4

From the Department of State web site, a passport can take "up to 18 weeks from the day an application is submitted to the day a new passport is received." For expedited service, this can take "up to 12 weeks" which is divided up into "6 weeks for processing and up to 6 weeks for mailing times on the front and back end." Furthermore, it says you can "Pay an extra $17.56 for 1-2 day delivery for the return of your completed passport."

It's unclear how much time this 1-2 day delivery could shave off the 12 week service. Since it says up to 6 weeks mailing time (which is the same as for non-expedited service) but mentions both front and back end components (which I assume could mean it takes some time to move through the internal mailing system before it actually gets sent out) I assume this means that it could shave anywhere from no time at all all the way up to 5 weeks and 5 days from the time. So there does not seem to be any guarantee that a passport can be obtained in under 12 weeks. And if one has a non-refundable airline ticket and their passport arrives even one day late all the money paid for the ticket and any part of the trip could be lost.

Suppose that one needs their (first) passport in 13 or 14 weeks. It would seem that the 12 week window is sufficient, until one goes to make an appointment and finds that no acceptance facility within 50 miles has any appointments until at least 4 weeks from now. Now suddenly it seems impossible to guarantee that one will receive their passport in time even with expedited shipping.

On the other hand, the only faster service seems to be limited to "life or death emergencies" defined by needing a passport "within 72 hours due to a qualifying life or death emergency" or urgent non-emergency travel which also seems to have a 3 business day window and requires proof of travel.

What does one do in such a situation where their travel time is non-emergency and non-urgent, and is sufficiently in advance to be beyond the expedited service time from the current date but is sooner than the expedited window due to the lack of appointments to start the process?

Update: I also looked at some "agencies" near me. They make claims which seem to contradict the "Department of State" suggesting things like you can get your passport in 10 weeks without them, and also have many horrible one-star reviews on how they are a scam, make promises they can't keep, prey on people in a rush, and can't do anything more than you can get directly from the government.

Improve this question
2
  • You can just book a refundable ticket, get a 72 hour passport, then cancel said ticket.
    – JonathanReez ♦
    Commented Jul 25, 2021 at 21:56
  • Normally I don't like to chastise someone, however..... it's one thing to have a passport and make your travel plans before you get a visa, but to make travel plans, including non-refundable tickets, BEFORE you even have a passport? Speaking of which, do you need a visa for where you are planning to travel, and is that location a COVID hotspot?
    – CGCampbell
    Commented Jul 26, 2021 at 11:37

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

And if one has a non-refundable airline ticket and their passport arrives even one day late all the money paid for the ticket and any part of the trip could be lost.

If you file now and your passport hasn’t arrived by three business days before your flight, then apply for a passport under the "urgent, non-emergency travel" provisions.

The other alternative is to not file now, and three business days before your flight, apply for a passport under the same "urgent, non-emergency travel" provisions.

It's a terrible choice. I'd choose the first alternative, so I could explain what I tried to do and why I was now in this urgent but non-emergency situation.

Improve this answer
6
  • 2
    So make a second application if it hasn't arrived within three business days? How would that work, would you paying twice, getting two passports? Or would the original one get rejected and/or refunded when your second one went through? Or would the second application somehow expedite the first one already in process?
    – Andy
    Commented Jul 25, 2021 at 18:03
  • Ugh... the first option may not even be available any more. I went back to make the appointment for four weeks from now, and now that appointment slot has disappeared.
    – Andy
    Commented Jul 25, 2021 at 18:11
  • @Andy I don’t know the answers. Regardless, what other choice do you have?
    – DavidRecallsMonica
    Commented Jul 25, 2021 at 21:00
  • @Andy You can get the expedited fee back if it doesn't arrive in 12 weeks. Other fees are generally non-refundable. In general, you only get one full-validity passport.
    – xngtng
    Commented Jul 25, 2021 at 21:04
  • @Andy I used the urgent non-emergency service two years ago. Nobody asked me to explain why I was using the service; the only justification I had to provide was proof of travel. There was no need to explain why I had failed to submit an earlier application. But nowadays it is apparently difficult to get appointments for the service, so one should be certain to book the appointment as early as possible. (The appointment needs to be no more than 72 hours before departure, but one can book the appointment before then.)
    – phoog
    Commented Jul 25, 2021 at 21:10

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .