Passports....

Can your current passport be already expired when you apply by mail?

To give my personal experience, I renewed my first passport when it was approximately 14 years 360 days old. So it had been expired nearly 5 years, but passports were about to increase in price so I jumped on it.

is it any quicker or still the 6-8 wks?

I've NEVER had it take so long. Not the original one in the mid 90s, nor my two renewals. Sometimes, at some passport places, it can take longer. But the agency that works on any given passport is based on the person's region and if it's a new passport or renewal, so they all vary!


Just an FYI, with a child's renewal the children AND parents need to be present or you must have a notorized letter from the absentee parent (or death certificate, sole custody papers etc)

FWIW, if you can't get the notarized letter, it's an actual form you have to have filled out: DS-5525: Statement of Exigent/Special Family Circumstances - For Issuance of a Passport to a Minor Under Age 16
 
Just an FYI, with a child's renewal the children AND parents need to be present or you must have a notorized letter from the absentee parent (or death certificate, sole custody papers etc)

Yes. That part I remember. Family field trip. We have to figure out when we're able to make an appointment when my husband can take off of work.

I've NEVER had it take so long. Not the original one in the mid 90s, nor my two renewals. Sometimes, at some passport places, it can take longer. But the agency that works on any given passport is based on the person's region and if it's a new passport or renewal, so they all vary!

Yeah, we're super close to Phila, which has a large Passport agency facility, so i recall getting ours quite quickly. Let's hope it's the same this time since we sail in 49 days! :scared:
 
Thank you. So I guess my questions are (1) Can your current passport be already expired when you apply by mail? And (2).is it any quicker or still the 6-8 wks? And i have a 3rd question i don't remember the answer to: At what point in time do you have your photo taken? Before you would actually apply?

Photo has to be taken within 6 months of sending application in. Also photo requirements have changed in that is you wear glasses you will have to have the photo taken without them. We just recently had our taken to do a renewal and a new passport.
 
Photo has to be taken within 6 months of sending application in. Also photo requirements have changed in that is you wear glasses you will have to have the photo taken without them. We just recently had our taken to do a renewal and a new passport.

Just today we had our appointment to reapply for our daughters' passports at a neighboring library. They actually had the capacity to take their photos then and there to submit with the applications. We are really cutting it close bc I forgot that they take their original birth certificates and passports as part of the application process. They won't be returned until after we receive the passports themselves. Here's hoping for a quick turnaround, otherwise looks like we'll be taking a field trip to.Philadelphia. ergh
 


We applied for ours in mid-June, did not do expedited, and I was pleasantly surprised to get them this week! The actual passports arrived on Monday 7/3 and the birth certificates arrived today, so much earlier than expected. :)
 
Also, don't be surprised that not everything will be returned in the same mailing. I forget the details, but something like Passport in one mailing (on one day) your documents (old passport, BC, etc.) in a second mailing and your Passport card (if you also got one of those) in a third mailing. Just don't want anyone to freak out when they open the first envelope and some things aren't in there.
 
Just wanted to update my earlier post in case anyone is wondering about passport turnaround time: We applied for ours on July 7 with normal, not expedited, service, and we just received an update they will be received by us on July 24. Pretty quick turnaround time. And we live near Phila and they are being processed in Boston for anyone who is interested. Hope this helps.
 


Update to my update! All passports were delivered last night via USPS Priority Mail. So non-expedited service took exactly two weeks! That has to be a record! :thumbsup2:thumbsup2:thumbsup2
 
I renewed my daughters passport. She had a child's passport but now needed an adult passport. Had to apply in person. It arrived in 16 days. Also by Priority Mail.
 
We applied last week. We got all the new passports back today. This was not expedited. I am still waiting for mine to come back. It was a renewal.
 
Seeing how close some are surprises me......but there are always expedited options if it doesn't come on time.
 
Photo has to be taken within 6 months of sending application in. Also photo requirements have changed in that is you wear glasses you will have to have the photo taken without them. We just recently had our taken to do a renewal and a new passport.

And you can't smile. DD was fascinated by the fact that my parents are smiling in their passports but we aren't. Theirs have to be renewed in '18 or '19, so they will lose their happy faces soon.

Now she looks at every of photo and asks about the rules surrounding smiles.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Latest posts



Top