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US Passport review: Delay of US passport 190

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Can we take legal actions against the us department of transportation? Applied for passport in march, paid for expedite and overnight delivery services... Still no passport! Traveling in 7 days for honeymoon! I finally reached a call center representative by the name of dawn in the new Hampshire office. She stated that our trip would not be reimbursed, as it's not they're problem! They can only pay the money that we spent on the passport services! I feel that this is false advertisement! She stated that the agencies are short staffed! Well that's not my problem! Did the government not know this when changing all of the policies? They're just trying to get over and the government find another way to get extra money, i guess to fund the war!

190 comments
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Patty
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Nov 25, 2007 2:38 pm EST

Hallie- Before asking such a question that will quite likely get you chewed out by thousands who have waited for their passport... I assume you've heard of this before on the news, other posts, etc? This is not a new subject matter. Some, like you, have been lucky enough to get your passport in a timely fashion. Others, like myself, waited 16 weeks to get it... got it 3 days before my departure. I submitted all information they needed WELL IN ADVANCE of my trip. My application and accompanying materials were complete---I was never asked for additional information. And still, it took 16 weeks. I'm not the only one... there are literally tens of thousands that have been screwed. Maybe you should step back and assess your comment before posting something thoughtless like that again. People are postal over this subject matter. Count your blessings that you received yours timely and refrain from gloating and rubbing salt in the wounds of those that have been incredibly inconvenienced with their time and money, as well as having to completely cancel their trips.

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Hallie Alameda
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Nov 05, 2007 3:12 pm EST

My husband and I applied for our passports in February of 07. We rec'd our passports in plenty of time for our trip in May of 07. What's all the fuss about?

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lana
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Nov 04, 2007 6:23 am EST

I applied for a passport for my daughter and I on Aug 13,2007. It was received at the processing center in Philly on Aug 15,2007 @ 8:46am as I paid for delivery confirmation at the post office. They have not even been entered on the system and my checks have not been cashed. I have called them and all I have been told is to get 2 new birth certificates and reapply. Any advice on what to do smb. My applications are not on the system so I was told by the passport information center that they can't help me.

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Davis Roth
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Nov 03, 2007 1:09 pm EDT

This entire complaint thread should be sent, preferably in hard copy via U.S. Mail, else by email, to EVERY Member of Congress, along with a promise that if action is not immediately instigated to correct this absurd situation regarding passports, that NONE of them will receive any votes in the next primary or general election!

Remember: if you don't vote, you have no reason to complain!

One might hope that there are some lawyers who have been put through this insane prolonged process of obtaining a passport and will join to file a Class Action Lawsuit against the Bureau!

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Diem Filler
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Oct 24, 2007 2:15 pm EDT

Can anyone please help? I applied for my passport on May 14, 2007. It's now almost November. It's been over 5 MONTHS! The status from passport website says it's in the process for the last 5 months! I've written an email to my senator, but haven't heard from him!
I called the 1877 number and no one wants to help since I'm not traveling in the next 14 days! I'm not scheduled to travel in the next 14 days, but what in the world is going on? It's getting to the 6months time frame now, and I'm still waiting for my passport!
Anyone have any idea what I need to do next? Thanks much.

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Nathan Tomson
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Oct 09, 2007 7:24 am EDT

Me and my wife had the same problem with our passports. The National Passport Agency was inconsiderate and rude after we called them 8 days in a row asking about the stage of my wife's passport. Some of the people working the phones were extremely nice, and seemed to sincerely want to help. But, we all know they are way under staffed. We called our State Senator's office and congressional district's office to no avail. The one thing that did seem to work was a fax to our Senator's office in Washington D.C. explaining our situation and lack of help from the passport office. The next time I called the passport office, they had told me that our senator had put a rush on it, and we would be recieving in via FedEx within 24 hours. I then called Fed Ex and asked about the package. They were extremely helpful even without a tracking number and told us exactly what time it would hit our doorstep. We recieved our passports 10 min before they told us when it would arrive: 11:00 PM, the night before our honeymoon.

