PSA--4 months to renew passport, long wait for expedited too

[Acadie]

We're in the early stages of planning a potential trip to Ireland next summer and were surprised to see that all of our passports need renewal. Yesterday the accepting agent for dd15's application said the State Dept just issued an updated timeframe saying regular applications can take 4 months. Expediting may only cut that down to 2-3 months. 

Especially for students hoping to study abroad in the spring, now's a good time to check if passports need renewal! 

ETA: Additional PSA: Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe if your passport is due to expire within six months, you won't be allowed to travel internationally. I had no idea until a friend's family learned this at the airport, when they were hoping to depart for Paris. 

Edited July 3, 2021 by Acadie

[mommyoffive]

Thank you for the PSA.  All our kids need to renew their passports.  Not sure if we will be traveling internationally by next year or not.

[Lanny]

Yes.  I began a  thread about this, probably about 2 months ago, after the U.S. Embassy here included that information in an email to U.S. Citizens in Colombia.

[Acadie]

2 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Not sure if we will be traveling internationally by next year or not.

I'm with you on this! Before booking flights we're going to reevaluate and will opt for refundable tickets for sure. 

But it does feel good to be dreaming, planning and taking action toward being able to travel again, even if it is delayed past next summer. 

[mommyoffive]

1 minute ago, Acadie said:

I'm with you on this! Before booking flights we're going to reevaluate and will opt for refundable tickets for sure. 

But it does feel good to be dreaming, planning and taking action toward being able to travel again, even if it is delayed past next summer. 

My hopes are still dashed because we had booked one of my bucket list trips and were leaving that month and then Covid hit.  When my youngest 3 can get a vaccine I feel a little more sure.  But still countries are surging over and over again.  Things are constantly changing with curfews and other restrictions.  I am just holding tight and only doing US stuff for now.

[Storygirl]

Our passports expire in October, and we have a trip planned over the Christmas break, so we are sending in our renewal applications this week. Since we have almost six months, DH thinks we don't need to expedite, but I'm wondering if we should spring for the extra cost, just to be sure.

[Miss Tick]

Wow! I submitted 4 of ours for renewal last month and they were saying 8-10 weeks, which already seemed long. Like the rest of you we currently have no travel plans, but with a timeline, at that time, of 8-10 weeks it seemed like we should kick off the process.

Is this a renewed interest in traveling in the past if US citizens, or a lack of agents to process them?

[Pam in CT]

My 18 yo recently renewed hers (technically "got a new one" I guess, as the old had actually expired in the time of COVID). The guy said to expect 3+ months and was surprised we didn't pay to expedite (why bother, we're still not going anywhere anytime soon). 

It *actually* arrived within 6 weeks, even without paying to expedite. So hopefully they're managing expectations but moving faster than the warnings?

[Acadie]

1 hour ago, Storygirl said:

Our passports expire in October, and we have a trip planned over the Christmas break, so we are sending in our renewal applications this week. Since we have almost six months, DH thinks we don't need to expedite, but I'm wondering if we should spring for the extra cost, just to be sure.

Expediting costs really add up with a family, that's for sure. 

Both my teens needed to go in person to apply--dd18 because she's applying as an adult for the first time and dd15 as a minor. Our public library has an accepting agent so we didn't need to travel to do it. Dh and I just mailed our renewals in, but the agent did say they'll look over any application. That could be a way to get initial eyes on it to make sure you're not missing anything that might cause a delay. 

ETA: Pam's dd's experience is interesting too. Maybe they are trying to manage expectations while processing many applications faster than that. 

Edited July 3, 2021 by Acadie

[importswim]

The anecdotal experience I've been seeing is that they get back earlier than their quotes (though don't count on too much earlier). I'm on a travel related FB page and people have been saying they've gotten theirs back earlier than suggested times. 

We just renewed the kids' passports as they expire this fall. We don't have a trip scheduled (though were thinking about Paris this year at some point) but always keep our passports up to date as my parents live in England and we need to be able to travel at the drop of a hat if something happens to them. 

As far as the 6 month timeline goes as far as leaving the country, each country that you visit has different guidelines. I know that some only need the passport valid the length of the trip while others will deny you entry if you have less than 6 months validity. Best to check the gov travel website for guidelines if you know the country that you're planning to enter. 

