Passport renewal appears to be a crapshoot. Maybe nine weeks. Maybe nine days.
Only two weeks ago, I sent my passport in for renewal. You can imagine my concern after the litany of newspapers and magazine articles about problems with the process. I felt naked without my passport and passport card. I assumed the worst with the renewal timeline and I was ready for a nine-week wait.
When my new passport arrived less than two weeks after my application was mailed, I was amazed. My passport card was sent in at the same time. (I forget why I have it, but I do.) The entire process took only nine days for my passport to arrive in my mailbox and 11 days for my passport card to arrive. My old passport and passport card were returned to me a week later.
My passport renewal beat the State Department guidance.
According to the State Department, there are four different speeds to get your passport renewal: Routine (10-13 weeks), Expedited (7-9 weeks), Urgent, and Emergency (you can only make an appointment by calling 1-877-487-2778. ) I selected Expedited with faster delivery and return shipping.
I followed the steps, and the system worked better than I thought. Instead of nine weeks, it only took nine days.
- Delivery to us: Purchase Priority Mail Express from the United States Postal Service for faster shipping of your application. The price for this service varies depending on the area of the country.
- Return to you: Pay $19.53 for 1-2 day delivery. This means you will receive your passport 1-2 days after it is sent. Include the fee with your passport fee in your check or money order payable to the US Department of State for the fastest return shipping. Do not submit a return envelope to us with postage pre-paid.
You may receive your passport and the supporting documents submitted with your application in separate mailings. If you renew a passport card, it will be returned to you via First Class Mail. The State Department does not use 1-2 day delivery services if you only applied for a passport card.
Passport renewal by mail
Renew by mail if you respond “Yes” to all statements below about your most recent passport:
- I can submit it with my application.
- It is not damaged (other than normal wear and tear).
- I have never reported it lost or stolen.
- Was it issued within the last 15 years.
- It was issued when I was age 16 or older.
- Is my name current, or I can provide another document such as a marriage certificate or divorce decree that is evidence of my name change.
- It was not limited to less than the normal 10-year period of validity for an adult passport due to multiple passport thefts or losses, or due to issues with passport damage or mutilation.
Use the Form Filler tool to fill out your form and then print it.
During the past few months, the word on the street has been bad for passport renewals.
During the past two months, the media has had a field day with the State Department’s backlog. Travel and Leisure told readers passports and passport cards take up to four months to receive. CBN said in early September that a bureaucratic backlog has made renewal wait times a month or more. NBC TV noted the Dept. of State figures of 10-13 weeks. The New York Times calls the passport logjam the biggest problem the State Department faces. National Public Radio noted a wait, even for expedited service of 9+ weeks. CBS News called the State Department overwhelmed.
What is a passport card?
A passport card is the size of a driver’s license that the US State Department issues. Like a passport book, it proves your identity and US citizenship. They are valid for ten years for adults and five years for children aged 15 and younger. The passport card was designed for the specific needs of northern and southern U.S. border communities with residents that cross the border frequently by land.
How can a passport card be used? It is a form of REAL ID, but not a passport.
Passport cards can be used for any identification purpose inside the United States, such as job applications, buying alcohol, or checking in to a doctor’s office or hospital. Most importantly, your passport card is an official form of REAL ID. The REAL ID Act of 2005 set federal standards for identification cards. When it is fully implemented, you’ll need to show federally-approved ID to enter government buildings or to go through TSA security at the airport. Not all driver’s licenses meet REAL ID standards, but your passport card will always be accepted as official identification for domestic air travel.
For TSA REAL ID the passport card is perfect. For any international trip by air, the passport card doesn’t work.
Although the passport card is excellent for flying inside the US — especially for children too young to have driver’s licenses — it is not valid for international air travel. You’ll need a passport book any time you are flying to a destination outside the United States.
Passport cards can be used for land and sea travel between the US, Mexico, Canada, and certain Caribbean nations. It’s perfect for people who frequently drive to Canada or Mexico, since it fits conveniently in your wallet.
Requirements to get a passport card with your passport renewal
If you want to get a card along with your next passport renewal, make note of the following requirements:
- Passport Application Form DS-82. When you fill out your passport renewal application form online, you’ll visit a page called “Passport Products and Fees.” Select that you want both a passport book and a card on that page. On the printed version of the application, this option appears at the very top of the first page.
- Government Passport Fees. Your passport card will cost an additional $30. When applying for expedited passport renewal service through G3passports.com, your government fee for a passport book renewal and a passport card will be $200.
- One Photograph. You only need to submit one photograph with your passport renewal and card application. Your photo will be scanned and printed onto the book and the card.
When will I get my passport card?
The US State Department doesn’t always provide the same type of expedited processing for passport cards as they do for passport books. When you apply for your passport renewal through G3, your passport book will be processed and returned to you within the time frame that you have selected. However, your new passport card may take longer to be issued, and will be sent to you under separate cover.
Travelers United tells everyone to follow instructions and plan on the renewal, which takes almost three months. Then, you can be pleasantly surprised when your new passport shows up in nine days.
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Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
