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Amazingly Fast Passport Turnaround!

Lady_Gamecock

By Lady_Gamecock,
in Family Cruises

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Lady_Gamecock

Lady_Gamecock

Posted
Posted

It was time to renew Baby_G's (I guess she isn't a baby anymore!) as her passport was set to expire this month. We decided to be "pro-active" and renew over Christmas Break and figured it would take a while to get it (we're traveling over Spring Break in April).

 

TO OUR SHOCK, her passport was in our mailbox 10 Business Days after we went to the Post Office and there was a Federal Holiday in there, too!! We did not pay for expedited service, either!

 

Aside from sticker shock on how much a 5 year passport was, everything went very well!!!

 

Lady_G

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HeartNP

HeartNP

Posted
Posted

NICE!!

I have to get one for my DS 8...we sail in April, so I have a little time. I have to bring my husband with me apparently, so that only leaves the weekends to get it done! (he travels a lot during the week).

 

Where did you go to get it?

 

Karen

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Lady_Gamecock

Lady_Gamecock

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NICE!!

I have to get one for my DS 8...we sail in April, so I have a little time. I have to bring my husband with me apparently, so that only leaves the weekends to get it done! (he travels a lot during the week).

 

Where did you go to get it?

 

Karen

 

If your husband is gone during the week, there is a form on the passport website that you will need to fill out and have notarized that states that your husband is fine with you applying for a passport for your child, otherwise he will have to be there with you, and the passport departments in the POST OFFICE is only open during the week, not weekends. MOST Post Offices require an appointment to be made.

 

*IF* this is your child's first passport, this may take a little longer. There is "some" investigation that goes on - verification of NO back child support, taxes, etc. Obviously, since it's a child, this reporting should not take long, but I WOULD NOT wait much longer. Our upcoming cruise is also in April, but I did not want to risk it.

 

Lady_G

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Almost Packed

Almost Packed

Posted
Posted

we rec'd ds-7's passport in less than 2 weeks...it was his first. i was shocked. honestly, i figured for the kids there is less background checking to do. what can a 7 year old be involved in ? This was two weeks before Christmas.

 

We have a local post office that is a town away from us that is available on weekends while our small town's post office only had a couple of hours a day it would process passports.

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Lady_Gamecock

Lady_Gamecock

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That is terrific!! We have a MAJOR postal hub here in Charleston and they specifically told us that Post Offices (may just in South Carolina) DO NOT process on Saturday's - nice to know you guys have one that does!!!

 

DD was so excited to see her Passport NOT be a baby photo, though I have to admit, her photo was adorable! Our son's photo, on the other hand..........YIKES! I will post that photo the WORST PASSPORT OF ALL TIME website! :) :D

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chipmaster

chipmaster

Posted
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You do realize the rush was probably for Christmas so the queue was probably short for afterwards ;)

 

It was time to renew Baby_G's (I guess she isn't a baby anymore!) as her passport was set to expire this month. We decided to be "pro-active" and renew over Christmas Break and figured it would take a while to get it (we're traveling over Spring Break in April).

 

TO OUR SHOCK, her passport was in our mailbox 10 Business Days after we went to the Post Office and there was a Federal Holiday in there, too!! We did not pay for expedited service, either!

 

Aside from sticker shock on how much a 5 year passport was, everything went very well!!!

 

Lady_G

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parrotthead

parrotthead

Posted
Posted

Ours was fast too..

GingerBaby (6mo 0ld) and Nieces were back in about 8business days... (and that included NewYears holiday) Both were first PassPorts and GingerBaby only has Mumsa's name on Birthcirt, so his was 'one parent'... no problems. We went to the Local PassPort office (in Govt building, not PostOffice)

Yea!

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  • 2 weeks later...
CeleBrat

CeleBrat

Posted
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12 business days for us! (Don't tell my kids, as I DRAGGED them to the county office 2 weeks ago saying we HAD to go on that day as time was running out before our cruise.)

 

HURRAY!

 

Now just waiting for their birth certificates to make their way back to us through the mail.

 

CeleBrat

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Lady_Gamecock

Lady_Gamecock

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12 business days for us! (Don't tell my kids, as I DRAGGED them to the county office 2 weeks ago saying we HAD to go on that day as time was running out before our cruise.)

 

HURRAY!

 

Now just waiting for their birth certificates to make their way back to us through the mail.

 

CeleBrat

 

HA HA!

 

Baby_G's passport came in one envelope and her expired passport and birth certificate were in another!

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  • 2 weeks later...
mitsugirly Great Review Rare

mitsugirly

Posted
Posted

I just planned a last minute cruise (in the middle of March) and decided not to bother with a passport for my 3 year old because it took us about 6 weeks to get ours 2 years ago. I might just try this after all.

 

What does it cost now for a passport? Are children passports cheaper?

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angelndscz

angelndscz

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If your husband is gone during the week, there is a form on the passport website that you will need to fill out and have notarized that states that your husband is fine with you applying for a passport for your child, otherwise he will have to be there with you, and the passport departments in the POST OFFICE is only open during the week, not weekends. MOST Post Offices require an appointment to be made.

 

*IF* this is your child's first passport, this may take a little longer. There is "some" investigation that goes on - verification of NO back child support, taxes, etc. Obviously, since it's a child, this reporting should not take long, but I WOULD NOT wait much longer. Our upcoming cruise is also in April, but I did not want to risk it.

 

Lady_G

 

 

Our passport office in the post office is open on Saturdays by appointment only.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Curisin Newbie

Curisin Newbie

Posted
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I am freaking out here but this thread is reassuring me a little bit.

 

We went to the post office on Saturday to get my 2 daughters and myself a passport. We had never gotten one. We did pay the expedite charge but I am still a bit uneasy. We figure that it probably went out today 3/5 and we need it by 3/23. I had no idea they would take our birth certificates too. Now we are really stuck if the passports or birth certificates aren't returned by the 23rd.

 

I was fine with using our birth certificates but hubby made us get passports. Talk about a ton of money!!!!:( This could have been money spent on the cruise. But after this is all over, nothing has to be paid out for 10 years.

 

Can anyone reassure me that they will be here by the 23rd?:eek:

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study19kda

study19kda

Posted
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I think some of it depends on your specific passport office, but early last month we applied for my son's first passport, and we received it in the mail 10 days after we applied, and we just did a normal application (not expedited). Here's hoping that you also get yours quickly!!

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MrsK2008

MrsK2008

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Curisin Newbie - you can go the State Department's website and get a status on your passport. You may be able to contact them.

 

http://travel.state.gov/passport/status/status_2567.html

 

We also got our passports in about two weeks and we didn't expedite them either. Our local passport office that is at the PO is open for a few hours on Saturday and no appointment was needed, so sounds like it varies from PO to PO.

 

Also, you can also get a passport card if you don't want spend the $110 for a passport book for your LO. The passport card is only valid for Canada, Mexico, & Caribbean and only by land or sea (no air travel), so a good option if you are planning a Caribbean cruise.

 

http://travel.state.gov/passport/ppt_card/ppt_card_3926.html

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