[Acadie]

1 hour ago, SusanC said:

Is this a renewed interest in traveling in the past if US citizens, or a lack of agents to process them?

Great question. I don't know for sure but I'd guess a combination of both, and the fact that people with passports expiring in the past year and half probably didn't renew, for the most part, so there's a big backlog. 

[MEmama]

When DS renewed his passport at 16, we made sure it was the “adult” passport, good for 10 years instead of 5. We wanted to make sure it would be valid through university in case anything came up so he wouldn't have to worry about renewing; at the time we didn't know he’d actually be studying in Europe. 
 

I've warned him to make sure to always, always have a valid passport just in case. One can never be sure they won’t need to suddenly flee. 

[J-rap]

Out of curiosity, I just checked our state website, and it said that expedited can take anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks.  It would seem weird if they weren't updating their website, but I suppose it's possible!

[lynn]

We renewed ours recently and got them back I  6 weeks and my daughters new passport within a month.      I guess it depends where they send it.  We sent to original address but for them back from another state??

Edited July 3, 2021 by lynn

[matrips]

I mailed mine at the end of April.  They received it very beginning of May according to tracking.  They finally acknowledged receiving it at the end of May (4 weeks later), so that is when their clock began. July 5 and still waiting.  
it doesn’t expire until December, and I’m in no rush thankfully.

[Bootsie]

On 7/3/2021 at 1:22 PM, Acadie said:

 

ETA: Additional PSA: Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe if your passport is due to expire within six months, you won't be allowed to travel internationally. I had no idea until a friend's family learned this at the airport, when they were hoping to depart for Paris. 

This varies by the country you are going to -- and it can change wihtout your realizing--yes it happened to us.

[Laura Corin]

On 7/3/2021 at 7:22 PM, Acadie said:

ETA: Additional PSA: Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe if your passport is due to expire within six months, you won't be allowed to travel internationally. I had no idea until a friend's family learned this at the airport, when they were hoping to depart for Paris. 

Yes - some countries require six months of validity, to cover any visas/right to stay timeframes, plus any emergency visa extensions that might be necessary (in case of illness, etc.).

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

I have friends who just cancelled a cruise because their passports didn’t come in.  It’s been six months since they applied for them.

[Storygirl]

1 hour ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

I have friends who just cancelled a cruise because their passports didn’t come in.  It’s been six months since they applied for them.

Eek!! We are going to expedite ours. We are sending them in today. The kids all have different expiration dates, so fortunately, we only have to pay to expedite for DH and me. We need them back before our vacation at the end of the year, and expediting will give us peace of mind about getting them back in time.

[Acadie]

On 7/3/2021 at 4:21 PM, J-rap said:

Out of curiosity, I just checked our state website, and it said that expedited can take anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks.  It would seem weird if they weren't updating their website, but I suppose it's possible!

I would think they'd update the website promptly too. All I can tell you is what the receiving agent said he'd heard from the State Department.

[Acadie]

On 7/5/2021 at 5:34 PM, matrips said:

I mailed mine at the end of April.  They received it very beginning of May according to tracking.  They finally acknowledged receiving it at the end of May (4 weeks later), so that is when their clock began. July 5 and still waiting.  
it doesn’t expire until December, and I’m in no rush thankfully.

It's helpful to hear your experience.

I'll update this thread when we receive ours--I'm sure it varies. 

[Acadie]

12 hours ago, Mrs Tiggywinkle said:

I have friends who just cancelled a cruise because their passports didn’t come in.  It’s been six months since they applied for them.

Wow, that's nuts. So sorry for your friends.

[Bootsie]

17 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Yes - some countries require six months of validity, to cover any visas/right to stay timeframes, plus any emergency visa extensions that might be necessary (in case of illness, etc.).

And in some cases that six months can be from the time of your scheduled departure from that country--not your arrival.  So if you fly to a country on June 20 with a July 10 return flight scheduled, the six months may be from July 10, not June 20.  

[Acadie]

Today in the NYT--https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/14/travel/passport-renewal-time-delay-delivery-wait.html?action=click&module=Editors Picks&pgtype=Homepage

Routine passport service by mail, according to the State Department, can now take up to 18 weeks, compared to six to eight weeks before the pandemic, while expedited service, which costs an additional $60 and took anywhere from a few days to three weeks before Covid-19, can now take up to 12 weeks.

