i didn’t collect all those stamps for nothin’!
This is going to sound very Type A, control freak of me but it’s time to renew my passport and I’m having a lot of anxiety about mailing it off into the unknown. Now, ordinarily, I would tell you not to scare me with all your tales of passport terror, but I really want to know, has anyone had any problems (i.e. not gotten their passport back) when mailing it off for renewal?
P.S. Thank you to everyone for submitting stories for the contest. I’m digging how many of them include awkward foreign nudity.
Other than it taking almost twice as long as they said it would, I had no problems. They said it would take 8-10 weeks for a simple renewal (backlog due to everyone needing one now) and it took 15 weeks before I had it in my hands again. There was panic, but I did get it. And you can check the progress online or call for an update (which I did, twice). The first time I renewed it only took three weeks.
I’m on my third passport now. And I did get my old one back both times I’ve had to renew. But all my passport photos have been horrible. You’re not supposed to smile anymore because of biometrics requirements!
I had my renewal expedited because an unexpected trip came up, and I had no problems whatsoever. Just thought I’d try and add some reassurance!
Hi Fish
Long time reader - first time commenter - lol. I have an expired passport that I haven’t renewed simply because I’m scared they will lose it and I’ll lose my stamps from countries that no longer exist. I want to go to Australia this year - so now I have a problem. I’m too nervous about reporting it lost. What to do??? Sorry doesn’t help you - but at least you know you’re not alone - lol.
I recently did the expedited thing too, and it was really quick. I had forgotten that they return old passports, so I was pleasantly surprised!
I renewed mine at the beginning of last year (2007) and had no trouble getting it back. It just gets a little hole punched in it across the scan thingy.
I’m moving to Hong Kong and had to renew. I was terrified that I wouldn’t get it back before I had to move. Expedited it, sent it the Friday before MLK Day and STILL got it back in a week. No problems whatsoever. Has a hole in the cover, but all the stamps are still intact. And the visa pages on the new ones are much prettier.
I had no problem at all. Just make sure you send it in with plenty of time to spare.
I heard about someone who went to Israel and needed a new passport (without the Israeli entry stamp) so she said she dropped it in the water and it got damaged. Not sure if she was American or Canadian but I wouldn’t think that would get you in a whole heap of trouble… as long as they don’t ask you why you took your passport on the water!
As a back up - I made a color copy of every page. That actually worked out much better because now I have the stamps next to my photos in my photo album. And I did get my passport back.
fish, i went thru the whole ordeal of wondering if i would get my old passport back when i sent it back for renewal. i had stamps from all over the world. like everyone else who’s commented so far, there were no problems whatsoever. what a relief!
I just renewed my passport and had NO problems at all. I got my new passport quicker then expected and received my old passport (with stamps intact) the day after I got the new one.
Of course, the new one has the ‘chip’ in it, which kind of freaks me out…
my sister sent her passport away to be renewed-right before Katrina hit. And the place she had to send it to was in New Orleans. But she still got it back!