My passport is good until next Sept. We are starting to plan a trip for next June or Sept so I thought now would be a good time to update it since I'm in no hurry. The problem is my work requires very infrequent but necessary international travel. If I recall correctly I have to send in my current passport to get the new one. Is there a way to travel internationally if I have a valid passport but it's being processed for a replacement passport?

I'm assuming that I can't but wanted to check.

Is it possible to pay more for a new passport (as if mine was stolen) instead of a updated passport thus letting me keep mine until I get the replacement?

Thanks

Interesting situation....

I am not sure if you are able to get a new passport without submitting the old one but I am pretty certain that if you were able to apply for a new one (without the old one) you would have to re-submit the proof of citizenship, etc.

I have never heard of anyone being able to travel internationally without a passport..in hand.

be interesting to read the other responses.

<<as if mine was stolen>>

Then your 'stolen' passport would be in the system as stolen, so when you tried to use it, you would be arrested.

You must have a real passport to travel internationally. Usually in the emergency travel situation you describe, you could apply at a passport office a few days before your departure--with proof of departure. The system is clogged right now, so not sure how well the former same-day approval is working.

Hi W,

You can pay $60, or so, for expedited passport service.

I would wait until after Labor Day, when the rush of new applications should subside.

According to the State Department official I quoted here yesterday, passport backlogs aren't expected to be fully cleared until almost December of this year.

I think proof of application only applies to the countries that you didn't need a passport before the rules changed.

That ``proof of application'' thing only works for travel to the Carribean and Canada, where passports have only recently been required -- specifically, you now need a passport to _get back in the U.S_ after travelling to one of the countries. But because of massive processing delays, the US will accept ``proof of application'' this summer instead.

The countries haven't changed their policy, its a U.S. thing.

You still need a real passport to go to Europe.

There is no simple answer as to whether you can travel without a valid passport.
An international airline may not allow you to travel because if you are refused entry at your destination, the airline may be held responsible.
If you arrive in a foreign country without correct documention, they're quite entitled to refuse entry.
Even if a foreign country allows you to enter, they may then query your status when you try to leave.
Finally, your own country may not let you back in without valid documents.

I completely forgot about the airline thing...I don't know of any airline which would let you travel internationally (other than North America) without a valid passport in your possession.

If you do travel somewhere before your passport expires, you might be able to get it renewed overseas much faster. In Paris, for example, you can get a renewal almost immediately. No backlog there.

This is what my husband did. NOTE we live in the US but he has a Canadian passport. I don't know if the US offers something similar but it is worth asking if you can find a human. We phoned the Canadian consulate in Chicago where we live with a letter of explanation and a request to send the new passport not to him but to the Canadian consulate in Chicago. He sent in the renewal application (well actually Canada doesn't have "renewal" only "new" but if you already have a passport you would ordinarily be required to send it in with the application for the next one). When the new passport was made it was sent to the Canadian consulate as requested, they phoned us and he picked it up by simply turning in the new one, so he was never without a current passport. Again, I don't know if the OP lives in a city with a passport issuance office like Chicago or NY or DC (note the many posts here of people who didn't get their US passports in time and had to go to one of those offices to get it issued same day). But it seems like worth asking about, again, if you can find a human. Good luck and report back here what you do.

You can always apply for a second passport (I'm sssuming that you're American ?).

There is a form to fill out, which you must submit with a letter from your employer explaining why you need a second passport, ie. frequent international travel. Second passports are good for two years and cost about the same.

PB

Thanks for the feedback. Per discussions in my office I'll be ok being w/out the passport for the 2 to 3 months I've been hearing about for a renewal. If something comes up during that time someone else can cover.

<I have never heard of anyone being able to travel internationally without a passport..in hand.>

I have - about 500,000 or so Yanks so far have gone to Iraq without passports!

Pal,

Those people are deployed under what is usually known as a SOFA (status of forces agreement) which ptrecludes the necessity of a passport.

If your post was designed to underscore all the "issues" about the current conflict believe me, you are preaching to the head of the choir in this case.

But if it makes you feel better I'll be glad to pass your sentiments on to my patients who have recently been air- evaced out of Iraq.

no actually had no hidden agenda here and was replying in a light vein.

And i believe perhaps W and other government officials on official business probably don't need passports either.

The temporary dispensation is for Canada, Mexico and the Carib only - not for other detinations - for which you still need a real passport.

And yes - you have to turn the old one in to get a new one. If you don;t have time to do this the usual way - even with one of the expedited services you need to go directly to one of the passport offices and wait on line all day to get one on the spot. (Don;t know how tight your schedule has to be before they let you do this - you need to check.)

Careful on the Caribbean, it depends totally on the island. The US of A cannot change the entry requirments for foreign countries.

Didn`t I read that you can bypass the passport temporarily, with proof of having applied for one, to Canada, Mexico, Carribean, Bermuda IF IT`S A LAND OR SEA ENTRANCE and return. So an airline flight isn`t a land or sea entrance. We will be flying to Mexico and one person in our group doesn`t yet have a passport.

And as Robert Reich, Sec of Labor in Clinton era found out to get such proof can also take a while - ten days or so they told him and he has all the levers of powers to pull.