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Renewing my passport- what a pain!

icydog

icydog

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
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Location
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I am trying to renew my passport by filling out the paperwork online. What a tedious process. I am 20 minutes in and it is still loading. I tried Safari and now I am using Firefox. Do you think it is because I am using a Mac OS?
Or is the State Department site or is it my browser. By the way my wifi is working normally. t takes 5 minutes to load every single page.
 
I will have to renew our passport this summer as it expires next February 2017. I checked out the online process and wasn't liking it and decided I will make an appt. at our post office when the time comes. Much less of a hassle.
 
We renewed and it was very easy to get paperwork from local town hall.

Nkn
:doh:
 
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I didn't get too deeply into it- just the qualification pages- because I don't need to renew until next year- but State.US.gov site seemed to move right along.

Jim
 
I did it online, or at least I must have printed out the pages. Mailed everything in and I got the new passport quickly. I don't remember how long it took but it was a lot shorter than I thought it would be.

Right now in New Mexico it's just about impossible to get an appointment at the post office. Since our driver's licenses aren't "real IDs" people have been panicking and applying for passports. Awhile ago I heard the first available appointment was sometime in February (and this was a month or so ago).
 
Passepartout said:
I didn't get too deeply into it- just the qualification pages- because I don't need to renew until next year- but State.US.gov site seemed to move right along.

Jim
Click to expand...

Luanne said:
I did it online, or at least I must have printed out the pages. Mailed everything in and I got the new passport quickly. I don't remember how long it took but it was a lot shorter than I thought it would be.

Right now in New Mexico it's just about impossible to get an appointment at the post office. Since our driver's licenses aren't "real IDs" people have been panicking and applying for passports. Awhile ago I heard the first available appointment was sometime in February (and this was a month or so ago).
Click to expand...

I got to the last page. It said if I have my passport I would have to mail it in with the form. Then it quit and kept on telling me the same thing over and over. I finally gave up and closed my browser down. I wasted nearly 1/2 hour with this exercise in futility.
 
I renewed mine about 3 months ago. I printed the form off the website and
Mailed it in. To my surprise it only took about 5 weeks. I was happy to get it
Before my next couple of trips. We prefer to use passports in all airports.
 
Yes i renewed mine also through the post office it took about a month.... Very happy!!!!!:banana:Dave
 
I printed out the form and mailed it in. I was surprised at how fast and easy the whole process was. Highly unusual for a government run task! LOL
 
mpumilia said:
I will have to renew our passport this summer as it expires next February 2017. I checked out the online process and wasn't liking it and decided I will make an appt. at our post office when the time comes. Much less of a hassle.
Click to expand...

Just be prepared to wait at the post office as well. I renewed mine this past summer and it took over 2 hours at my post office
 
I printed out the form, filled it out, added my new passport photo (1 or 2 I can't remember what it asked for) and mailed it in with my old passport. I paid the expedited fee and got it back in less than a week. We spend a lot of time in Baja, MX and I didn't want to be without a passport just in case my husband wanted to do a last minute kite surfing trip across the border. It was fast and easy. :)
 
Proceed with caution...

Other than just printing off the applicable blank forms acquired on line, I would recommend completing and handling any and all other passport application and / or renewal activities either by mail or in person at the U.S. Post Office or in person at your city / town hall --- rather than actually submitting any personal data online.

The recent pervasive "breach" of OPM (the U.S. Government personnel system --- yes, I know, it's distinctly different from and unrelated to the State Dept.) databases has justifiably eroded confidence in the the U.S. Government's attention to cyber-security and the adequate protection of potentially sensitive data in their possession.