I completely agree though. The National Passport Agency should have beefed up their staff immensly once they knew these changes would be implemented. Millions of passports cannot be done in a few days with a small staff.

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Richard Butler
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Oct 01, 2007 9:27 am EDT

"I am glad that I found this web page"! I paid for expedited service and it was going into the eigth week, I needed my passports to apply for a visa to China. I also need it to schedule an in country flight over there. The Passport service center only seemed to be concerned about the departure date, I believe that they think that if they get it to you by that date, then they have done their job. It dose not matter if you have other issues that require the passport or that you paid for the expedited service, because it is refundable if the service was not expedited. That is the feeling I got from them, plus they can only tell you about how far along your passport process is. Which really dose not mean anything, mine supposedly was 3/4 of the way done and it still took two more weeks before I got it! I believe I would still not have it if I did not call the number listed above in the complaints forum. That number is to the PassPort Task Force and you call and ask for the Passport Day Duty Officer, the number is: [protected] Be cordial and don't pile your frustrations on him/her in an aggressive or demeaning way and if your complaint is valid you will get almost same day results. The Duty Officer has direct contact with the Processing centers and can light a fire under them. When I called the Passport Day Duty Officer and told him my story, he said he would call me back after contacting them. After a few hours he called and said that they will have it to me in a couple of days, I actually got it the very next day! Now that is service, If only the Passport Processing Center could have been helpful like that. They really should post the phone number on the USPS.com web site, if I had not googled Passport complaints and found this web site, I probably would still be waiting. I hope this helps!

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Richard Butler
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Oct 01, 2007 8:48 am EDT

I am glad I found this web site and was able to get the phone number to call. [protected] . My passport processing was going into the eigth week and I had paid for expedited service, I am going to China and I still needed to get my Visas for that country and schedule some in country flights. I could not do that without my passport number. Out of frustration I googled passport complaints and found this web site and that phone number to call. The passport Service Center cannot do anything to make it go faster, they just can check status a little closer than you can, but even if they say it is 3/4 of the way done, it dose'nt mean anything. Mine still took two and a half weeks after they told me that. They are only concerned with the departure date, they feel if they get it to you by that date, then they did their part. It dose not matter to them if you have other arrangements to make that require the PassPort number. By calling this number: The Passport Task Force and asking for the Passport Day Duty Officer [protected] call between (9:ooam and 5:oo pm ) Eastern time. The Duty Officer has direct contact with the Passport Processing Centers. He called me back that afternoon, and I had my passport in hand the next day! Just remember to be cordial and try not pass your frustrations on to him/her in an aggressive or demeaning way, because if your complaint is legitimate they will light the fire and get results. I hope this helped! They really should list that Task Force number on the USPS web site so it can be more easily found. Again had I not found this web site, I would probably still be pulling my hair out!

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Robert Wills
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Sep 27, 2007 1:02 pm EDT

You people should have had some foresight and applied for your passport when you had no travel plans. It is unthinkable as a world citizen that you would not have a passport in your possession at all times.

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So Angry
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Sep 17, 2007 5:53 pm EDT

I can’t even begin to express how incredibly stressed-out and irate I am at the moment. My boyfriend and I applied for a passport on September 1st. I submitted the original copy of my birth certificate along with copies of my state ID and work ID. I submitted my application at my local post office and paid extra to have it expedited. All went well and I was surprised at how quick and easy the application process was. (I should have known it was too good to be true.) A few weeks later I checked the status of my application and it was being processed. I figured that I would have it within 4 weeks with no problem at all – seeing as how the website didn’t report any issues that would impede its delivery.

It is now September 17th and my boyfriend received his passport in the mail but I had no such luck! I received a letter saying that my identification was insufficient and that I must provide copies of 5 additional proofs of ID. This was the first indication of insufficient ID that I had ever heard of. I made a call to the infamous 877 number and asked them what was wrong with the identification I submitted. I got now answers at all. When I asked if I could have a number of someplace or someone that could tell me what exactly is wrong with my ID, I was told there is no other number. I have made 3 calls today and I was given nothing but attitude from the person on the other end. I actually had to tell one woman that I am only asking her questions and there is no reason for her to “take that sort of tone with me”.

Am I crazy but don’t I have the right to know what is holding-up my application? Did I not submit the approved forms of identification? Why should I send copies of my high school yearbook or college diploma if there is no guarantee that those will be sufficient? Let’s not even mention the fact that I paid 158 bucks just to have my passport arrive late anyway. Oh, and they strongly suggest overnighting the additional documents to them! You can require things but I can’t get answers about MY information. I have searched the internet for a number, a name, an email address or anything that would allow me to file a grievance but I have found nothing.

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LAURA TORRES
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Sep 14, 2007 2:24 pm EDT

I wrote this letter to the US Department of State in New Jersey...They had me complete a supplemental questionnaire which was ridiculous...
In response to your letter regarding my passport application enclosed you will find the supplemental questionnaire, which has been completed.

My first question is: Why am I receiving correspondence at my employment address instead of my residential address?

I applied for my passport March 13, 2007 (6 months ago) I had to get a certified copy of my birth certificate at the County Courthouse because I had a birth certificate card which was unacceptable. This cost me $26.00. We were planning to travel to Mexico City on May 30, 2007, but passports never arrived. I had to change travel plans, air & hotel, which cost me over $200
to change the dates.

I received a letter from your agency in July, requesting the long form of birth certificate, I requested it from the bureau of vital statistics in Austin, TX for a fee of $35.00 plus $10.00 for fed-ex. I submitted the long form hoping to receive my passport in time for my changed travel date of August 15, 2007.

It was announced that we just needed to show proof that we had applied for passports, a little too late after I had already paid penalty fees for travel changes. I traveled on August 15, 2007 with no passport, just the proof. The total I have spent for my passport is approximately $181.00 plus the $200.00 for change in travel.

I returned from Mexico City and find this letter which is stating that my long form birth certificate does not support the date and place of birth in the US.
So, finally I have attached as much proof as I can possibly gather because you were requesting documents such as a midwife’s report, pre-natal or post-natal notes etc. Which I find impossible to do since I do not travel to the place I was born and the midwife is most likely deceased.

I am requesting that both birth (short & long form) and baptismal certificates be returned to me once you have completed your investigation. It is September 14, and still nothing! I am pissed...and I'm with everyone else we should get our money back through our tax return or file a lawsuit this is ridiculous...why do they require a passport if they are not freaking prepared all they want is our money!

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Paul Lim
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Sep 14, 2007 7:22 am EDT

I applied for my son a passport on Aug 15, 2007 and was told that expediated service is 2-3 weeks. So we paid for it, as we're travelling on Sept 15, 2007. The passport was not issued till yesterday, where we received an email stating the passport has been mailed out. This is just 2 days before our trip, so you can imagine the anxiety that we have been through.
However, the worst, is the agency mailed the passport to a wrong address. The person who received my son's passport just called me and said that she had received our passsport. How can this error be made?
What if the person is not at home, and did not call me until tomorrow (Sept 15)? Then we won't be able to make it to our trip. Or worse still, what if the person decided not to call and just dump the passport?
I am lucky that the person called me and inform me that she had received the passport. But sending the passport to a wrong address is such a large error! Anyone who knows how I can lodge this complaint formally?

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Michael D.
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Sep 08, 2007 11:41 am EDT

You should just do what illegal immigrants do, cross the border, screw a passport. They don't care so why should you? Btw, your class action lawsuit idea is a waste of time, you have to show intent to defraud, in this case the U.S. Government isn't trying to rip you off, it was bad planning when they implemented a new rule recently where you had to have a passport when going to Mexico or Caribbean so there was a mass rush to obtain them. They recently relaxed those regulations in light of the chaos so you should start to see better results when applying for a new passport. Cold comfort to those who had their trips ruined.

