Help Please Have you ever used a Passport Expeditor?
 

I just bought my brother a ticket to Germany for departure on Feb 18. His passport is expired. I found an article on travel and leisure's website that listed a website for expeditors. Anybody ever used American Passport Express or any other passport expeditor?

You can get your Passport in less than 2 weeks from the State Dept. Just pay the extra $60.00 for expedited service. You can go online as fill out the form and print your form already filled out. Then send the form, two new pictures, old passport and a certified copy of birth certificate along with the fee. In less than two weeks your new passport along with your canceled old one comes in.

W used an expeditor as my husband realized, the day before we were to leave to go to Switzerland (it was a Sat. night) , that his passport had just expired! It was Labor Day weekend, Nothing open. We went nuts. Finally, on Tuesday morning my husband ran to an expeditor (we're in NY) at 7AM, and by 2:30 PM they had gotten him his passport and we left for Switzerland that evening. We had had to change our reservations which cost us money. The expeditor cost us $195 for same-day service, but was worth it, 'cause without them we wouldn't have been able to go at all.

I always use an expeditor for passport renewal (I travel frequently and on short notice and I do not want to be without my passport, even for a week or so) and visas. I brought my passport in for renewal on a Tuesday in early January, and had my new passport by Friday (I used the expeditor in the Satellite Airline Office across from Grand Central Station in NY).

I was all ready for my trip to Brazil in 7 days, when I happened to read ``Visa is required of U.S. visitors -- personal visit to the embassy is necessary'' in the guidebook.

Yikes! The visa expediting service saved my bacon. Besides the overnight express of documents, I paid for a guy to sit in line at the embassy and submit my paperwork (which was allowed -- go figure). I found it through a travel agency.

For those who need to rely on a passport expediter, be very careful with the timing--this is an issue we have faced every day lately. Because of the backlogs the passport offices throughout the country have reduced the number of appointments that these expediters can get, as a result they have had to turn away people needing a same-day turnaround.

I am bumping this up because I'm looking for current information about passport expeditors (expediters). Any experiences, recommendations, warnings will be appreciated -- there is a trip I would take in two weeks IF I thought I could get my passport renewed by then.

Dear Elizabeth,
I can highly recommend American Passport Express. Call them and follow every step to the letter. Most important: when you mail the packet, be sure to use the Fed Ex level of top priority mail service which American Passport Express specifies. Good luck to you!

Since the trip is not until Feb, regular expedited service (the $60 mentioned above) should certainly be sufficient. In fact, I just received notice that my son's passport (new which is slower) has been mailed to us, 73 days after applying <i>without</i> expediting, without including travel plans, and without express mailing. It seems they're getting back on track.

Paul

A bit OT but my husband and I applied for our passport renewals on July 1st and they arrived yesterday. About a 6 week turn-around.

but the original question was from back in January of 2007 for a trip in February 2007.
:-)

This thread is a good example of why you should not &quot;bump up&quot; an old question, when you are seeking <u><i><b>current</b></i></u> information, in a timely fashion to answer what is really a <u><i><b>new</b></i></u> question.

While the experience of canyonjane is reassuring, I think it is almost worthless without an update on how American Passport Express is <u><i><b>currently</b></i></u> oerforming. This summer, fall and winter are different from any past experiences with regard to getting passport renewals.

And while the reply from julieah is good to know, she does not specify if she asked for expedited service. Besides, six weeks turnaround will not help Elizabeth.

I suggest a new post, mentioning &quot;turnaround times, US passports, August 2007&quot; in the subject heade&quot;. And it would be valuable information for Eliabeth or someone to call American Passport Express and ask what they are telling their customers right now.

Best wishes,

Rex

Thanks, Rex, you're right I am sure - I did start a new thread, but before I'd read your note so that's why all your advice isn't followed!!

Update on expediting passports from US State Department

The agency has been harshly criticized for massive delays in processing passports as a result of the surge in applications.

The fallout from the backlog continued this week,(Aug 17) when officials estimated it would cost nearly $1 billion over the next three years to handle the demand, and said they would no longer guarantee a three-day in-house processing time for pricier, expedited passport service.

Barrett said she did not know how many people had applied for refunds on their expedited passport service, nor how much money the agency has paid out in refunds as a result of the mess.

To handle such expedited requests, the State Department is giving itself more time — 10 days of internal processing as opposed to the previous standard of three days.