I personally know a fair number of Federal Criminal Investigators (a.k.a. Special Agents) of both active and retired status with Secret (or higher) security clearances for many years, whose entire personal history, family info, references, financial investigation results and files (even their fingerprints, in some instances) have now been completely compromised. If the U.S. Government can't and / or won't adequately protect the records of its' own Criminal Investigators who all require high level security clearances and periodic renewal thereof, how much effort do you really think actually goes into protecting the personal data of Citizen Joe Schmoe? :annoyed:
 
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What do you pay for passport renewals in the US? In Canada passport renewals went up about 40% a couple of years ago to $120 for 5 years and $160 for a 10 year renewal. The renewal process wasn't sped up that I can recall...and that's progress for you!
 
theo said:
Other than just printing off the applicable blank forms acquired on line, I would recommend completing and handling any and all other passport application and / or renewal activities either by mail or in person at the U.S. Post Office or in person at your city / town hall --- rather than actually submitting any personal data online.
Click to expand...


Do you know for certain that your application and personal data simply isn't entered into the same "online" system that you have access to by government employees during the processing of your in-person (or by mail) delivery of documentation? It's possible there is a separate data repository for such data, but I doubt it.


Sent from my iPad
 
Ken555 said:
Do you know for certain that your application and personal data simply isn't entered into the same "online" system that you have access to by government employees during the processing of your in-person (or by mail) delivery of documentation? It's possible there is a separate data repository for such data, but I doubt it.
Click to expand...

I have no idea, quite frankly --- but it seems to me that bypassing external online entry couldn't possibly be any less secure and may be more secure, no? :shrug:
 
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theo said:
I have no idea at all, quite frankly. :shrug:
Click to expand...


Yeah, that's my thought, too. Given this, and the uncertainty involved, I would simply suggest renewing passports in the most convenient method available to you. Worrying about something like government database security (when we all know our info is not protected quite as well as we would like) is a futile exercise.


Sent from my iPad
 
Passport Expiration Date

Curious, I will be leaving the US 5 months before the passport expiration date. If I recall, customs and airlines get nervous if your trip is 6 months or less from the expiration date. Does anyone have any information or experience on this criteria?
 
Ironwood said:
What do you pay for passport renewals in the US? In Canada passport renewals went up about 40% a couple of years ago to $120 for 5 years and $160 for a 10 year renewal. The renewal process wasn't sped up that I can recall...and that's progress for you!
Click to expand...

An adult renewal (10 years) is $110 USD. Add $60 for expedited service if desired.
 
Do they send back your old passport now? I've got my old ones with a hole punched in them including a Diplomatic one they issued me back in the day before terrorism.:D

Cheers
 
Kal said:
Curious, I will be leaving the US 5 months before the passport expiration date. If I recall, customs and airlines get nervous if your trip is 6 months or less from the expiration date. Does anyone have any information or experience on this criteria?
Click to expand...
You definitely want to renew your passport before you leave. A good many countries will not accept a passport that is within 6 months of expiration (which is probably why airlines get nervous).
 
"Roger" said:
You definitely want to renew your passport before you leave. A good many countries will not accept a passport that is within 6 months of expiration (which is probably why airlines get nervous).
Click to expand...

Second that! Go get a new one.
 
Passepartout said:
An adult renewal (10 years) is $110 USD. Add $60 for expedited service if desired.
Click to expand...

Add another $30 to that $110 figure for a total of $140 if you want both a passport card and a passport "book".

The passport card alone (with no need to also have the passport "book" in possession at the same time) is apparently sufficient for land (i.e., vehicle or rail) or sea --- but apparently not for air --- travel to / from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean only. At least that's how I understand it.
 
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Kal said:
Curious, I will be leaving the US 5 months before the passport expiration date. If I recall, customs and airlines get nervous if your trip is 6 months or less from the expiration date. Does anyone have any information or experience on this criteria?
Click to expand...

Second that you should go ahead and renew it. The reason is that most country's visas are valid for 6 months. They won't stamp a visa in a passport that would expire before the visa.

Jim
 
x3 skier said:
Do they send back your old passport now? I've got my old ones with a hole punched in them including a Diplomatic one they issued me back in the day before terrorism.:D

Cheers
Click to expand...

I got my old passport back when I renewed a couple of years ago. And yes it has a hole punched in it. I think a lot of people want them because of the stamps they have in them.
 
Yes, I got my old one back a couple months ago and it had a hole in it.
 
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