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sara klein
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Sep 01, 2007 6:38 am EDT

I applied for a passport renewal, along with my daughter, on April 3, 2007 to be able to travel on July 31. Somehow mine came but my daughter's had not arrived by the end of July. I called countless times, as you all have, and as you all know there was no way to talk to an agent as their phone line was a loop- and although they said if you were traveling within 16 days to make an appointment at a passport office, when you got to that point in the menu they said there was no one to take the call- to try again later. Ha! I emailed several times a day- and got back automated responses. Finally I called my local congresswoman and actually got help AND my daughter's passport 3 days before we left.

I believe that we should all be compensated for the stress and anxiety and many hours of aggravation that we endured, to receive what is our due as a citizen of the USA. Many people lost their trip. There IS no way to compensate for that. Travel is free in this country. For those of us that followed appropriate procedure there is no excuse for what we had to go through. Plus,the government took no responsibility for its mistake and left all of us to deal with the problem. I have traveled to many countries that were formerly under a communist system and this was a painful reminder of how that can be. If there is a lawyer out there could you suggest how a class-action suit might happen...

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Gina
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Aug 21, 2007 1:27 pm EDT

I just got back from the US passport office and I am going to write what did and did not work for me so that others may benefit.

#1: Do not wait until you are within 14 days from departure to make your automated appointment with the passport office. I did wait and the only appointment I was able to make was 4 days after my departure. So, go online and get that phone # and call at least 3 weeks prior so you can get a date prior to departure.

#2: I wrote local politicians for help. You can try this but it ended up not helping me and it is not to be relied upon. Try your local council person, senator and so on-it maybe good to do simply so that elected officials know that scope of the problem. I think the problem is going to go on for several months beyond the expected date and folks need to get the word out.

#3: I did everything the passport web sight requires-I called for my status, I emailed for it, and finally, at 72 hrs. to departure, we called and were told there was nothing we could do so we asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor put us on the "WILLCALL" list and made an appointment for us that day. This is what worked for us. I hope it helps others.

#4: as the new restrictions require a drivers license and printed out proof of one's passport application-I am more than a bit surprised that this has not resulted in lawsuits. Anyone who is disabled and therefore unable to drive and get a license is, in effect, discriminated against by this new requirement. As all other photo I.D. is state issued and therefore not valid-only people with drivers licenses are able to travel to Mexico , Caribbean, Bermuda and Canada if they have applied for but not yet gotten their passport. That leaves a huge segment of Americans unable to travel...

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Michele Lavin
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Aug 10, 2007 7:46 pm EDT

Just like everyone I've also been waiting 16 weeks now. I sent in 3 emails with no response. I am getting married in 3 weeks and I still need to apply for a marriage license. I've talked on the phone and was told give it another week but my birth certificate will not came until a few weeks later. What is going on with this system. We need to complain, complain and complain but to who. Nobody wants to help or fix any of the issues.

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Evelina
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Aug 09, 2007 12:03 am EDT

I am so over with those people. We applied for my 11 month old baby passport on 31st of March.12 weeks passed by and we had to leave our apartment because we could not renew our lease in order to leave the country. Then we would have had broken lease in our record so we moved from Austin to Houston to live with some friends. We quit our jobs and we left everything behind. Moved and the waiting began! Today is the 8th of August! That makes 17 weeks. Finally the Passport got done, but we never received it! I have been calling 3-4 times a week to ensure that they have our new address. The best they could do over the 1 800 number is to send emails to the New Hamshire office. We changed our travel plans 2 times since then. No jobs, no income, living in a house that is not ours. I made sure and warned the Post Office in Austin about the Passports. We applied for her dad's passport 2 weeks after we applied for hers! He got it a month ago to our new address!
Today I just found out that her passport was mailed to our previous address via FEDEX. So they basically got the message to OVERNIGHT it but WHO READ about the new address? Not to mention that on the website they said they mailed it Priority mail so I was waiting to receive it until or about on the 5th of august! When I called last week to see where they mailed it, some woman told me that it was mailed to the new address and it was priority mail. I thought I will give it until Wednesday. Well today when I did not get it I called and they Gladly provided me with FEdEX tracking number. It turned out that they delivered it to my OLD address and THEY TROWED IT IN FRONT OF THE DOOR because the Passport agency did not require signature. SO all that happened on the 1st of august. 1 week later I am finding out this. No one found it in our old apartment, THEY SCREW MY BABYS FUTURE! Who know who has her births certificate and her passport and fro what they will use it. I have been calling all day filing police reports and placing Frought alerts for her. I will have to live with that for the next 18 YEARS and they tell me that there is nothing they can do. I have been crying all day... basically I paid those people to screw my BABY LIFE FOREVER!

