Passport Help!

Allow me to state in a rationale manner what I’d much prefer to do while using insulting language about the parentage of random government workers.
I’m leaving the country next Monday.
I have no passport.
On June 12th I sent my renewal application in, along with $60 for expedited service. They received it June 14th. The form claimed that going this route would take three days for processing. Nine days later, the return envelope still hasn’t been shipped.

I went on the government’s website. It claimed it would take at least two weeks. That’s this Friday. IF it shows up on Friday, I won’t actually be at this address to receive it. If it shows up later than Friday…say…Monday, that’s too late! I’m leaving the country then!

I called the number on the government’s website. They said they couldn’t help me and gave me an 888 number to try. I called it and it asked for a credit card # to charge me $5.50. Five fivety for what? I don’t know! I couldn’t talk with a human.
I called back the Washington DC number. They gave me an alternate number starting with 900. “How much will that cost?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” said the receptionist.
“Why should I pay money to find out infomation about a service that I’ve already paid for?”
“I don’t know, but they’ll be able to help you.”
Wonderful. So I can throw an unknown amount of money away on the gamble that someone, somewhere can help me. For all I know, this 900 number is the government phone sex hotline.

Can anyone help me out here? I NEED this passport by Thursday.

If you NEED it by Thursday, then you NEED to go to a passport office in a major Post Office and re-do the WHOLE application and pay an additional $60 or so…$20 buck fine, 2 FedEx overnight packages. Or at least that is what I almost had to do 7 years ago.

-Tcat

If you really NEED the passport by Thursday, then pay $5.50 or call the 900 number and get the information that will help you. In the alternative, drive to Chicago, wait in line at the passport office here and get a passport while you wait. There is an even bigger extra fee involved with this option.

Getting a passport takes a long time and when the government and the US postal service is involved, it almost always takes longer. The government is not a private business which must provide good customer service to stay in business. You are at the mercy of the beaurocrats.

I would reccomend paying the extra money to see what you can find out or, if you the thing never shows up, you can delay your trip a little bit.

If you have any political clout, you can try calling your congressperson or senator to see if they can’t pull any strings for you, but even if your a senator’s godchild I wouldn’t count on them too much.

One final option for next time is to plan ahead and not wait for the last minute such that you need to rely on the government to get stuff done for you in a certain (rather short) length of time.

I had a similar situation a few years a go.
You need to go to a Pasport Office, NOT a Post Office. I do not know where the closest one to you is, but that is where you need to go. You will need to call them up and make an appointment as they do not take walk-ins. You need to have all your documentation with you, Drivers License/Expired Passport/ID etc. You need to bring proof of need, that is your tickets or something to show why you need it in such a hurry. State Dept Passport Offices

Just to add…
I had a 12:30 appointment and recieved my passport the next morning by FedEx. Be nice to the people behind the counter and they will help you.

well…Chicago seems a bit of a drive…

I’ve contacted the post office that I sent it out from. They’re going to get back to me tomorrow morning. I just got off the phone with my Senator’s office and they contacted the passport agency down in Houston. It apparently have no idea where my passport is! Fun!

If I tried doing this again, I’d have to pay another $115, plus photographs, plus shipping, I wouldn’t have an expired passport to send in to them, and I’d STILL be stuck in a situation where I’m not guaranteed to get it back by Thursday. In other words, I don’t think that solution is going to work.

If they truly have lost my passport through some means, I guess I’m screwed.
Go me!
I’ll find out tomorrow I guess.

I had a scary moment last week before my trip to Singapore when I thought I had lost my Passport. I did a little research on the internet and found this site:

It’s expensive, but they guarantee a Passport within 24 hours. If you need one next Monday, you should be able to get one.

Here’s another guaranteed in 24 hour sites:

http://www.passportsandvisas.com/index.asp?affiliate=goto

Good luck, I know how awful it feels.

The above links go to companies which do not process passports. They are only very expensive couriers.

Umm, I really don’t want to rub salt into the wound, but when did you realize you were traveling overseas? If this as a result of business, why isn’t your employer assisting you? If this is a family emergency (quite understandable for a last-minute passport) did you make enqueries with the State Department and/or the Passport Office before you lodged an application? Did it ever occur to you that any last-minute applications in this post-9/11 world might raise issues which never existed before?

Keep in mind the Passport Office does say expedited service means within about two weeks and not overnight or practically overnight. Unless your Senator or Congressperson can directly assist you, I bet you are going to have to wait. :frowning:

<rant=query observation>
I ask these questions only because as a federal employee I sometimes deal with the “[insert favorite derogatory epithet here] government employee” complaints. While such comments are justified in many circles, not all federal employees nor all federal agencies should be tarred with the same, wide brush. In a number of cases I have dealt with, most of the complaints only occurred because the customer (read that taxpayer) did not do their part in the first place.
</rant>

All in all, good luck with getting your passport on time.

Reported

I’m just wondering if Enderw24 is still waiting for his passport?

:smiley: