Passport Status can someone help me

[cruznsugs]

Going on a cruise in about 4 months. We applied about 3 weeks ago. My husbands status is processing as well as my daughter's . But mine has not found. So i sent an email thru the travel.state.gov site and they sent a form type letter back just saying it's being processed. It makes me nervous , what if there was a error in my name or birthdate. Has anyone had this problem were their status was never updated but received their passport with no mistakes.

[Degas]

We here in Canada have heard all the horror stories 'cause we lived them all ....because we had to have passports as of 01jan of this year. We saw on the news.... lineups 12 blks long,people being paid to stand in line. People missing weddings,cruises etc etc cause their passports were delayed. Keep in mind these people got NO refunds on their vacations because it was their responsibility to obtain passports.

So some people were smart and yes stood in line for hours BUT paid almost $100 extra and got an expedited passport and had it in 4 business days.

The only advice I can give you from the experiences I have read in our newspapers seen on TV and read on CC is call the gov't representative in your area and ask him for help...or your senators office...etc etc

DO NOT wait for the passport to arrrive in it's own good time.....get someone on top of it asap. Tell them your story, tell them it is a trip of a lifetime, tell them you have heard the horror stories.......

 

I wish you good luck......and a happy ending!!!

[south seas sue]

I, too, am waiting for my passport to be renewed and mailed to me. I applied about 6 weeks ago, for a cruise leaving mid-December - so approx. 4 months in advance of need. After reading all the horror stories about the delays earlier in the year, I called the Dept. of State to see what the current status is. I did not have to wait long to speak to a representative, who told me I should NOT have to request special handling and pay an extra fee, but I should receive it in plenty of time. Given that, I did NOT pay extra for expedited processing and mailing. After a few weeks I went to the website online and requested notification about how my application was doing. I just today received an email saying it was being processed.

 

A lot of the panic earlier this year concerned people who were leaving this summer, and needed passports within a few weeks. The State rep assured me they no longer have these kinds of backups triggered by excess demand. My notice also indicated that if I was travelling within 2 weeks, I should call and get my passport expedited.

 

I recall that they ask you the dates of your travel on the passport application. This is so they can keep that in mind when they are processing the passports.

 

Not to worry............have a great vacation!

 

:)

 

I would not worry a bit. You have plenty of time to receive it, even if you have not paid for expedited mailing.

[vaitape]

We sent in our passport renewal documents 31 May and received our new passorts almost exactly 12 weeks later.

[JDRMYS]

Since I have relations who live in France and the UK and who are not in the best shape physically, I always use the expedited service to renew my passport. I can't afford to be without a passport for more than a few days!

[JoAnne B]

It's probably far too early to be concerned about the processing. We've all read the horror stories, but a number of people have been transfered into passport processing to catch up on the backload. It will probably take 12 weeks before you receive your passport, but not as long as during the "crunch".

 

This summer I needed additional pages added to my passport (I had requested them when applying for the new passport, but they ignored me. One look at the expiring passport should have alerted them to the need for the pages). I was afraid it would get caught in the deluge, so I stopped in the consulate in Berlin and had the pages in place in about 45 minutes.

 

Good luck and don't worry yet.

[BobBeaSea]

I have read on other boards the passport processing problems have ebbed. There doesn't seem to be the timing problems there were a few months ago.

[NCCruzQueen]

My friend and I are cruising on the Navigator mid January. My passport is fine, but my friend had never applied for one. She sent all her paperwork in through our local post office around August 15th and got her new passport this past Saturday. It took about 6 weeks total. She was told that the summer rush is over and that the extra employees hired to assist with the summer were still working. Hopefully your passport will arrive soon.