I am not going to live this like that. I am done talking to them I will be talking to a lawyer! Our lives are screwed now we will have to start all over again, we will not be able to live the country and most IMPORTANT MY DAUGHTER LIFE COULD BE SCREWED FOREVER! THAT DOES IT!

Please, if anyone knows what kind of lawyer I need to seek advice from, let me know. I would really appreciate that!

Thank you!

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fabio cammarano
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Aug 08, 2007 2:19 pm EDT

I would like to thank all the useful advises I found it here.

We apply for my 4 months baby 3 months and half ago and we called 4 weeks ago to the %^@&%&@ 1-877 number &^@&$@... they said: no problem sir, the passport is in press on the San Francisco agency. I called one week ago and we discovered that it WAS NOT TRUE. I call 8 times to 1-877 number, as there was any date available to get an appointment to SFO agency (only automatic sercide...).

We got every time a different answer from 1-877..., and NOT HELP at all... they advise us to go in Seatlle or Denver (me, my spouse and the baby... for having a chance) for example... so, my advise DO NOT CALL 1-877 and spread the word.

Following the advise found here, I call to a guy working to the passport agency: I was able to enter right away, without appointment and get the passport the day after (today)...

Another general advise: do the opposite of what they ask:
examples:
1. call not before 2 weeks of leaving... read do not cal...
2. call 1-877 read do not call 1-877
3. it is not possible to get in the passport agency without appointment... read it is possible...

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John Adams
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Aug 06, 2007 8:53 pm EDT

Looks like this country can not get anything right. Supposed to be most technically advanced country, but can not process few thousands of additional passports. Let us out source to India or China. They will get it right.

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Paulette Plakidas
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Aug 03, 2007 2:55 pm EDT

I applied for my passport 18 1/2 weeks ago and am scheduled to leave in a week... I have done everything I could possibly think of and still no passport. I have contacted my congressman and still have not heard anything. The passport "helpline" is a joke and they have not been able to tell me anything that I can't find out for myself on the internet. There's only so many times you can hear "your application is in process" before you go crazy.

Any other suggestions? Like everyone else, I am in panic mode over the thought of the thousands of dollars we will lose, the year we have spent planning this trip, and not to mention the time off of work that I can't get back because I work in healthcare. It will take me at least a year to accrue this vacation time again and who knows where we will be and if we will be able to plan a trip like this again.

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JOHN kennedy
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Aug 02, 2007 5:12 pm EDT

We had the same problems Got fed up and called my Congress person. We had my daughters passport within 36 hrs. Hope this helps!

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NG
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Aug 02, 2007 7:00 am EDT

I was scheduled to leave for my trip July 12 and sent in my renewal on March 31. The two week notice came up with no passport and I, like everyone else, followed their instructions to call and put in a notice with the call center which was no help, also tried three times a day to get an appointment for any of three offices I am near to no avail. The one week mark hit and I started to go into panic mode especially after reading all the horror stories.

I did a search, found this site, and the best advice was to call the local office of your congressman. I called the office closest to me and gave the assistant my info at five on Thursday, Friday morning at 9am I got a call from someone in the passport office with a fedex tracking number and received it Saturday delivery from fedex.

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Nicolas Lindegger
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Aug 01, 2007 6:56 pm EDT

Send the passport application for my US-born son on April 7th at the local post office, regular shipping. My son was 1 month old at that time and we were planning a trip to our country (Switzerland) to visit our family and introduce him. I was said to wait 10-12 weeks, which was fine since our trip was planned for... today.

