Our New Passports Arrived.

[MineralMan]

It took exactly two weeks, which is twice as quickly as the passport site says is the average time. This is a slow period for passport applications, so if you're thinking about renewing yours, October will get yours back to you quickly. You can save money over the expedited process, which costs an extra $60.

If you live in a state with driver's licenses that do not comply with Real ID standards, it might be a good idea to make sure your passport is not expired or to get one. Given Trump's moronic actions, the deadline may come up without any further extensions. Without a compliant ID, it will be very difficult to fly, even within the US, or to get into federal buildings or installations.

A passport renewal has gone up to $110, plus the cost of photos and fees if you renew at a passport application acceptance facility.

BTW, my passport photo makes me look a little angry, so it reflects my opinion on the excessive cost of this important document.

Get started here:

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports.html

[Gothmog]

1. I just got my passport renewed a couple of months ago

[yallerdawg]

2. But I'm here to tell you...

the day WE need a passport to get into a Federal courthouse or Social Security office is the day EVERYONE wakes the hell up!

[MineralMan]

6. Well, that day is approaching in states that have fought against Real ID.

Most people don't think about it, but when the deadline arrives, a lot of people are going to be really surprised. Security screenings are in place at most federal buildings and facilities and they'll start expecting Real ID compliant IDs in 2018, or maybe 2020, if the state has an extension.

Watch, too, for states to add this to voter ID requirements, simply because it will limit voting by people who can't afford to update to Real ID or a passport.

The airport is where this is going to have the most impact on most people, though. A lot of people who don't follow the news at all are going to get a big surprise and may not be able to fly.

And the rules may change by the deadline, as well. Who knows what DHS and the TSA will cook up about this.

Even my blue state of Minnesota has dragged its heels in implementing Real ID driver's licenses. They're trying to rush issuance right now, but bureaucracy and a faulty update of the system's computers has snarled everything up. Real ID-compliant ID won't be issued automatically, either. People will have to apply for an updated license and pay an extra fee for it, as they can do right now with MN's "enganced" DL.

The potential for all of this to get out of control and become a huge SNAFU is growing. The answer for individuals is to get a passwport or keep a passport valid. But, that should be necessary. I don't like hassles, so my wife and I renewed our expired passports.

I'm posting this here for informational purposes. What people do is up to them.

[Hortensis]

12. Wasn't up to speed on the "real ID" deadline, so thanks.

[MineralMan]

14. My pleasure, as always.

I like sharing information.

[BannonsLiver]

3. Always thought the cost of a passport was a bargain, myself.

Given what it allows the holder to do which is see the big beautiful world.

[ananda]

4. You got me to check mine.

2 more years

[Gidney N Cloyd]

5. Handy timing. I just yesterday printed out the renewal form and had pix taken.

I'm pretty sure Illinois drivers licenses are still non-compliant. We can't seem to get much done here the last few years.

[MineralMan]

7. Smart!

[panader0]

8. Mine just expired on the 8th of this month.

I'll be re-upping as soon as I recover from my land taxes.
Here, about 15 miles from Mexico, you need a passport to go
across the line. I haven't used mine since last year's trip to
Costa Rica.

[Hortensis]

15. Such a shame about Mexico. I remember how we'd drive over

in southern California and just get an inquiring look and question from both bureaucracies before being waved on. And when I joined the people walking over and back from El Paso to Juarez not even that. Sigh.

[MineralMan]

9. More Information and an Important Tip!

You can fill out the passport application form that applies to you right on the State Department website, but there's a catch that throws a lot of people for a loop.

At what seems to be the end of the process, you'll see a pdf preview of the completed application. Depending on your browser, there may be a printer icon available, as dones in Chrome. It won't work. What is on the screen is not actually in pdf format.

What you have to do, which is not explained on the preview, is go back to the form filler application and follow a couple of more steps, which will generate an actual pdf file you can download. That, you can print.

Another catch, however, exists. In some browsers, like Chrome, the pdf printing function does not work 100% properly, and the bottom of the form will be cut off on some printers. That printed form will not be accepted by the passport agency. If that happens, here's what to do:

Tight-click the pdf file on your computer and then click Open with in the pop-up menu. Choose Adobe Reader. You can print from there, and you'll get a complete form on all printers if you check the "Shrink to fit page" option box in the print dialog box.

The form doesn't print property on Macintosh computers, either, from the Chrome browser, but I don't know how to deal with Adobe Reader on a Mac. I'm sure there is a "Shrink to fit page" option there, too.

Now, if you think this is really, really stupid, you're right. The problem is that the bottom line of the form and its border are too close to the bottom of the page for many printers. The form is badly designed, as are IRS tax forms, which have similar problems. The agencies, and browser publishers need to deal with this issue. They haven't. The solution is to use the Adobe Reader app, itself, which offers a method for proper printing.

Typical government idiocy.

[crazycatlady]

10. I haven't had a passport as an adult

I do travel from time to time but it is company paid. Luckily my state complied with Real ID standards and I can use my drivers license to board a plane.

I'll get a passport if the time comes where I plan an international trip. But for the time being, the $110 is better spent elsewhere for me.

[bdjhawk]

11. Got mine in six days under expedited process

Last edited Fri Sep 29, 2017, 04:13 PM - Edit history (1)

I misread my expiration date and it expired in April, so sent in the form for an expedited processing. I sent it by trackable mail and was pleasantly surprised to receive the new one back six days after their office received it. Costs a bit more but we leave in two weeks for New England/Canada tour, so didn't want to take a chance.

