How long is the wait for a passport?
 

Hello fellow fodorites!

I have talked my fiance into considering London for our November honeymoon, alas neither of us has a passport.

Should we run, not walk, and get our passports ASAP, just in case? Or can we wait a month or so? How long is the wait to get a passport these days?

Thanks!

They are saying 4 - 6 weeks now. We just did our on April 28th. It was 4 weeks yesterday but haven't seen them yet.

Another thing to keep in mind is if you have your birth certificates or will you need to order them too. Those can take some time depending on what state you were born. We paid extra to have them sent quickly. I had our orginials but you have to let them take them and they mail them back and for sentimental reasons, we didn't want to take a chance of them getting lost or destoyed.

I'd start now, but wouldn't be in a panic.

Utahtea

Just a comment Cadgirl. You say you need a passport for your honeymoon.

You apply for your passport under your current name.

You get married and IF you are taking your new husband's last name..

Do NOT reserve your tickets for your honeymoon under your new married name as the name on your ticket has to be exactly as the name on your passport.

So have your tickets (R/T) for your honeymoon issued exactly as the name on your passport.

After you return from your honeymoon you can have your passport amended to your new married name (assuming you will be using your husband's surname) and if you request the change within a certain time frame it will not cost you any additional fees.

Also, if you have a Frequent Flyer Account with your airline you will need to have that changed to your new married name also..after you return from your honeymoon as your FF A/C needs to be under the same name as the airline tickets and the passport.

Best wishes to you two, may you have a long and loved filled life together!

No problem waiting "a month or so." You're probably thinking about stories that came out during the big surge of applications when the law changed to require passports for places that hadn't ever required them before. The passport offices were overwhelmed, but things are back to normal now.

Thanks for your replies. LoveItaly I am aware that all travel arrangements should be made under my current name, but thanks for mentioning it!

In the past, renewals were taking 2 weeks. However, my last one took 5 weeks. I would think new apps will take the full 6 weeks. If you sign up, they do email you when its sent out.

You should call your passport office but at least in LA, you can definitely get an expedited passport for a fee (something like $65 extra on top of the passport processing fees). My sister recently sent hers in to be renewed with an expedite fee and she got it back within 3 days. Another friend got same day service with the expedite fee. All she needed was a ticket showing she was departing within the next two weeks. So, you should call your passport office for details but not be worried.