In Switzerland, you can actually speak to a representative and if any problem arises, the authorities would contact you. Having not received any letter nor phone call, I thought that everything was ok. Furthermore I misunderstood the fact that babies cannot travel with a birth certificate. Anyway having nothing in hands but a few official papers, my wife and I still tried to board our plane.

We were rejected... I also tried to get an appointment with the federal bureau... What a mess! I just spent at least 30 minutes on the phone typing numbers... So frustrating. Last but not least the grand-parents wont see their grandson thanks to a badly organized administration. I'm sad.

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Gail A.
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Jul 31, 2007 5:23 pm EDT

PLEASE CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN! Seems it is the only thing that works. It did for us. It is just a shame that our congressmen are using their valued time to help their constituents get their passports in time.

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george K.
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Jul 31, 2007 10:38 am EDT

Thanks to the board i got my passport after 15 weeks of pending. I ll be leaving in 3 days... Basically if is delayed call the 1-877 number and change the status to expedite they will do it because is already delayed... Then call your congressman (i called them Friday had the pass on Monday because you have previously change the status to expedite).

If this does not work call the watch dog...

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Deborah Frazier
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Jul 31, 2007 10:05 am EDT

Sent expedited renewal application to Philadelphia in early June along with check for $127. To date, check hasn't been cashed and application has not been placed in the system. Does that mean my application hasn't even been opened? I'm supposed to travel in about 2 weeks. Any suggestions?

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Andrew
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Jul 30, 2007 4:27 pm EDT

My passport arrived today. It took 10 weeks 3 days from the time my check was cashed on May 25th. Hopefully things are looking up, my passport went thru Charleston. Even thou I won't need it, thanks to everyone for posting their passport tech.

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C. Haines
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Jul 26, 2007 6:52 am EDT

116 days ago. Just called 1877 number and they said all they could do was send a message to the agency that I'm leaving in 2 weeks. If I choose to go to the local passport office I would need to apply all over again and there is no guarantee I would have it before my trip in 2 weeks.

Typical of this administration!

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Jennifer
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Jul 25, 2007 2:19 pm EDT

Passport arrived at 10am via fedEX today! Couldn't be happier!

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Karen Marie
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Jul 25, 2007 12:03 pm EDT

Saturday July 28th will be 16 weeks! You get the same people saying its being processed. No one to complain to, no one to HELP you. We had it expedited they said they would put that we needed it for the 27th. It hasn't even been mailed out yet. The most frustrating thing is. My coworked went for hers a week before me and got hers a month ago, my parents went 2 months ago and got theirs. OURS who knows where it is. NO ONE helps. We paid another $114.00 to get copies of our birth certificates so we can go on our cruise next week which is CRAZY!

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Jennifer
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Jul 24, 2007 9:19 pm EDT

In response to the comment by Anthony, this is his girlfriend. After days of working with the consulate task force and the charleston passport center I can say We have finished processing your passport, and it has been mailed to you. You paid for overnight delivery. This means you should receive your passport on or about 07/26/2007. My advice is call as EARLY as you can, my boyfriends passport was on hold (due to lack of ID) so we had to get 10 documents scanned + a supplement sheet filled out in a day or less. Using overnight delivery is costly but it gets there. I also recommend you send YOUR OWN prepaid overnight delivery envelope, FedEX or DHL is fine. We paid over $80 extra for this but it's been worth every penny. The passport will arrive a day before we leave and I couldn't be happier. Originally when we applied we bought our extra documents but the woman who helped our application at the post office said we didn't need them, BIG MISTAKE. You NEED the extra ID to prove your US Citizenship. If we had gone with our better judgment we wouldn't have been put in that predicament. I've never been so physically sick with worry in my whole life, this is a huge relief and I bawled my eyes out when I saw the application status had changed. Even when things seem totally hopeless keep trying.

CALL the consulate task force (watchdog) they really help. Also talk to the watchdog about getting Muriel at the Charleston passport center to help your application. She called us today and told us to fax over our documents+supplement sheet with her name written on each one. She said she would then review them with her supervisor, and tonight our passport status has changed and our DHL tracking number now works. This site has been a godsend if I hadn't found this we'd be $1000 out and going through a lot of heartache. THANKYOU!

