H just renewed his soon-to-expire passport. Where he got his new picture, they mentioned this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/travel/passport-renewal.html?mwrsm=Facebook&_r=0
fwiw…
We were always told to allow six weeks for renewal anyway. So this isn’t a big deal.
My DH actually let his expire…in October…so he needs a new one!!
WA residents got a reprieve - yay! I hate the idea of having to travel domestically with my passport. Maybe our DOL fixes our DL format…
I just renewed mine. The application was mailed just before Christmas and the passport arrived 3 weeks later.
I can’t remember…heading to the study to dig them out. Thanks for the heads-up!
My kids were in that 2007 rush for passports and we also needed to get visas in the passports before a trip. One was hung up somehow and following the progress on the website was a little scary. It would give a date, change the date to a week or so later, then sort of went blank, then suddenly was processed and mailed in about 4 weeks from start to finish. She was born in another country and I’m not sure if that was the problem or if it was her picture (which always looked strange to me).
They were children so the passports expired in 5 years and when we got them 5 years ago, they took about 2 weeks to process. Now the one that got another 5 year child passport has to get another one, and will have to go in for it because it is her first adult passport. Renewing an adult passport by mail is very quick.
I renewed my passport last year and got 2 inserts of additional visa pages added before they discontinued that practice at the end of 2015. It’ll be the last 100 page passport I’ll ever get. 
Whoops! Passport just expired! Will need renewal, as we are planning on a trip out of country later this year. Thanks for the nudge!
I wish I needed the extra passport pages like you, @GMTplus7. I am envious of all your travels!
I have never used up all my passport pages. S has been to a lot more places than I have and he’s less tha. Half my age! Oh well, I enjoy where we have traveled and will keep traveling while we enjoy it.
This is good to know. We have to renew six months in advance of expiration as a rule where we work overseas, and we are all due for renewal in 2016. Our daughter has to go do her own for the first time in her life next month.
Do folks mainly just get Costco or someone to take passport photos or do folks here take the passport photos themselves? Just curious. We have always gotten Cistco or similar to take them but am thinking of just using an app and taking photo and then getting Costco to print photo.
@HImom At the main USPS office in our area that does Passport applications and renewals, you can have photos taken on site for an additional fee. One stop shopping and that way you know that the photos meet their requirements. Some of the locations require an appointment (much preferred to waiting in line anyway) for passports so check on that.
Thanks. Will have to check around. Costco offers passport photos–4 for $4.99 too.
^That’s a good price. The USPS won’t be as cheap, so if you are at Costco anyway, makes sense to just do it there. You’ll only need one photo.
It makes sense to get more than 1 photo. Some countries require a photo for a visa application, so it helps to have a few extra pictures on hand.
Yea, Costco is our neighborhood store anyway, so I’ll probably just have them print it and not mess around. I’d be annoyed if they rejected the photo I submit for any reason and then have to pay the $110 fee all over again for the passport renewal. We have many months before we need the passport, but it’s still nice to have a valid passport, in case some exciting trip pops into our life and we just have to go. 
Never had issues with Costco passport photos! Costco even reprinted mine free of charge because I did not like my sour face and gave me the set I did not like for free. I saved the sour face photos for visas to those Ubekibekibekistans that require a visa photo. 
Yes, I’ve generally been happy enough with Costco (believe they took my last photo in 2006) and would prefer not having the hassle of doing my own photos. The $4.99 is just a small amount compared to the $110 renewal fee anyway & divided over the 10 years really quite reasonable.
I’ve always just had them taken at the post office, one stop shopping.