As another poster said, I don't think the prices are excessive. They last ten years so not much of a per year cost to be able to see the world!

[MineralMan]

13. On the cost, I agree, if you're using it for international travel.

It's not much when you look at the cost of the travel. However, if people are going to need one just as identification, it's outrageously expensive. I blame my state for not implementing Real ID in a timely way. We all have to have driver's licenses, pretty much. Now, there's going to be a big rush for those near the deadline, and many are going to be very inconvenienced, especially those who pay little attention and won't realize the problem until they get to the airport.

Frankly, I've long been a proponent of a free, national ID, based on Social Security records, but not using that number, that would be issued for minimal cost to everyone with a SS card. The photo requirement could easily be handled by each state's driver's license system, as could the issuance of the ID and postal address stuff. Or, the post office could handle all of it on a federal basis.

This current SNAFU is unnecessary and should never have occurred.

Those who have continued to oppose a secure national ID are to blame for all of this, really.

[Pathwalker]

16. Is a birth certificate required? If so, I will never be able to get one.

I was adopted by my maternal grandparents, and my "adoptive" birth certificate has the wrong birth date, so I can't use it - it's not even legal.

[MineralMan]

17. It is, unless you already have an existing, expired passport.

I'm not sure how to proceed in your case. You should probably start with the jurisdiction that issued your existing erroneous birth certificate. It is probably possible to get an amended replacement or at least an official letter explaining the error. There's bound to be a way to deal with this, and you should investigate that soon. At some point, you're going to need a valid birth certificate.

Even a Real ID-compliant drivers license will require a birth certificate or some other proof of birth in the US.

I'd contact the people who handle birth certificates in the jurisdiction where the one you have was issued, to start with, and then follow their lead on this. It can be correct, although it may involve a court issuing an order correcting the error. I just don't know the details.

Also, if an actual birth certificate was originally issued, you can get a copy of that, as well. Your situation is not all that unusual, really.

[Pathwalker]

25. The county of record is Maricopa county in Arizona. Sigh.

I am handicapped and live in Michigan, and hold a current driver's license. I have been told by Maricopa County officials that I would have to go to court to get a copy of my original, and get a court order, as all the records were sealed, due to issues brought up at the time - birth father's crimes. More than that, I am unwilling to state here on DU, even though I know the extent of those crimes. Sigh. Guess I'll just stay home.

[MineralMan]

27. Sorry to hear that.

It's complicated, I can see.

[gvstn]

20. Seems to me

The Bureau of Vital Statistics in the city you were born it should have a record of your birth registered in its files regardless of your adoption status.

It might be a problem if you use currently use the incorrect birth date but if you use the correct one it shouldn't be a problem with a copy from Vital Statistics embossed with a raised seal. I think the raised seal from BVS is what will validate the documents accuracy.

[HipChick]

18. I had an emergency and had to go to a passport center...

Pretty much got it same day...they also have special events to help folks get their passports..

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/news/special-passport-acceptance-fairs.html

[MineralMan]

19. Yes. There are official passport centers in most major cities.

Elsewhere, other organizations are passport application acceptance locations and can help with the process, too. Here, I went to the city hall in a neighboring suburb of St. Paul. They were very nice, took care of all of the checking and verifying and took the required photo, all for a modest $25 fee. It took about half an hour for my wife and I to get it taken care of.

You can look up passport offices and acceptance locations on the State Department passport pages at the link I gave upthread. There's somewhere near just about everyone. Even some post offices do it.

[zipplewrath]

21. Passport Card

When one gets a passport, for an additional fee, one can also get a "passport card". It is not a replacement for a passport, but it is a drivers license sized card which can be used as "Real ID" compliant identification. It also has a variety of uses like on cruises and such. I've found it a handy alternative to a drivers license. I travel a fair amount on business and it is well received by TSA and other government agencies demanding ID. Also, it is a nice "back up" in case my license goes missing for whatever reason. Also, when traveling internationally, it makes it easier to get a replacement Passport/ID in order to get home.

One bit of information that is wrong on most travel sites. They'll state that it CANNOT be use for "air travel". That's not true. It can be used for internal/domestic air travel. It cannot be used for international arrivals. However, once in the US, the TSA will accept it as ID. I keep it in my carry-on/laptop case with some other cards. It's actually easier for me to get out/put back than my license and the TSA folks all recognize it around the country.

It's about $30 additional when you get a passport. Not for everyone, but for some of us it makes sense.

[MineralMan]

22. Good point, and you can get the card alone, as well.

If all you need is something to get you on flights within the US, the Passport Card will be sufficient. However, if you need to travel outside of the country, you'll need the Passport Book. I believe the card will get you in and out of Canada and Mexico, though, at the border, if you're driving.

[zipplewrath]

23. Cruise ships

Mostly places you'll go on a cruise ship from US ports will accept this card. I personally would still have a passport, but carrying this card wouldn't hurt to handle contingencies.

[MineralMan]

24. Well, I think a passport also makes a convenient holder for boarding

passes in TSA lines. You can slip the boarding pass inside the first two pages and avoid losing any documents. Driver's licences are too small for comfort, and always seem in jeopardy of dropping to the ground, or getting lost in the breast pocket you're carrying that stuff in.

I think I'm just going to switch to the passport for future flights.

[onenote]

26. US passports are pretty good deal

US passports are good for ten years. A five year Canadian passport is $120 and a ten year passport is $160.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

28. 2 weeks for me, too! I mailed it in on 10/3 and it's back in my hands today, 10/17.

This was a renewal of a passport that expired about 4 years ago. Apparently you have up to 5 years to renew.