Renewing a passport

[MomC]

I know that getting a passport renewed is harder now because of the world situation.  Does anyone know approximately how long it is taking?  Does the more expensive expedited process really help during this time?
 

Thank you for your willingness to share your insights.

 

Mom C

[DaveFr]

We just renewed our passports. We submitted the renewal applications at the end of June and the passports were sent to us at the end of August. It took about eight weeks. The official estimate was 6 to 8 weeks. I would expect the time needed to be closer to six weeks as passport offices return to more normal staffing. Expedited processing is not available at this time. There is a three-tier reopening process. Currently, passport offices are either in tier one or tier two. Expedited processing will be offered only when offices reach tier 3. We selected overnight mail for return of our new passports.

 

Dave

[BBWC]

Here is an update from the State Department.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/passport-covid-19.html

[doncarlos]

agree with dave .....check State.gov/travel for latest

[CabinBoy2020]

Different but related question regarding Global Entry in-person interviews at airports:  The Trusted Traveller Program offices have been closed "until at least September 8, 2020."  It took me months to schedule an interview at SFO and I finally snagged one for September 13.  Does anyone have any information (or guesses) about whether they will reopen the airport offices after September 8?  I'm aware of the "enrollment on arrival" alternative but my application will expire before I can do that.

 

Many thanks!

Bill

[JMARINER]

Be sure to order the passport with the extra pages. At first I didn't know this was an option and the pages would be full after a few years requiring a new passport before the normal 10 years. Many Countries that require advanced Visa require two blank  passport pages. There is not extra cost.

 

Hopefully we all can start "refilling" our passport pages soon. 😉

 

J

[CabinBoy2020]

17 hours ago, CabinBoy2020 said:

Different but related question regarding Global Entry in-person interviews at airports:  The Trusted Traveller Program offices have been closed "until at least September 8, 2020."  It took me months to schedule an interview at SFO and I finally snagged one for September 13.  Does anyone have any information (or guesses) about whether they will reopen the airport offices after September 8?  I'm aware of the "enrollment on arrival" alternative but my application will expire before I can do that.

 

Many thanks!

Bill

 

Well, I'll answer my own question just in case anyone else is applying for Global Entry.  The airport offices will open September 8 for GE interviews per The Points Guy.  Good luck to MomC with the passport renewal!

 

[fudgbug]

23 hours ago, CabinBoy2020 said:

Different but related question regarding Global Entry in-person interviews at airports:  The Trusted Traveller Program offices have been closed "until at least September 8, 2020."  It took me months to schedule an interview at SFO and I finally snagged one for September 13.  Does anyone have any information (or guesses) about whether they will reopen the airport offices after September 8?  I'm aware of the "enrollment on arrival" alternative but my application will expire before I can do that.

 

Many thanks!

Bill

Same here.  I applied to renew Global Entry in January (August expiration).  The closest to where we live to get an interview was in Hartford, CT about a 4 hour drive.  That interview was canceled.  To reschedule the only interview that I could get was in Niagara Falls, NY that is an 8 hour drive.  That interview was canceled.  So far an interview for the 9th in Niagara Falls is still on.  Wish me luck!

 

My better half applied to renew his Globabl Entry ( 2021 expiration) about a month ago and it is still in Pending.

 

We would have taken advantage of an interview at an airport but 5 international trips have been canceled.

[travelingbums]

My husband applied for Global renewal in January 2020, and we have not received his renewal back yet....

[fudgbug]

9 minutes ago, travelingbums said:

My husband applied for Global renewal in January 2020, and we have not received his renewal back yet....

I'd suggest that you go to the website and find out the status. Is it pending an approval? Does he have make an appointment for an interview?

[travelingbums]

The last response he got  was pending (March-April).

[captjohn]

Hope this will help those needing to renew Global Entry. I also hope the information will show properly.

