Our passport story....
 

After traveling to the Caribbean all these years on a driver’s license and birth certificate, the recent policy change regarding travel from the Caribbean back to the US prompted our need to apply and obtain passports for our upcoming trip to Negril…..for all 6 of us! We applied for our passports at a local passport facility (City Hall) on Saturday, Feb 10th. I can happily announce, after almost 12 weeks (and $600), I finally was able to confirm the mailing of 2 of them with the remaining 4 close behind. We are slated to leave on the 18th and we should have all passports with about a week to spare.

I thought I’d share this information with anyone who recently applied or are soon to apply. Negril soon come!

Whew! Thanks for the posting - I was getting nervous - ours haven't shown up yet. We applied shortly after you - so hopefully they will be here within the next couple of weeks!

How ridiculous is it that it took that long for you to get them? You'd think with all of the $$$ that is being made by the federal government by all of these new passport applications, they could hire a few more people to expedite processing of them!

Hi CS. Thanks for sharing. We just applied for our son's new passport. We have a trip at the end of July so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! (his old one is expiring in January and I've always read that you shouldn't travel with a passport that's expiring within 6 months).
As I've said before, have a fantastic time! And looking forward to reading your report.

jennreyiw: you can track your passports progress by using this link https://passportstatus.state.gov/opss/OPSS_Status_i.asp. It took about 8 weeks before I was able to confirm that they had actually received our applications and were processing.

mah1980: We haven’t actually received them yet…just an estimate as to the date they should arrive, which I understand is quite accurate.

Thanks CT! I'll post a couple of onsite reports, as well!

jenny,
I work for the postal service and the usual time is about 8 to 10 weeks..unless you pay extra to have them expedited.

Thanks for the link - as of tomorrow it will have been 11 weeks since we applied - and the website does not show that they have shipped. so I guess I will check again next week and see if the 12 week time frame is the norm - instead of 10 weeks. Oh well - as long as they get here before our trip. :)

An update: My son's arrived today in the mail. We live in the Seattle area which is a regional office and was mailed yesterday.

Exactly 12 weeks to the day we applied, we received the last two passports for our twin girls! Be prepared and plan ahead. They may be getting caught up, finally, after the Spring travel spike.

We've never waited more than 6 weeks, ever. My spouse & I just had to renew ours & they both came back in about 5 weeks.

Ok let's all hate SAnParis. Kidding! I believe it all depends on where you apply and whether you're renewing or getting a passport for the very first time, or using the expediting service.

CS: Yeah! Makes me less nervous about getting our son's passport on time.

We applied for hubby's first. It got lost in the mail. We had to re apply (and it cost another $200 to have it expedited). Two weeks later I applied for mine. It has been 10 weeks and is still being processed. One week later my son applied for his and it is still in process as well. It is very frustrating. We dont leave until 6/23 so Im hoping everything will be fine. Im glad we got an early start applying since they do get "lost" in the mail sometimes. Signatures are not required for delivery. I think that policy should be changed.

You could always get it sent Delivery Confirmation,or better yet insured..so if it gets lost...it will be covered and you will get reimbursed.

Yes, lost in the mail ! It happens all the time but it's a hard sell when your creditors are calling. It's becoming much like "my dog ate my homework" !

When dealing with government, I always opt for expedited service, with return receipt required.

Is anyone actually going to buy the "forever stamp" ;-) ?

My dog might love to munch on one of those :-)

Marion

I asked for delivery confirmation but was denied because I requested routine (non expedited) service. Insurance is also not an option. You have to play by the State Dept,'s rules. They are quite behind the times. Our very own mail carrier is the one who "lost" Hubby's passport. She put it in someone else's mailbox by mistake. We scoured the neighborhood but no one fessed up to receiving it. Oh well, its history now.

Ksea,

I really hope that all passports will be in your hands...soon.

My post was not meant to criticize, just my attempt at humor.

I would like to suggest that one does not always have to deal with the State Department and the rules/regulations that leave us stressed.

There are private services that will expedite and get passports to you in when they say they will.

My fingers are crossed that all will work out for you !

Marion

Ksea,

Sorry to hear about the passport issue..the mail carrier said that they misdelivered it..so why didn't they go back and get it from the wrong mailbox that they put it in?

The reason I ask...I am a mail carrier also...if something is misdelivered and we realize it..we are supposed to go back and get it..

Christie

I have a passport question. Mine is still in my maiden name, but now I am married. Do I need to take a copy of my marriage certificate too?

tenn,

Yes..until you can apply for a new passport.Have your marriage certificate with you.