<p>Well, it has been banner year for passport applications and renewels, with all the expected gliches</p>
<p>you have been warned!!!</p>
<p>I got mine just recently - even paid extra for rushing it because I’d heard how backlogged they’ve been. I was told expect up to six weeks for RUSHED applications, but it arrived in just 10 days.</p>
<p>I applied for mine two weeks ago- I NEEEEEEED it by Sept 1.<br>
Was I stupid to not pay extra for the express processing???</p>
<p>thanks for the reminder!!</p>
<p>dp, you should be okay, but when they say 6 weeks, its often been 10</p>
<p>how dumb am I</p>
<p>they are doing this backlog, so people will pay extra!!!</p>
<p>money money money</p>
<p>I ordered a passport for my son in mid Feb and received it mid April so you should be fine for Sept.</p>
<p>This was last year, but I told them the date we were leaving and it was within the expected deadline, I did not pay the rush, but they expressed it to us within 10 days.</p>
<p>uh, I ordered my passport 12 weeks ago and I still dont have it. When I applied it told me 4 weeks for regular service. I wasn’t leaving until June 29th and figured why pay an extra $60…HAH! I am so angry about this.</p>
<p>I think the backlog is real. There are new rules requiring passports for Canada coming up, and cruise lines. So there are simply many more people who are applying for new, not renewal, passports. </p>
<p>laxmom - good luck. Hope it comes in the next couple of days.</p>
<p>We just received one (Saturday) within a week but we paid for it to be expedited and included a next-day envelope with it.</p>
<p>doubleplay/laxmom:
I doubt you’ll have a problem but if it gets to within 2 weeks of departure and you have a paid ticket, you can call them to tell them you need it and you can also go to one of their regional offices (appointment only).</p>
<p><a href=“U.S. Passports”>U.S. Passports;
<p>its real, but they knew this was coming for a couple of years</p>
<p>one lady waited in line for nine hours</p>
<p>udad - thanks. That gives me until the 15th and then I can call, except I’ll be out of town on business all week and don’t have the time to go to an office. I’m crossing my fingers that it will arrive this week!
It’s just frustrating that you apply early to avoid this last minute rush and apparently if you pay more $$$$ you get yours earlier.</p>
<p>Sorry - just venting!!</p>
<p>Isn’t there also a way to track and switch from regular to rush at any point? I seem to remember that that was the case.</p>
<p>My friend needed her passport renewed to go on a business trip to Canada tomorrow. Since it didn’t arrive in time, she has to change her flights, land in Detroit and drive three hours to get to the meeting. Apparently you can still use your driver’s lisence to drive over the border into the US, but not land at an airport.</p>
<p>I took my son Sat to the post office. The woman said they had just been told that regular is taking 10-12 weeks right now. They are saying 4 weeks for an expedited but she heard people having been getting those in 2 weeks. My son had a departure date of early Sept and she told us that if we went the regular route she could not guarantee that he would get it in time.
Like UCSD they had us pay for a priority mail postage envelope that they include with the application.
I am hoping it comes in 2 weeks since my son leaves in less then 4 weeks for a summer program in the US and just told me last week he had lost his drivers license. Since the old passport had to go with the application he now has no picture ID to get on the plane. He applied for a replacement license so I am hoping that one or the other comes soon. Or he is going to have to beg his way onto a plane with a old high school student ID.</p>
<p>If you go to the passport site: (<a href=“U.S. Passports”>U.S. Passports) </p>
<p>you can check on the status of your personal passport with either a click or a call. They were very helpful to me, letting me know exactly where my passport was with an estimate of how much longer it was going to take. </p>
<p>I would definitely choose to ‘expedite’ if you need one any time in the next 6 months. I should have done so when I ordered a new one just prior to my big China trip in March. I received it in time but the wait brought some new grey hairs! </p>
<p>Also you can get a reg. ID card from the local Motor Vehicle Dept that they can do on the spot. They do them for underage people as well as those who do not drive. I need one for my girl who will be flying alone very soon.</p>
<p>We ordered my son’s passport expedited on April 4th and it arrived May 5th. Just thought I’d throw that in as another point of reference for you guys.</p>
<p>biohelpmom, a passport has been required to fly into Canada because the U.S. requires it to return! It’s not the Canadian government requiring this. Also, it’s been required since January of this year so your friend should have know this a long time ago. 
It isn’t being implemented for land crossings until sometime in 2008, the exact date has not yet been sent.</p>
<p>I applied on March 28 and still don’t have it. Ten weeks will be up on 6/6.
I didn’t pay extra for the expedited service. Mine is just a renewal, not a new passport.</p>
<p>Based on everything I’ve read, looks like I may not have it until later this month.</p>