I know I'm posting on the Europe forum, but that's where I do most of my traveling. I have time before I travel again, however I thought it best to get an early start on the renewal our passports. I went to the post office, filled out the application,attached pictures, and turned in the old passports with a check in the amount of $134 for the 2 renewals. I asked the post office clerk if this was correct and she said yes. Now 7 weeks later my check has not been cashed and our names are not in the government's system. A nice man at the 800 number did check for me and explained perhaps they were not able to process the 2 passports together with the one check. So here I sit with no passport and I don't know, nor does anyone seem to know where they are. I am not in panic mode yet, but I do have tickets to travel in March and certainly hope this can be resolved before then. Does anyone have any experience with renewals and sending 2 renewals in one envelope with one check?

Hi opaldog,

I don't have the answer to your question but I went through an ordeal earlier this year to get my daughter's passport renewed. The following is a very helpful forum that deals with passport issues. Maybe if you post your question there you'll get some answers. They were very helpful to me

http://whirledview.typepad.com/whirl...rts-conti.html

Good luck!

My husband and I were just talking about this the other night. My passport expires in 2009. With all the long delays in getting a new one, I thought about applying early. But I wonder if I have to give up my current passport and don't get a new one for another year, (even though it is still good thru 2009), what does one do to travel outside the country.

Thanks cruiseluv. I'm going the us representative route and I am emailing the passport center in nh. Hopefully this will get resolved.

nanabee, you have to surrender your current passport when you renew. I think you are thinking of renewing way too soon. However, that's a good question about what to do in that case.

I don't have an answer to opaldog. I do know that it took me less than 30 days to get my new passport. My old passport would have expired in late November, 2007.

I saw another post here a day or so ago saying that it took him 3 weeks to get his back. So it appears that now is a good time to renew.

However, I wouldn't send in a passport that doesn't expire until 2009. But I probably wouldn't wait until March, 2008 if my passport expired in March - especially if I was traveling in June.

How efficient the passport office will be when the busy travel season occurs again is anyone's guess.

So sorry, opaldog, about your trials. I don't think there's a backlog right now, so I would assume the check may indeed be your problem. Or perhaps there may be NO problem--there seems to be a lack of coordination about where the passports are in the system.
Let me explain.

I posted recently that my two passport renewals' turnaround time--I applied before Sept 1. 2007--was less than 3 weeks. I did check "expedite," but I expected I still would wait longer since we had no definite travel plans in the near future.

I paid for mine with money orders (paid for by a VISA) because I had forgotten my checkbook. The man at the post office said, "Whatever you do, make sure you get a money order for each and write on each of them a reference name."

However, I have no concrete information that one check or money order can't cover two passports--my youngest child couldn't "renew by mail" and I could, so that could have been the reason for two separate money orders.

A belt and suspenders person from birth,I also sent my passport by certified mail. It certainly seemed as though the renewal was going to take awhile because the delivery comfirmation was posted six business days after my express mailing.

And what was even more confusing was consulting the passport office's online "application in process" every single day after receiving the delivery confirmation. Nothing. In fact, my name NEVER showed up as being processed. I was getting worried but my passport arrived before I took the issue to the 800 number.

And as I posted here, my daughter's passport, the passport one would assume would take longer, arrived one day earlier than mine.

In addition, today I got in the mail a postcard for her that said, "Your passport is being processed." We've had her passport for days now. I received no notice about mine.

So given those circumstances, perhaps your passports are winging their way to you as we speak.

I would love to have the passports just show up, but somehow I don't think that will be the case. My check has not been cashed. I wish that I had gone to your post office. My postal clerk said one check would be ok and that not to send it certified. I certainly should have sent it certified. I did email my representative and I did call Portsmouth, NH and emailed to an address that they gave over the phone. I will call my rep on Monday as I really think the passports are in the dead letter post office.

Opaldog: My heart goes out to you. Hope Monday's phone calls get results.

Thanks, josephina and to everyone else who has posted. I will be pursuing this until I receive the passports.

opaldog
again, i am sorry for your predicament.
do you think you might be able to get ahold of the same post office clerk who gave you the information?
and definately talk to his/her supervisor to find out why the checks/passports are not anywhere in sight.

Opaldog,

Good move to contact your congressman. That's what helped us. After waiting for over 12 weeks for my daughter's passport we contacted him.

I would also go back to your post office and find out to what passport office do they send passport renewals. At the very least they should be able to give you that information!

Good luck!

When you are talking to the congressional office you might want to urge your representative or Senator to support proposed legislation that would delay implementation of the requirement to have a passport for land and sea travel from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda until June 2009.
The special travel accomodation that allowed people flying to the US from these areas to travel w/o a passport if they had an application pending is set to expire October 1st. The land and sea requirements will go into effect in 2008 unless the law is changed.
The state dept claims that passport processing has been restored to the standard times as of Sept. 7

Good luck getting your passport problems resolved quickly.

Thanks all for the advice and support. I will put in a plug for not enforcing the requirement for passports for all travel within North America and at least US Carribean. Why not be like the European Union?

The latest update on my renewal problem: I emailed Portsmouth and received a reply that that was an email address only for Congressman and Passport agencies. I spoke with my Congressman's local office and I was able to get help. The gentleman I spoke with was also unable to locate our passports, so now I am instructed to mail 2 new passport renewal applications in the same envelope with 1 check (for both) and copies of our old passports and duplicates photos for each to Boston and I have a contact. I also have to cancel my original check, which carries a bank fee of $20.00. If this all goes well the $20.00 means nothing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks for all the advice and comments. I'll let you know when (I'm being positive) we receive our passports.

You're a trooper! Hope all goes well.

Another encouraging passport story: we applied for a passport for our son on August 27th and just received it (from the NH center) today. this was considered a new application since he had a children's passport due to expire 12/07 and could not renew by mail.
so there is definitely hope that even if you assume you are starting over completely with the second applications you will get the passports back relatively quickly

The expedited fee for a passport is $127 per passport. I don't know where you got the $134 for two passports, but that IS INCORRECT.
dave

DinPa, I think opaldog did two standard renewals. They are $67 per renewal, for a total of $134.

My husband applied for his renewal passport and regular mailed it, within 8 weeks he had his new passport.