 10:54 am
#1090
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Miami, Florida
Posts: 22
Passport processing Delays
then you're in even better shape, the Houston facility is a final processing facility so once they get approved they will be mailed from either Tucson Arizona or Little Rock, Arkansas. Irving Texas is the reception center for those of us who live in the more populated states of Florida, Texas, California and New York, I thought you were referring to that. Good luck and contact your representative to get things moving
Apr 5, 2021 | 11:02 am
#1091
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 88
then you're in even better shape, the Houston facility is a final processing facility so once they get approved they will be mailed from either Tucson Arizona or Little Rock, Arkansas. Irving Texas is the reception center for those of us who live in the more populated states of Florida, Texas, California and New York, I thought you were referring to that. Good luck and contact your representative to get things moving
Apr 5, 2021 | 12:12 pm
#1092
Join Date: Feb 2021
Posts: 7
Was wondering if anyone has sent their passport for renewal lately, I sent mine via USPS Priority Mail back on 3/17 but on 3/22 I got a tracking stating that it's been delayed, and as of now 4/4 there's no updated. I've opened a ticket to USPS and the Philadelphia regional post office has emailed me stating they are "looking into it". Feels like there's either crazy delays or it's just gone...
I sent my passport renewal to Philadelphia on 1/27 and still have no updates.
Apr 5, 2021 | 12:55 pm
#1093
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 88
If you mailed on 1/27 and have proof of delivery, you should call the National Passport Center and ask where your application(s) are at. Has your fee check cleared?
Apr 6, 2021 | 6:49 pm
#1095
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 4
Wow this is so fast. Did you mail to PA or TX? I sent mine expedited to PA on Saturday (4/3). USPS shows it arrived on Monday (4/5). Getting it delivered is I guess the first hurdle but nervous about all the stuff Im reading about delays in PA. My travel date is 5/26. This is a renewal.