 

The Intel
Global Entry's Renewal Interview Process Can Now Be Done in Minutes
Speed through the interview on your way back from an international flight, or schedule a regular appointment if you aren't flying abroad anytime soon.
If your Global Entry is expiring soon and you haven't set up your renewal appointment yet, we've got two pieces of good news for you. The first is that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) is so backlogged on processing renewals—some are taking a whopping three months to go through—that they've extended everyone's Global Entry for an extra year after expiration, as long as you start the renewal procedure before your expiration date. The second is that you can essentially skip that wait altogether on your next international vacation, thanks to a new system that allows you to take care of your short renewal interview at the border on your way back into the country, no appointment required.
My Global Entry, good for five years, was expiring in December so on my way back from a recent work trip to Namibia, I decided to go through this new, no-wait process. I logged into my Trusted Traveler account a few days before my trip to kickstart my renewal, filling out the usual paperwork (addresses I've lived in since my last renewal, countries I've visited, etc.) and paying the $100 fee (which has since been reimbursed by my Chase credit card). Then, it was time to wait for my conditional approval.
Not everyone has to go through another interview to get their membership for this immigration fast-pass renewed—so some of you may be able to skip this all entirely if you're approved immediately. You'll simply get your new card in the mail a few weeks after this first step. But I needed to see an agent IRL. Five days after I submitted my application I got an email from the CBP that my membership had been conditionally approved and that I needed to either set up an appointment or speak with an agent upon an international return.
I chose the latter, rather than wait weeks for a likely inconvenient appointment time. (Conditional approval is valid for a little more than a month, so don’t start the renewal process too far out from your next trip abroad.) When I landed from Namibia, I went through the usual steps at JFK, walking on the many moving sidewalks from the jet bridge to the immigration hall, zipping through the Global Entry kiosk questions, and printing out my arrival document.
Then, I followed a "Conditional Approval" sign into the room where flight crews are checked in. After a few taps to her keyboard, the CBP agent there verified my most recent address, made sure I had no other changes to my application, and snapped what will be a glorious post-16 hour flight headshot for my new Global Entry card. (Be sure to pack proof of residency if you're planning on going this renewal route—like a mortgage statement or electricity bill with your current address. I wasn't asked for mine but the CBP suggests bringing it along just in case.) She then stamped my arrival document, and I breezed past the winding immigration line, through baggage claim, and into my cab home. The whole renewal interview added about 10 minutes to my re-entry routine. My card will come in the mail in the next few weeks.
This service is now available at almost all international airports in the U.S. and a few airports abroad as well, like in Canada, Ireland, the Bahamas, and the UAE. (The CBP has a full list of the participating airports.) It can only be used on arrival from an international trip, before you clear the border—so be sure to look for the signs as you reach the Global Entry kiosks. All in all, it was the most painless renewal I've been through. Take notes, DMV.

 

Edited September 6, 2020 by captjohn

[fudgbug]

True that the interview can be done in minutes at certain airports. The problem is many of us are barred from international travel. We had 5 international trips that canceled. 

 

Edited September 6, 2020 by fudgbug
Deleted a word that would have changed what I was saying

[giustot]

Is a renewal interview something new? When my Global Entry was ready to expire a couple of years ago they sent me an email and I renewed completely on line.

Edited September 7, 2020 by giustot

[mrlevin]

Tom, you know people; I had to go to Austin airport for a two minute interview.  

 

Marc

[rcandkc]

8 hours ago, giustot said:

Is a renewal interview something new? When my Global Entry was ready to expire a couple of years ago they sent me an email and I renewed completely on line.

Earlier this year both my husband and I needed to renew.  We filled out everything online.  They said they would inform us of interview time.  We were never given a time and they were just renewed.  We know no one.  I think it was the luck of the draw and very complete information from us. 

[mrlevin]

11 minutes ago, rcandkc said:

 We were never given a time and they were just renewed.  We know no one.  I think it was the luck of the draw and very complete information from us. 

 

. . . and maybe the pandemic.

[rcandkc]

Just now, mrlevin said:

 

. . . and maybe the pandemic.

This was right before pandemic. 

[fudgbug]

14 hours ago, captjohn said:

Hope this will help those needing to renew Global Entry. I also hope the information will show properly.

