Thanks for the feedback. Everything I’ve checked suggests that he should have no problem with the existing passport. I checked the IATA Travel Centre too and their algorithm says he should be okay. https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/home.htm?_gl=1*1aymkq2*_ga*MTI1NTAyOTM0LjE2ODkxODIwNDM.*_ga_PLLG1EY0X0*MTY4OTE4MjA0My4xLjEuMTY4OTE4MjY0MS41OS4wLjA
And I’ve seen too many reports of delays with expedited processing right now to feel good about risking it.
He is cutting it close. Both with expedited and with travel.
I’ve done the “urgent travel” process and frankly, that was easy. I would do that. You can only do it 2 weeks prior to travel and need flight reservations in hand. He may not have the time to do that prior to a wedding?
Just have a backup plan in case he is denied boarding. There are some agents who look for 6 months regardless of specific rules.
I would not renew. I applied for a renewal online, in the middle of December, and it took 11 weeks to get the new one. I’m reading all kinds of articles that say it takes longer now.
Once the passport office starts processing your application, they invalidate your old passport so there’s a number of weeks where you can’t travel outside of the country at all. That’s the risk you would be taking if you tried to renew now. It sounds like your current passport is OK. I occasionally hear stories about airline personnel getting passport date requirements screwed up and denying entry, but it’s very rare. You might want to have a link available on your phone to the passport requirements for Schengen countries, which include France and Spain and require 3 months validity past your departure date. My guess is enough people travel to France and Spain so that airline personnel know the requirements.
PS: consider having kiddos register with the State Dept. whenever they travel abroad. This way the U.S. consulates in whichever country know that they will be in their “realm” and how/where to reach them, in case things happen (either abroad, or back home):
https://step.state.gov/
We renewed DH in February, took about 3 weeks. Sometime around May things went to Hades in a 747. PP office stopped taking online renewals.
Keep in mind that the timeframe given for renewals starts the clock once the PP office ‘officially’ receives your renewal request. This can be up to two weeks after you send it so the standard processing time in real people math is 2 weeks to 'receive + 13 weeks. And expedited process just means they will try to do it faster. Reading any of the travel threads on the standard sites will highlight the poo show that is currently the renewal process.
DD want’s to get PP for the 1 and 3 year old. The earliest she can get an appointment (a she is coming to a very small town post office most ppl with never stumble upon) is October.
It’s the PP office version of the IRS voice system that ALWAYS says…due to unusually high call volume…right around April 1. Like no one could predict a rise in requests before tax due date…just like no one in the State Department could have had a clue that there would be a run on passports after a two year travel stoppage.
I’m wondering if I should try to renew my passport now or wait a few months. I don’t have any international travel planned before June 2024 but you never know. I could pay the extra to expedite - normally I wouldn’t spend the money unless I had to - but the idea of being without a passport for months is a bit unnerving. I wonder if it will go back closer to normal in the fall?
It was a trial program and there were bugs. It is supposed to reopen soon.
People here are going to the little towns because they can’t get appointments in the city. Most post offices only do passports a couple days per week.
The best experience we ever had was using the county clerk in St Johns County (St. Augustine) FL. Walked in with every document I had The clerk was able to process my (adult) renewal just using my expired pp, my daughter (16) first time adult pp with her expired child’s passport, and my daughter’s (15) ‘new’ child passport (children’s passports don’t renew, just get a new one every 5 years) using her expired passport. She didn’t need anything else that I can remember. The 15 year old was born in China so has a variety of document like foreign birth certificates, state certificate of foreign birth, old passports, certificate of citizenship, but she was happy with the expired (US) passport and I didn’t have to send off certificate of citizenship again (which is always scary as it costs something like $1500 to replace).
See if your (your daughter’s) county clerk processes passports.
There has to be a better system for passports here in the States. It should NOT be so difficult and lengthy.
I wonder what the turn around time is in other countries?
I think it’s partially just luck who’s stack your application get put in. I renewed mine 18 months ago. Made sure I had a good picture. My previous one looked like I was on drugs. Sent it off happily. A couple of weeks later I drug h to get his picture taken. He wasn’t happy and it showed. I mailed his off. His came back immediately. Looked great. Mine took forever. And they screwed up my picture. Same picture obviously but they filtered it so it’s really red and under my eyes are black. I look like a Clown. Ugh. I can’t win.
But they were mailed from the same post office to the same place two weeks apart. The later one beat the early one by several weeks.
In Israel it was really difficult for a while. However, what they did was simply allow people to use their expired passports for another 6 months. They have just done so again.
I can see that working for re-entry to Israel - but I’d be worried about that one immigration clerk in some distant foreign port of entry, who happened to not get that memo from country 192.
6-8 weeks is not uncommon for biometric passports, even allowing for consulate processing.
They warn people that just because it’s good for Israel, other countries may not be so accepting. For people with dual or more citizenship, it’s good, and they also are allowing Israelis living abroad with an additional citizenship to enter and leave with their other passport.
Luckily, my passports are up-to-date.
Some dual citizens may not realize that leaving (and entering) the United States on any passport OTHER than their U.S. passport is actually unlawful and (at best) will earn you a stern talking-to at the immigration desk upon re-entry:
“U.S. nationals, including U.S. dual nationals, must use a U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States.”
as wells as possible caveats at the foreign destination:
“Limited U.S. Assistance Abroad: Local authorities may not recognize your U.S. nationality if you are also a national of that country, especially if you did not enter the country using your U.S. passport. The U.S. embassy or consulate’s ability to provide consular assistance may be limited.”
Since the US does not currently have exit control in place, I am not sure that this matters in practice.
However, reentry into the US will always require the US passport. There is virtually no way around this.
In any event, foreign authorities are unlikely to recognize US nationality for their own citizens regardless of which passport they use to enter the foreign country.