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stephanie montgomery
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Jul 24, 2007 6:00 am EDT

My complaint is a little different than most of the others. Our twelve week waiting period is over and our vacation has come and gone. My husband never received his passport so we had our," long dreamed of family vacation" without a key member of our family. To say this was a devastating experience would be the understatement of the year! My husband was born in the Philippines at Clark AFB so only has his original birth certificate...no copies. To get a copy, we've been told it takes 4-6 weeks. I made many calls & sent many e-mails to the State Dept. to be sure there would be no problems with his birth certificate. Assured that there was not and was told not to worry if we did not get the passport in time because we were traveling to the Carribean, all he needed was a valid government issued i.d. and proof that he had applied for his passport. We made it all the way to the boarding gate only to be told that we additionally needed a copy of his birth certificate! State Dept. had the original & 4-6 weeks to get a copy... DISASTER! Went back home & called the State Dept & was assured that they would do everything they could so that my husband could join us. My husband insisted that the rest of our family go and he would meet us there once he received his passport. Suffice it to say that he received his "emergency" passport 7 days after we had returned. The emotional toll this had on our family can't be described and nothing anybody can do to take any of that away. However... I want our money back!

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Colin Crook
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Jul 24, 2007 12:14 am EDT

Hello, is there anything we can do? These people must be stopped.

ccrook@vocecomm.com

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Anthony
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Jul 19, 2007 5:35 pm EDT

I visited the site and yesterday it was expedited and now i checked today and its on routine.I've applied June 30th and its July 19th. I have 8 days left to fly to the UK to see my girlfriend, We've planned this for months and months. They put my passport application on hold because there was not enough identification, however i applied at the post office with my cousin who is 21 and has a drivers license who vouched for me and i (18 years old) used my birth certificate and permit as identification which they accepted. So what is going on here?

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Amy
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Jul 19, 2007 3:39 pm EDT

Here are a couple links to help. This site gathers and compiles the best tips out there (including ones that are in this forum)-

Click the first link in the first paragraph for a long list of tips-
http://whirledview.typepad.com/whirledview/2007/07/passports-conti.html

Also be sure to check out this timeline from a congressional intern-
http://whirledview.typepad.com/whirledview/2007/06/dealing_with_th.html#comment-74658946

By the way, if you are trying to call the NPIC at the 877 number, I had the best luck calling Friday nights around 9. I only had to wait 10-15 minutes each time.

One other thing- if you need a new birth certificate because you are reapplying for your passport, you don't need to use vitalchek.com and pay a small fortune for shipping. Go to http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm for info on how to get it within your state. For example, in Maryland you can go to a local health department and get it the same day (according to the website).

Good luck!

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Min Zhu
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Jul 17, 2007 5:37 pm EDT

Firstly I would like to thank the guys here for all the useful information, without your help, probably I will not take any immediate actions to get my son's passport.

Here is my story:

(7/23/07 midnight, will leave for China. )
6/9/07, applied passport (w/ expedite service fee) for my son;
7/9/07, two weeks before our leaving, started to call 877..., said they would do it ASAP;
7/13/07, call 877... again, same answer, suggested me calling every day;
7/16/07, call 877... again, said my son's passport is still in process;
Started to search on internet, luckily found this forum, decided to call Watch Dog line 202... next morning and go personally to Local Passport Agency at LA (luckily, which is close to my place).
7/17/07 (today),
5:30am, got up (went to bed at 2am after reading all the posts in this forum), called 202..., answered by a very nice gentleman named " Gary". He said he would get the application processed the same day and mailed out tomorrow.

6am, got Local Agency. There was a line about 50 people on one side of the Federal Building. All these people had no appointments and for many of them, it was the 2nd time they were here because according to them, they were told by the officer that emergent process was only for people whose departure time was within 48hours.

8am, officer started to check the documents of people without appointment (people w/ appointment started to get service at 7am). It seemed that only people w/ proved airline info. (within 48hrs) could get the tickets that enabled them to get into the building. I decided to tell the office the fact (that I will leave next Monday night).

