lreynold1

My 23 year old daughter cannot find her pasport and has a plane ticket for Lisbon on the evening of Dec. 23. On the web, I have found a number of agencies that provide same-day replacement service. I wonder if anyone has a good or bad experience with any of these places to help us narrow the list of possibilities. All charge about $130-150 (in addition to the fees for the passport itself). My daughter lives in DC, so that makes the whole thing somewhat less complicated. Many thanks.

Intrepid1

Last I heard if your passport has been lost or stolen then you must APPLY FOR RENEWAL IN PERSON. I'd call the National Passport Center and clarify that NOW. Since you live in the DC area you may be able to go directly to the K Street Office.

Here's a link for "life and death passport renewal emergencies":

http://travel.state.gov/passport/npicinfo.html

111op

You can get a list of the passport agencies here. You shouldn't use an online service, I think, as that really adds no value -- unless your daughter can't take the day off to do this herself.

http://www.travel.state.gov/passport..._agencies.html

I think that you need an appointment, so I'm not sure if she can get this the same day. Also I'm not sure what happens if her passport is lost -- if the procedure is different and therefore takes longer.

But she should first call them.

Intrepid1

OK..I'll say this ONE MORE TIME: if you have lost your passport you have to appear IN PERSON....

MaxwellSmart

Do not Pass "Go", Do not collect $200.
Go directly to the office in person to make this happen same day.

It is what it is. Pay the $130-150 and GO!

111op

Ok, good point, Intrepid. I guess the daughter must take the day off. Just call the passport agency and made an appointment then (there's one in DC -- I just looked).

lreynold1

Thank you for the information. The automated telephone service at the passport center says the first available appointment is January 3. On the web there are numbers of sites that say they can do a one day replacement for you. I know that contradicts what these posters say. What do you think?

http://www.travisa.com/NEWPASS.html

111op

Is there a live person you can speak to? And what about trying the Philly and/or the New York offices as well?

I don't know anything about the professoinal agencies who do this for you, I'm afraid -- but as Intrepid points out, if the passport has been lost, your daughter will need to appear in person anyway. So I don't know if that's a possibility. But I guess when all fails, and she's leaving tomorrow, you'll have to give it a try.

111op

By the way, I'm taking what Intrepid says on face value. You should do your own research, l. Good luck!

P_M

See this web page:

http://travel.state.gov/passport/npicinfo.html

Call 1-877-487-2778 ASAP and hold the phone as long as it takes to get a live person on the line. Explain the situation and ask what to do.

Please keep us posted, I'm crossing my fingers for you.

lreynold1

Thanks again for the comments and support. I have e-mailed my daughter to get back on the 877 number and to try to talk to someone. She just e-mailed me that there are 1-900 numbers so maybe she will try one of them (I am in Lisbon so I can't help her out unfortunately). She is frantically filling out all the forms for Travisa and will call them in a few minutes when they open to see if they can do it for her. Here's hoping!

lreynold1

Latest information is that my daughter was able to speak to someone at the passport center in DC, who told her that the reason there are no appointments available until January 3 is because these agencies call and reserve them and then they "sell" them to you. but at least that suggests that she will be able to get her passport, even though it will cost her. Again, if there's anyone out there who has an experience doing this, I'd really appreciate a recommendation (good or bad). Right now, we're leavning toward TRAVISA, just because their web site seemed the most clear and they did have a "testimonial" page that seemed legit. Thanks again.

P_M

You should post a seperate thread on that company and maybe you'll get an immediate result.

lreynold1

Good idea P_M, thanks. My daughter just e-mailed me that Travisa reserves two appointments with the passport service every day, and today's are full. But they will do it tomorrow and she should have her passport by 5 p.m. Fortunately, their flight leaves Dulles at 9.

111op

I find that awful -- that these agencies book these appointments in advance and then sell them. It's like scalping.

But anyway, if that's the case, what about calling the passport people again and ask if they deal with Travisa? And if so, if this is a reputable agency?

ira

Hi reynold,

Call your Member of Congress (The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton) and explain the problem.

P_M

lreynold1, kindly update us. Did the passport arrive on time? What did you think of Travisa? Please tell us your daughter made it in time to celebrate Christmas with you.

lreynold1

Happy New Year! I am delighted to report that my daughter got her new passport at 4 p.m. on Dec. 23, just two hours before she had to leave for Dulles. It turns out that we are really lucky that she called Travisa right at 9 a.m. on the 22nd. They were able to give her an appointment on the 23rd, but only because they could shift someone else's appointment forward. As my daughter was calling and speaking with Travisa, her boyfriend was calling all the other agencies we could find in DC, and none of them had appointments available before the 27th. Based on my daughter's experience, I would recommend Travisa. Their web site had two very explicit checklists and left no doubts as to the paperwork she had to obtain and where she had to go. Their fee of $139 was steep, but not the highest we saw. And my daughter had nothing but good things to say about the woman at Travisa who processed her papers. As an aside, she also was very thankful that the woman at the US Post Office (where she had to bring her papers to get them certified so that Travisa could submit them on her behalf) was equally helpful and level headed, checking carefully to make sure everything was in the envelope that would go to the passport office.
Our trip was great -- 9 days in Portugal with three generations of family and two cars full. We raised a few toasts to Travisa and the US Postal Service on our trip. And many thanks to the fodorites who gave their support and advice. I appreciate it a lot.

P_M

Fantastic, thanks for the update!!

111op

Excellent -- thanks for writing back!