 

The Intel
Global Entry's Renewal Interview Process Can Now Be Done in Minutes
Speed through the interview on your way back from an international flight, or schedule a regular appointment if you aren't flying abroad anytime soon.
If your Global Entry is expiring soon and you haven't set up your renewal appointment yet, we've got two pieces of good news for you. The first is that Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) is so backlogged on processing renewals—some are taking a whopping three months to go through—that they've extended everyone's Global Entry for an extra year after expiration, as long as you start the renewal procedure before your expiration date. The second is that you can essentially skip that wait altogether on your next international vacation, thanks to a new system that allows you to take care of your short renewal interview at the border on your way back into the country, no appointment required.
My Global Entry, good for five years, was expiring in December so on my way back from a recent work trip to Namibia, I decided to go through this new, no-wait process. I logged into my Trusted Traveler account a few days before my trip to kickstart my renewal, filling out the usual paperwork (addresses I've lived in since my last renewal, countries I've visited, etc.) and paying the $100 fee (which has since been reimbursed by my Chase credit card). Then, it was time to wait for my conditional approval.
Not everyone has to go through another interview to get their membership for this immigration fast-pass renewed—so some of you may be able to skip this all entirely if you're approved immediately. You'll simply get your new card in the mail a few weeks after this first step. But I needed to see an agent IRL. Five days after I submitted my application I got an email from the CBP that my membership had been conditionally approved and that I needed to either set up an appointment or speak with an agent upon an international return.
I chose the latter, rather than wait weeks for a likely inconvenient appointment time. (Conditional approval is valid for a little more than a month, so don’t start the renewal process too far out from your next trip abroad.) When I landed from Namibia, I went through the usual steps at JFK, walking on the many moving sidewalks from the jet bridge to the immigration hall, zipping through the Global Entry kiosk questions, and printing out my arrival document.
Then, I followed a "Conditional Approval" sign into the room where flight crews are checked in. After a few taps to her keyboard, the CBP agent there verified my most recent address, made sure I had no other changes to my application, and snapped what will be a glorious post-16 hour flight headshot for my new Global Entry card. (Be sure to pack proof of residency if you're planning on going this renewal route—like a mortgage statement or electricity bill with your current address. I wasn't asked for mine but the CBP suggests bringing it along just in case.) She then stamped my arrival document, and I breezed past the winding immigration line, through baggage claim, and into my cab home. The whole renewal interview added about 10 minutes to my re-entry routine. My card will come in the mail in the next few weeks.
This service is now available at almost all international airports in the U.S. and a few airports abroad as well, like in Canada, Ireland, the Bahamas, and the UAE. (The CBP has a full list of the participating airports.) It can only be used on arrival from an international trip, before you clear the border—so be sure to look for the signs as you reach the Global Entry kiosks. All in all, it was the most painless renewal I've been through. Take notes, DMV.

 

Some Conditional Approvals are taking months.

[fudgbug]

8 hours ago, giustot said:

Is a renewal interview something new? When my Global Entry was ready to expire a couple of years ago they sent me an email and I renewed completely on line.

No, it's not new that I know of.  It seems to be the luck of the draw. as to whether you need another in person interview at renewal.  Age, new photo maybe?

[fudgbug]

17 minutes ago, rcandkc said:

Earlier this year both my husband and I needed to renew.  We filled out everything online.  They said they would inform us of interview time.  We were never given a time and they were just renewed.  We know no one.  I think it was the luck of the draw and very complete information from us. 

We gave very complete information.  I got my Conditional Approval January 2020.  Here it is September and I have an in person interview 8 hours away.  As another posted, we would have taken the opportunity to do an interview at a designated airport upon a return from overseas but 5 trips have been canceled.  Dear one applied for renewal in August and his is still Conditional.  I agree that it is the luck of the draw.  Have a happy day!

[travelingbums]

My global renewal was submitted in December 2019(end of year). I received my approval via internet and hard copy came in the mail with 10 days. My husband submitted same renewal in January (you have to wait to submit until the system allows), his is still pending as September 4, 2020. So I am assuming since the Global entry is re-opening it will still be a month or two?😉

[physadv]

We renewed by online application in early August, paid the fee by CC, and received both of our cards in two weeks.

I'm sorry to hear so many are going through so much aggravation to get it done.

[SusieQft]

Does the difference of some having to have an interview and not others have to do with the number of times you have previously renewed?  In some states, they make you come in for a new photograph every other time you renew your driver's license.  Could this be a similar situation?

[DaveFr]

33 minutes ago, SusieQft said:

Does the difference of some having to have an interview and not others have to do with the number of times you have previously renewed?  In some states, they make you come in for a new photograph every other time you renew your driver's license.  Could this be a similar situation?

I don’t think so. My wife and I did our first Global Entry renewals a year or so ago. She had to do an interview while I didn’t need to do one. Maybe CBP is sexist (NOT) 🤣 or, most likely, it’s just luck of the random draw. 
 

Dave

Edited September 8, 2020 by DaveFr