FYI - I paid the expedited fee, sent my application in Express Mail and enclosed a self-addressed, postage-paid Express Mail envelope.

They received it on Tuesday, June 12, and I got my new (and old) passport today, Friday, June 22. 10 days! Best extra $90 I've ever spent.

(In case anyone wants to know, I'm from Los Angeles and sent my passport renewal to Philly)

I finally got thru to the Los Angeles
Consulate General and was told that
pp 90 day rule applies.. I told her
that their website doesn't give any
pp info, just the visa. She said she
is going to update it. We will see!!
I feel much better. That is my
last source of information. IF it is
wrong, those immigration agents are
going to see this old lady cry.

WHEW

Just received our new passports (with requested extra pages) after 13 weeks, with regular service. We got the old ones back along with the new. Good thing we didn't need them until Oct. I was going to panic in Aug.

I just wanted to share my passport renewal experience with everyone.

I downloaded the forms from the trav.state.gov site and submitted everything myself, however instead of sending it in the regular mail I sent the documents via Fedex to the address for 0vernight delivery service that does not deliver to a post office box. Note that I did NOT request or pay for their Expedited services - I merely enclosed a check for $67. These documents were shipped on Thursday 7/26 for delivery on Friday 7/27.

Less than two and a half weeks later it was completely processed and I got back it in the mail on Tuesday 8/14.

All I can say is WOW! I cannot help but wonder if it helped that I shipped the renewal application to them via FedEx and perhaps it got mixed in with all of the ones from people who had requested and paid for the expedited service. Or perhaps I just got lucky

I live in NJ and sent my documents to the New Castle, Delaware address on the trav.state.gov website. I also went to the 'check the status of your request' page on that site and registered for emails to track the status. They emailed me when they started processing the renewal, when the completed it, and when they mailed it back.

Good luck to all of you who are waiting for yours.....

dex, that's fantastic!

That's a great story! You were very lucky!

I've heard Expedited passports are taking 3 wks now. The outook is not supposed to improve.

Shana

my girlfriend applied new (she had one from when she was a teenager but that wasn't good for renewal some 30 years later!) she applied at a local office on July13 using the expedited option. she received her passport yesterday Aug. 18. the processing office went thru the philadelphia passport office...

I have to get a new passport as well. I just realized the other day that my passport is lost. I won't mention any names, but a person who's initials are S.H. may have thrown out a box of good stuff and kept a box of junk during a recent office move.

I have downloaded and filled out the proper forms and will go get pics taken on Monday. I was hoping to talk myself in to a short trip to NYC or Chicago to truly expidite things, but alas, I have no firm travel plans outside the US. I will, however use the expidited service and let you all know how it turns out.

Three weeks isn't bad, but you know someone can always call Monday morning and say "hey, can you come down here and take a look at this thing?" I always want to answer "Yes, sir."

We sent in my husband's passport renewal (regular service) the first week of August and received it back two weeks later. We were stunned! Maybe they've finally gotten all their processing offices up to speed.

You are lucky. Don't count on the processing being up to speed. We sent our daugther's passport in for renewal on June 29, over 7 weeks ago. The State Department website is saying it will arrive mid to late September (probably 12 weeks).

Husband applied for renewal at the end of May and we just received it this weekend , no expedited service.

I had to renew our kids passports in June and we received them back in 4 weeks. I was pleased that it took only 4 weeks after hearing about other people's horror stories. It used to be where we didn't renew our passports until it was needed. These days, I say renew it as soon as it expires.
Right after 9/11 happened, we found some dirt cheap fares to Japan that was too good to pass up. We had to expedite our kids passports and was able to make the trip. Today, with the high cost of the passport fees and questionable turnaround time, I always make sure our passports are current.

Mr Again called, he got the mail, my renewed passport came in exactly 2 months later. June 29 - August 29.

I live in San Francisco (does it make any difference?) and mailed the passport to the address I don't remember now but to the address on the website.

I wonder what the time differences are between renewing and requesting a brand new passport...

I don't think there is any difference.

The backlog is caused by the law of having a passport going to Canada/Mexico, and I beleive the majority of the applicants request a new passport, not a renewal.

My daughter renewed her passport the middle of April at our local PO. The passport person told her it would either go to LA or one of the southern cities..don't remember which one.

She received the renewal this past Saturday so it took a little over four months.

We received our daughter's renewal from the Seattle office recently. It took 8 wks.

The new passports have microchips imbedded in the front cover, which is quite thick. The pages are different with great pictures of the US and wonderful quotes.

Just thought I'd let you know that we paid for expedited service and had our passports in just under four weeks. It was well worth the extra money to have them back in less than a month.

Lots of factors affecting passport times including which passport office it is being sent to, whether a new or renewal, your "travel history" if you are renewing, and how much info is already in your "security" file when they go to process the passport or renewal. I received my passport back 10 days after I mailed it (didn't expedite) but I work for Uncle Sam and now days that translates to they even know what kind of toilet paper you use. Things are speeding up though, but definitely don't wait until the last minute.

LOL Orcas - I thought the 4-color pictures and high-minded quotes were overkill and a waste of my taxpayer dollars! To each his own, right?