Passport Information

I am sorry to tell you but you should be VERY worried... My friend's husband applied for his passport in February and haven't got it yet... They are supposed to be flying to Mexico on Monday!!!
Good luck to you.

I would be very worried as I know a couple who couldn't leave for Mexico on time and missed theire own wedding!

They say it's like 4 months now to get a passport and something like 2 months on expedited.

I heard there is a way of getting your passport earlier. You have to call and request an appointment so you can go in person and make the line. But, it's in Houston.

Or, there are people you can pay to go on line on your behalf. I think you can find this kind of service in some post office in Plano.

Good luck!

You should call the main embassy in Washington D.C. They have direct numbers where you can get direct answers. And when they direct you to someone else make sure to tell them that you have already talked to the "big" people. I've heard of some really bad delays, and it frustrated me so bad when I was in a similar situation, then I spoke to my father who directed me to do this and it worked. I don't have any of the numbers, but just look up the country to which you are traveling and find their main embassy.

I suggest that you call the passport office, that is taking way too long. And yes, if you don't have a passport you can't get into another country.

Definitely start calling. My friend had to spend the night in Houston to get hers from the passport office a couple days before her trip to Europe. She had waited 16 weeks and still had not received it. She said it was a madhouse there.... they are so far behind on those things since EVERYONE (children included) needs a passport to leave the U.S. now.

t

First off, have fun in Cabo! We JUST got back from there and had a fabulous time -- our first time away without our son. Yes, please check on your passport. I paid the extra $$ to expedite mine and it was worth the peace of mind. Maybe they'll arrange something for you? Good luck! (If you haven't been to Cabo before, feel free to PM me for info on restos, etc.)

Definitely I would call and get things checked out. The Senior High Youth group at my church is in Mexico this week and there were a few kids that didn't get to go because their passport didn't come in time. One girl's came Friday afternoon (they left Saturday) and another girl drove to Houston with her family Friday to get it. They kept calling and calling until they were finally able to get an appointment. Plus they had to pay extra to get it that way, not to mention the cost of driving to Houston. So I would definitely get on it. I hope you get it in time and enjoy your kid free vacation!!!

They are saying it's taking 10 weeks to get your passport back, but in reality it's taking 12-13 weeks. You can call your local congressperson to ask for their help in getting your passport pushed through. If it gets down to the wire and you need to make the trip to Houston, it can take a week or more to get an appt, so be sure to call in plenty of time.
C.

There are tremendous backlogs in getting passports right now due to the requirement for them for traveling to Mexico and Canada:
http://www.ricksteves.com/news/tournews/0705/passport.htm
So, it does seem there's a remote possibility you might get yours on time, but I would highly recommend you try the Houston route (you'll have to wait 2 more weeks to take that route as you need to show proof that you're leaving in 2 weeks). There are also services that will expedite the passport for you: http://www.upandv.com/ So, you pay their fees on top of the expedited passport fees, but they might be the easiest route - I used this service when I first got my passport as it was for a business trip that was just a week away.

And, yes, there are folks that have missed trips:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2007-05-31-passport-w...
This article has a link to some information basically discussing the options I listed above:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2007-04-05-how-to-app...

did you see the news yesterday they have new passport rules
here's the link
http://www.nbc5i.com/news/13467444/detail.html?dl=mainclick you will NOT need a passport to travel to mexico,canada,caribbean and bermuda.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/jun/86206.htm

My daughter's roommate applied in February. They were scheduled to go to Argentina on a Master's study program at the end of May. Her check was cashed in February and when May rolled around....no passport. The passport office recommended calling the congressman's office. After one week, the congressman's office told her that they had made her an appointment in Houston on a Saturday at 9:30am. She flew to Houston ($310.00), took a cab to the passport office. Fifteen families were waiting with a similar story. At 9:30am, two security guards and an employee unlocked the door and called out three names and told the rest to leave or they were going to call the police. When the other families started asking questions, the employee said that these families were the only ones with confirmation numbers from the passport office in Washington, DC. My daughter's friend flew back to OK and canceled the flight to Argentina and the apartment that they had rented. I do not know how money was lost in this mess. She had even paid (in Feb.) for expedited shipping which was supposedly being delivered by FedEx. Last week, her passport finally came and it came in the US mail, not FedEx. The congressman's office was no help before or after the fact. Their advice ended up costing more money (i.e., trip to Houston) with no results. In addition, they could offer no explanation about the supposed appointment in Houston after the unsuccessful trip. Good Luck! We try to keep our passports updated at all times. How about writing our congressman and senators about a fast track system for US citizens?!!!