Not sure where this thread should go (passport related) but . . . . . .

[MikeNJ1109]

We called our Congressman's office ... with their assistance, we received our DD's passport four days later.

 

Michael

[JolieMadam]

My son applied for his new passport in Jan. and it did not arrive until 2 days before his travel date which was June 18th. I think it's safe to say that the passports are executed according to travel dates if they are specified on the application. It does make a lot of sense that this is the procedure and to expect quick service is not realistic.

 

There are third party agents who will expedite passports for those with emergencies who have to leave the country...it's very pricy but can be done. One of my family members had to renew an expired passport recently for a trip four days out. She was able to get it done and into her hands within 3 days.

[KC_fn]

This is getting crazy -- 16, 18, 20 weeks or more? I wonder how long it'll be before the US govt rescinds the new passport regs, and goes back to the old way?

[sail7seas]

And just think...... Ten years from now all of these passports will have to be renewed and we'll go through this mess again.

 

[canalbound]

We applied for renewed passports on March 13th and just received them last Thursday, the 26th. (Our travel plans are for the end of August, so we weren't getting too worried yet.) Hang in there!

[cherylandtk]

This is getting crazy -- 16, 18, 20 weeks or more? I wonder how long it'll be before the US govt rescinds the new passport regs, and goes back to the old way?

Already done for cruise passengers; the WHTI is an international agreement, which goes into full effect in 2009, but the US implementation of it has an exemption for US citizen cruise passengers going round trip to Mexico, Canada or Caribbean/Bahamas.

[planktin]

"I assume you dropped them off at the post office? They aren't state dept workers, so IMO they shouldn't be stating ANYTHING about a time-frame, as they aren't the ones working on them..."

 

Approx. every two weeks the USPS gets updates as to how long it should take to receive passports. We have to have some sort of answer for people who ask "how long" and our info comes straight from the state dept.:)

[Happy ks]

This is getting crazy -- 16, 18, 20 weeks or more? I wonder how long it'll be before the US govt rescinds the new passport regs, and goes back to the old way?

 

I don't quite understand the "old way".

 

Do you mean, that it takes 4-6 weeks, instead of 18-20?

 

Or, do you mean that people will be able to only use a birth certificate and other ID (drinvers license)?

 

Eventually, everyone who wants to come into the US will have to have proper documents to do so, even US citizens. Or so we hope. And that means everyone will have to obtain a passport before leaving the US.

 

Seeing the debacle since January with the backlog, I only hope people apply early enough and don't wait until needed, it's been horrible reading these frustrating stories, I feel bad for so many of you.

[NthernLgts]

I am getting really PO'd and impatient at this point with the US Passport Agency :mad: We applied for our passports at our local USPS office the last week of March (the 27th to be exact) and at the time they told us we'd receive them in 10 weeks. After a month we checked the status online and it said 10-12 weeks which I was completely fine with, but here it is well over three months and we still have not received our passports!!!! I don't know what to do . . . we are traveling in about two months and I don't want to receive them at the last minute, this is ridiculous! I tried contacting the agency directly, but they won't even bother connecting you to a representative unless you are traveling within the next two weeks. Any suggestions???

 

I hope by now you have contacted your congressional representative. Thats what they are there for. We did. My son just got his today, normal service, new passport, in 9-1/2 weeks.

[cherylandtk]

Eventually, everyone who wants to come into the US will have to have proper documents to do so, even US citizens. Or so we hope. And that means everyone will have to obtain a passport before leaving the US.

Not quite. As the law and proposed law now stand, the exception to this will be RT cruise from the US to Canada, Mexico, Bahamas or Caribbean. Everyone else will need a passport.

[Happy ks]

Not quite. As the law and proposed law now stand, the exception to this will be RT cruise from the US to Canada, Mexico, Bahamas or Caribbean. Everyone else will need a passport.

 

 

So, along with changing the dates again, they are changing the proposed law that requires passports to come into the US by ship? I haven't read the gov't site lately...actually I just went there, it's so confusing now, more so than it used to be.

 

Just a few months ago they listed the date that all persons would need passports when returning by cruise ship. I don't see that now, but I also don't see that there is an exception, or a final date, or anything by sea.

 

Does anyone know where the most recent information is?

[cherylandtk]

The information is on the government site, but you have to click through several links to get there. Essentially, they finally got around to publishing the proposed law on June 20, 2007 and when they did, they added a section that left a permanent exception to needing a passport for US cruise passengers. Fly or drive or walk across the border, gotta have a passport/passcard sometime in 2008. Take a RT cruise to Mexico, Canada, Bahamas or Caribbean, no.

 

Here is a link to the government page.

http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1182350422171.shtm

 

Here is the actual document:

http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/07-4584_Signed_Rule_061907.pdf

 

Its on page 36 of 114