US Passport Delays

[asdsrfr-old]

If any of you are US citizens planning an overseas trip and you need a new passport make sure to apply as early as possible. The whole system has melted down due to new requirements for passports for air travelers from the US to Mexico and Canada. People are waiting 3-4 months and longer for new passports.

I made the mistake of submitting my passport for some extra pages over 12 weeks ago and it never made it back. I'm leaving tonight and I had to spend a full day at the passport agency in Los Angeles yesterday getting as new one made. The place was mobbed with other people in the same situation. Paying extra money to expedite doesn't seem to help much either.

So plan ahead for those upcoming trips!

[Abuelo-old]

I mailed mine off last week for renewal and paid for expedited service. Last weekend their website said 2-3 weeks for expedited and up to 10 weeks for routine. I just checked tonight and the routine service went from up to 10 weeks to 10-12 weeks. Yikes! I am optimistic because I paid for the expedited service but I have a trip in 15 weeks and I don't want to do what you had to do! Good advice to people to apply as early as possible.

If someone had posted that there were three to four months delays in obtaining a passport in Myanmar, Laos or Vietnam, I would have been extremely surprised. I would have also believed that the length of the delay was unacceptable, even in third world countries such as those I have named.But to be happening in the United States? http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u152/GeorgeThai/eek.gif Seriously, I am astonished and find it unbelievable, that these long delays are happening there.

The country that sets itself up as an example to the rest of the world as the "Land of the Free", have allowed a situation to develop, whereby they would be preventing their citizens of having the freedom to leave the country as a result of being unable to provide them with a passport, within a reasonable amount of time with which to do so? Unbelievable? Well asdsrfr, whilst I do not doubt for one second that what you have stated in your post is indeed true and is really happening, surely others here will be equally as fucking bewildered as I am, as to why?

I know that it is inconvenient to have to personally visit a passport office, but when the UK passport office found itself under some pressure a few years ago, if you went along to their office with a valid airline ticket as proof that you were soon to be traveling, although you had the spend several hours there, you were at least guaranteed of leaving with a passport. Is this not the same that you could expect to happen in the States and under the same circumstances?

Lastly, and before concluding with this post, the reason you give as being responsible for these incredible delays, is the following. The whole system has melted down due to new requirements for passports for air travelers from the US to Mexico and Canada.

I can only assume that all the reports we are constantly being given every day, of the large numbers of Mexicans going over the border into the States, has been nothing more than propaganda. We now know the truth from your post, that it is really large numbers of Americans that are going over the border into Mexico. Although, why they would be wanting to do this, Buddha only knows.

With regard to the large numbers of Americans wishing to travel to Canada, I can only assume that it was a coincidence, that all of these people finally saw the light and accepted the following fact at the same time as each other. This fact being, that as a choice of where to live in North America, Canada was by far a much more sensible choice than their own. They also accepted, although they must have done this begrudgingly, that Canada was a country where it's citizens are not only far more superior in intelligence to the majority of Americans, but are also much nicer people too. http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u152/GeorgeThai/humoralert.gif

As to whether or not I believe my use of the humour alert emoticon will be enough to convince all of the members here from the States, that I was making a genuine attempt to be humorous, I could of course not possibly comment. http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u152/GeorgeThai/whistle.gif


G.

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

..red tape in the US has aways has been and always will be.

Now with the phony "war on terra" ( the biggest handover of public monies in to private hands ever seen) it will only get worse...the new 'face screening 'systems at US airports are a dud..no-ones got time to work them. :scratch:

Yes, Canucks are very polite, politically correct, and often BLOODY BORING.

[Dboy]

"Land of the Free"

You must be from somewhere else or you'd know better. The thing you guys need to understand is that the US is not run
by the people. US is a corporate state. Individuals pay taxes, but only corporations are represented in any meaningful way.


Dboy

[Abuelo-old]

I was out of town all week but just returned home this afternoon to find my new passport in the mailbox. It was "issued" on 5/21 so it could have been here for a few days. I paid for the expedited service but did not make any expensive shipping arrangements. It went regular US mail both ways and the whole process took less than 2 weeks. I would definitely recommend paying the expedited service if you have a trip i the next 3 months. It is a relief to have the new one in my possession.