Surprisingly, he did not send me home as I thought, instead, he told me to go to two "Will Call" windows on the east side of the Federal Building. After the officer there checked the on-line status copy (maybe something else) and asked if I would like to pick up the passport the same day. Of course Yes.

1pm, I got back to the Federal Building. After waiting for one hour, I got the passport of my son.

My suggestions:

1. call Watch Dog line 202..., they are nice people and would like to help you though I am not sure if they play some roles in my case.

2. go to Local Passport Agency personally if possible! Bring all the documents with you. If you applied already and you do not want to go in person, maybe you can get the help from a friend ( or travel agency?). But frankly, I do not know if that will work or not. One thing I know for sure is that I can have someone to pick up my passport if I authorize him/her to do it.

Hope it helps,
Good Luck
MZ

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mike kelleher
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Jul 16, 2007 10:00 pm EDT

I am now down to 24 hours before my flight. I am 100% behind ANY legal action against the department of state that can be mustered.

A couple of tips for those out there with the same problem.

1.) Call your representative. Almost EVERY congressman/woman has someone on their staff to handle this. DO it as early as you can. If you're waiting till the last week (like I did), you're waiting too long!

2.) Have the National Passport agency up your flight date. Some of the peole there will do this. Plead. Beg.

3.) Show up at the passport office. Be prepared to wait as long as you can.

If anyone has any information about legal action against the state department, please let me know.

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Diana Carolina Cuellar Alejo
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Jul 15, 2007 4:01 pm EDT

I had to change my flight and all my family (4 of us) because my babies passport is still in process... it was supposed to take 2-3 weeks and it's been 4 weeks and still no passport.. I've called about 7 times and all i heard is call tomorrow to check the status, there is nothing we can do. We do not know ho to help... blah blah blah.. i had to cancel and gonna have to pay to change ALL our tickets. Plus we are not gonna be able to assist to a very important family member wedding and everyone had schedule vacation during our stay to see our babies and visit us. We still don't know an estimated date for my baby's passport to arrive, from ALL the millions of passports they've done they can't tell in average how long would it take for and expedite passport to arrive. Every one in the customer service passport agency had a different story. Two days before our trip Heather said the passport was almost done and they were gonna ship it next day. I called next day and Natasha told me that the passport was still in process and should be done that day, next day... nothing i had to cancel... Why they said it would take 2-3 weeks and THEY ARE STILL saying it's taking 2-3 weeks... If i knew it would take longer i just would schedule my flight later and could save all this stress and headaches, the money, and about 6-8 hrs of trying to reach the appointment line, and the agent to talk to..

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Anne Fugate
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Jul 14, 2007 3:29 pm EDT

It is incredible to read the stream of comments about the US Passport mess over the past 6 months. Thank goodness someone had the sense at least to allow those of us flying into Canada ( and Mexico/Caribbean) the option of bringing birth certificate and driver's license plus proof we had applied for our passport. My husband and I applied for our passports April 11th here in Texas. We are cruising to Alaska in August. We still don't have them 13 weeks later. I really feel for the people who devoted days to working on getting something done so they could travel abroad. I believe they had a hearing on Capitol Hill recently, but what good did that do? You would think some of the major travel companies would be raising all kinds of noise. I am certain congressmen don't have to wait for their passport! I have warned my son (whose passport expires next June) that he needs to start now for a renewal!

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tootlehoo
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Jul 12, 2007 10:18 pm EDT

We had applied for our daughter's passport on March 30th and after 15 weeks there was no passport. It was no use calling the 1-877 number. Finally, we called the watch-dog number on July 11th. The customer service rep Theja was very nice an co-operative and assured that she would get it speeded up. We checked the status today (july 13th) and voila it has changed from "still processing" to "done processing and mailed". Wow!

Thanks to the US Consular Task Force and the suggestions on this complaint board, we will be getting our daughter's passport just in time.

Anyone, needing their passport urgently should call the US Consular Task force (WATCH DOG) at [protected].

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