gfunkdave

Anyone know of a reliable way to determine the current wait times for US passport services? I mailed in my current passport book on Saturday to get a passport card. The post office said it would arrive today.

The State Dept website says that it's currently taking 7-10 business days to get applications loaded into their online application status tool. Any further ideas in how long this might take? I don't have any international plans until May (though would like to go up to Canada in about a month when we're in northern Vermont if it's back by then), but just curious.

Thanks!

edit: ugh, never mind. Apparently I can't Google. https://travel.state.gov/content/pas...ing-times.html

Analise

Wow, 6 weeks? I renewed my passport near the end of November and it took 15 calendar days; I didn't pay for expedited service. So what is it about today that the State Department now warns that it will take 6 weeks to receive the new passport?

gfunkdave

I seem to remember them saying 6-8 weeks the last time I renewed my passport, and getting it in about 2-3 weeks. Perhaps they just consistently underpromise and overdeliver. Refreshing from government!

GUWonder

That is indeed the general approach. Most applicants are currently still getting them -- without paying the expedite fee -- within 4 weeks. And in-person applications from abroad are getting issued even faster.

There is a lot of the "managing expectations" involved in stating 6-8 weeks. Also, the expedite fee revenue may dry up if more people were confident about when they could get the passport back in 10-15 business days even without the expedite fee. And the government isn't so eager to give up revenue like this.

Mabuk dan gila

On another forum, which is orientated to persons immigrating to the US, the members there keep a very detailed and comprehensive record of current real world US passport processing times. Looking at recent entries in their thread, it looks like passports are turning around in 10 days or so without expediting.


http://www.visajourney.com/forums/to...racker/page-99

swiftaw

Also, I believe that 2006 was when they started requiring passports to go to Canada and Mexico, so all those people that got passports then are up for renewal now - thus the projected longer wait time.

gfunkdave

Thanks for the link to visajourney above.

FWIW, the event timing I've experienced is in line with visajourney's.

3/14 State Dept received the application
3/18 Check was cashed
3/20 Application became visible in the online application tracking site
3/26 Status changed to "Your passport application is in the final processing stages." with an estimated date of me receiving the passport on 4/3

Will update this as I remember to.

gfunkdave

Received the passport card today. The website still says my application is in the final processing stages. Still waiting on the passport book to be returned.

Analise

For what it's worth, I received mine about 2 weeks after receiving my new passport.

GUWonder

March usually has more passports in process than the majority of other months of the year. And government staff vacations in March may still be higher than they are in many other non-summer months.

I wouldn't have expected two weeks given gfunkdave's dates. I would have expected something exceeding 2 weeks. 3-4 weeks is more akin to what I may have expected in prior years for a comparable period of time, especially as we now have a wealthier population with more disposable income than in say 2007-2009.

My guess now is that the passport is back within the first 7 days of April, perhaps with a late March issue date.

gfunkdave

Note that my existing passport book is still valid for another 6 years. I just had to send it in to get the card.

GUWonder

You weren't applying for a renewal passport too? Apparently not. My bad in that case.

gfunkdave

...and I received my passport book back today.

Now that was quick service indeed!

GUWonder

So just short of 3 weeks. Nice.

BH8489

Thanks, this is super useful-- though the location field on their posts seems to imply that people were applying in person, not by mailing to the national center in philly. (That may be a requirement for pending NCs and/or first timers, not sure.) In any case, hopefully Philly's turn around time is in line.