Passport Renewal...

[Tanks]

Well, my passport was going to expire in July. I have an international trip planned in May, so it was time to renew. Went and got a haircut and a beard trim as the picture would be there for ten years.

On March 1, I sent my renewal application to the PA passport office. They picked it up from the PO box the evening of March 5th, Oh, yeah, I paid for expediting.

Today I received the passport, shipped from AZ DOS office. Issue date was 11th of March. It took them a week to issue my new passport. Portal to portal time was two weeks exactly.

Quite a change from very long renewal times, I guess they have caught up with the backlog.

Now, the passport card I ordered will come separately, most likely by regular mail at a later time. I also hope that they will also return my old passport. Ten years of travel and hunting visas

 

[Just Gina]

Well, my passport was going to expire in July. I have an international trip planned in May, so it was time to renew. Went and got a haircut and a beard trim as the picture would be there for ten years.

On March 1, I sent my renewal application to the PA passport office. They picked it up from the PO box the evening of March 5th, Oh, yeah, I paid for expediting.

Today I received the passport, shipped from AZ DOS office. Issue date was 11th of March. It took them a week to issue my new passport. Portal to portal time was two weeks exactly.

Quite a change from very long renewal times, I guess they have caught up with the backlog.

Now, the passport card I ordered will come separately, most likely by regular mail at a later time. I also hope that they will also return my old passport. Ten years of travel and hunting visas

I think they have caught up. I had to change my last name on mine from back when Bob and I got married. I did not pay for expedited service. I sent it off on January 18 of this year and had mine back in less than two weeks as well. My dad had a similar experience for a new issue passport.
I got my marriage license and old passport back within a couple of days of the passport.

 

[JimP]

I started my renewal on Feb 1. Got me a new picture and sent everything off for both a new passport book and card.

It was received on Feb 5 and I received my new passport last Monday March 11.

I didn't expedite it so it still went through pretty fast. I am still waiting on my returned documents along with the passport card.

 

[Woodcarver]

Just renewed mine in December. Just over 2 weeks turnaround without expediting. Old passport showed up in the mail a couple days later. Thought I would need it for a flight in late February as my DL expired in March, but even our state government seems to have caught up and sent the new DL a few days before my flight.

 

[Milo]

Have you ever had a use for your passport card? I got one last time but not sure if there is much use to having one.

 

[AHT081]

I also applied online early February. I think right before they closed it again and I saw that they are having problems with the online system updating. So I don't know if you can use it as an accurate gauge. I am also planning a trip to Europe for mid May and am not worried quite yet.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Any word on the “Trusted Traveler” Global Entry timeline. Has that improved also ?

 

[mdwest]

Have you ever had a use for your passport card? I got one last time but not sure if there is much use to having one.

I got one as well…

Haven’t found a single use for it yet…

I suppose I bought into the marketing without fully thinking it through before buying..

 

[Red Leg]

Any word on the “Trusted Traveler” Global Entry timeline. Has that improved also ?

My Global Entry renewal has been sitting as "Pending Review" for over eighteen months! It expired last September, though the note remains that a "grace period" is in effect due to a "significant increase in application volume." Will find out in a few weeks if it is still valid.

 

[mdwest]

My Global Entry renewal has been sitting as "Pending Review" for over eighteen months! It expired last September, though the note remains that a "grace period" is in effect due to a "significant increase in application volume." Will find out in a few weeks if it is still valid.

I’m in a similar situation… I’ve been in a holding pattern for about 11 months…

We can afford 80,000 new IRS agents… but can’t seem to afford an additional dozen CBP guys to manage the global entry renewal desk..

The federal government rocks! lol

 

[JimP]

Have you ever had a use for your passport card? I got one last time but not sure if there is much use to having one.

I've used it for entry into Mexico when I didn't want to pack my passport book. When I head down to Arizona for a javelina hunt I just place the card into my wallet. I know others who take it with them when they are on a cruse in the Caribbean.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

How long for a new passport for a Zim citizen, anyone care to guess?

 

[Tanks]

Have you ever had a use for your passport card? I got one last time but not sure if there is much use to having one.

My reasoning is for airline travel. Getting a Federally approved driver‘s license requires onerous documentation in addition to hours in line at CA. This way I just use the passport card if the Feds don’t kick the can down the road again.

 

[BJH65]

Have you ever had a use for your passport card? I got one last time but not sure if there is much use to having one.

Only good for travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and Caribbean countries but not valid for international travel. I got a passport card once but hardly used it. Probably useful for those folks routinely traveling back and forth to Canada and Mexico.

 

[Challer]

I used to travel so much that my first three passports had to triple pages before they expired. Now no-one seems to stamp the passport anymore, at least in the EU.

I also strange for the passport card. It's a great second ID when you need one. And seems to work more places than not.