“What is going on now is something like I’ve never seen in my life,” said David Alwadish, the founder of ItsEasy Passport & Visa, an expediting service. Mr. Alwadish said that while an estimated 100,000 Americans abroad were facing passport problems earlier this year because of consular closures across the globe, the number of Americans at home who are unable to travel because they can’t get documents is likely much higher.

(The State Department in May shifted its policy on Americans abroad, allowing them to return to the United States on expired documents because of that backlog.)

 

“It’s heartbreaking in cases when somebody is dying or very ill,” Mr. Alwadish said.

Americans who require passports more quickly than the current processing times allow must show proof of imminent travel within 72 hours of their appointment. 

 

[skimomma]

Dd applied for a new passport in late April.  It took 4 weeks.  I was shocked as I expected it to take months.  We did not expedite.  It seems to vary widely.  Not that that is helpful......

[Storygirl]

On 7/6/2021 at 12:02 PM, Storygirl said:

Eek!! We are going to expedite ours. We are sending them in today. The kids all have different expiration dates, so fortunately, we only have to pay to expedite for DH and me. We need them back before our vacation at the end of the year, and expediting will give us peace of mind about getting them back in time.

We received our new passports back yesterday, so it took just a month for us to get them. We did expedite, but I was still expecting it to take up to three months.

[Miss Tick]

That sounds like quite a relief! we dropped off applications May 29, no expediting because we have no plans. 10 weeks later and I haven't gotten them back yet. So while I'm not in a hurry, we are brushing up against the 8-10 week range we were quoted when we submitted them. Ah, well.

[bensonduck]

We submitted for DD on May 14th and have not gotten it back yet. 

[matrips]

I mailed mine for renewal at the end of April and just got it back a few days ago (in August).

[importswim]

On 7/3/2021 at 2:52 PM, importswim said:

The anecdotal experience I've been seeing is that they get back earlier than their quotes (though don't count on too much earlier). I'm on a travel related FB page and people have been saying they've gotten theirs back earlier than suggested times. 

We just renewed the kids' passports as they expire this fall. We don't have a trip scheduled (though were thinking about Paris this year at some point) but always keep our passports up to date as my parents live in England and we need to be able to travel at the drop of a hat if something happens to them. 

As far as the 6 month timeline goes as far as leaving the country, each country that you visit has different guidelines. I know that some only need the passport valid the length of the trip while others will deny you entry if you have less than 6 months validity. Best to check the gov travel website for guidelines if you know the country that you're planning to enter. 

Just an update...It took us 6 weeks to get the kids' passports back (not expedited).

[Faith-manor]

OY! Dh's expires, May 2022. Everyone else has 2-9 years left on them. He needs to get it submitted. Work doesn't have anything on the burner for him, travel wise, for now, but if covid died down, I could easily see him being sent in the spring. Given some folks are not getting them in 4-6 months, that means he simply needs to get his renewal application in now!

[Acadie]

Updating this thread because we finally received all our passports! We did not expedite and there was quite a range, from 8 weeks for the passports we had to submit through the receiving agent to almost 16 weeks for dh (I'm counting from the date we sent his application Priority, though the State Dept didn't mark it as "received" until 3 1/2 weeks after we sent it). 

 

[MEmama]

29 minutes ago, Acadie said:

Updating this thread because we finally received all our passports! We did not expedite and there was quite a range, from 8 weeks for the passports we had to submit through the receiving agent to almost 16 weeks for dh (I'm counting from the date we sent his application Priority, though the State Dept didn't mark it as "received" until 3 1/2 weeks after we sent it). 

 

Good news! One step closer to your trip! 🙂 🇮🇪

[Acadie]

23 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Good news! One step closer to your trip! 🙂 🇮🇪

I'm seriously celebrating each little step, whether that's passports in hand, a genealogy discovery or hotel reservation booked. Huge support for my mental health at this stage of the pandemic! 

Edited October 19, 2021 by Acadie

[Miss Tick]

We got our four back spread over a range between 10 and 14 weeks. Now if we could put them to use!