US passport: how is this legal and is there another way

seeker

Mon, Oct 16 2023, 5:43 am

When I renewed my passport I had to give in my old passport and not have any passport until the new one arrived about 3 months later. This was with following advice to do it well in advance so I wouldn't be left with a time period without a valid passport after the old one expired. However, I already had a period without a passport because they take the old one. I was low key anxious the whole time I was waiting for the new one. Even if I'd opted to pay extra for expedited, it still takes up to a few weeks (and why should I be forced to pay for expedited when my passport was still valid for another 6 months?)

How is it OK with the constitution for them to withhold your valid travel document? My kids are up for renewal now and in the current climate I'm not OK with giving up their passports while waiting for new ones. I'm also not cool with having them almost expiring.

They should either
1. give you a temporary travel document to use while waiting for the new one
2. Let you keep the old one and require you to bring it to get invalidated in order to pick up the new one (my understanding is this is how it works in Israel)
3. Give you the option between #2 and the current way in case people prefer to not have to go back to the passport/post office for pickup
4. Not take back the old one if the reason for replacing is expiration and make the new one not valid until the day after the old one expires. I understand this could present security concerns but I already gave 3 other viable ideas.

Anyway I don't think the current system is OK at all and would like to know if
1. There's any way to get my kids' passports renewed without having a gap
2. There's any way to apply politics or law or something to get the system changed

amother

Wallflower

Mon, Oct 16 2023, 5:48 am

Do what I do:

Book an international trip (tickets that are refundable) for the next week or two and schedule an appointment at a processing center that does emergency passports. It’s a huge hassle, you have to spend hours there waiting to be seen and then you have to go back a few days later to pickup (or they can mail it depending on when your appointment is in relation to your flight). Then cancel the tickets afterwards

Make sure all the paperwork is in order or they won’t do it. You have to have everyone present- all kids you are applying for as well as both parents or a form signed by the parent who can’t make it (and notarized)

amother

Tuberose

Mon, Oct 16 2023, 5:51 am

To answer your questions,

1. There is a way to get it renewed without a gap - you make an emergency same-day passport. You can only do this if you can prove you have a flight within the next 3 days. I know people who have booked (refundable) flights, called I'm not even sure which office, gotten an emergency same day appointment, had the new passport issued the same day or a day later at most. Then canceled their flights.
2. Highly doubtful the law will change. Pre-covid, it didn't take so long to get your renewal passport, and they're still blaming the current lag on covid related backup. So they wouldn't change a law due to a "temporary" problem. Also, I once read that changing a law takes approximately 6-9 years of background work (3 years to acknowledge the problem, 3 years to come up with a solution, and 3 years to get the new law passed). I don't think any senator/congressman is interested in pursuing this for that length of time, especially if this isn't a "permanent" problem.

amother

Leaf

Mon, Oct 16 2023, 5:51 am

I think about this all the time. You are so so right!!!!!!!

I live in Israel so we need valid passports at all times, and when we have to renew I’m a nervous wreck until we get the new one. And no, it’s not like you said, we do have to give/send in the old passport to the embassy and they deliver the new one 6-8 weeks later.

Bh bh we have updated passports now, but if you would know what it took to book an appointment to get a child’s passport renewed, I’m telling you, it’s another nightmare for itself.

amother

Nasturtium

Mon, Oct 16 2023, 5:52 am

amother Wallflower wrote:

This is not a great suggestion since it's very very hard to get an appointment. I tried to do that in the summer, they had no appointments for the next 4 months. And they look for me anywhere in the country.

I do agree though. It's crazy that you have to give in your old passports in order to renew. I ended up having to get an emergency passport so I only did not have a passport for 2 days

amother

Leaf

Mon, Oct 16 2023, 5:53 am

amother Wallflower wrote:

The problem with emergency passports is that it’s only valid for one year. Renewing passports yearly is a hassle

seeker

Mon, Oct 16 2023, 6:06 am

amother Tuberose wrote:

It is not at all a temporary problem. I believe it is ALWAYS unconstitutional to restrict a citizen's right to travel when they have a valid passport. But I don't know constitutional law well enough to cite so maybe it just sounds wrong.

The fact that the world could end before they get around to doing anything is immaterial.

amother

Mistyrose

Mon, Oct 16 2023, 6:11 am

amother Leaf wrote:

My son just went to the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem to renew his passport. They didn’t take his old one from him

amother

Tuberose

Mon, Oct 16 2023, 6:15 am

seeker wrote:

To clarify, I wasn't saying it's ok for you to temporarily not have a passport while it gets renewed. I was saying that the extreme length (3 months or more) of not having a passport while they renew it, as opposed to the former 4-6 weeks of not having a passport, is a supposedly temporary problem, still being blamed on covid.

I still think there should be some kind of workaround to avoid this issue in the first place. Maybe we shouldn't be required to give in our old passports when we have them renewed?

amother

Eggplant

Mon, Oct 16 2023, 6:17 am

And emergency passports are very expensive!
I also heard they were cracking down on this 3rd party companies who do rush passport services..
A few years ago you paid an extra 20$ for expedited and got in 2 weeks ..now you pay a lot more and they hope expedited will come in 6-8 weeks ..
Its ridiculous..

seeker

Mon, Oct 16 2023, 6:23 am

amother Tuberose wrote:

Please. If covid was temporary it would be over by now. And 4-6 weeks is still too long to not have a passport in hand when you already own one. I can deal with it if it's your first time applying, but if your old one didn't expire yet then you should have the right to travel with it.

amother

Forestgreen

Mon, Oct 16 2023, 6:42 am

amother Nasturtium wrote:

No its not.
Book a flight for Monday afternoon.
14 days before on Monday morning starting at 8 am keep calling the number. You should get through if you keep calling. You can only book a flight within 14 days, so on Monday Morning, there are plenty appts avail for the Friday before.
For example If you book a flight for Oct 30, and called this am, they would give you an appt for either Friday the 27th, or Monday morning the 30th.
I got plenty or choices and chose 830 am. I was out of there by 10 am.
Because it was a Monday evening flight I got the choice to pick up the passport Monday morning, and I chose that option.
My passport is valid for 10 years.
For the record, my passport 10 years ago was done the same way.
I've been doing this for my kids/family for years.
Call me nuts, but I don't like the long process either.
A few hours on line works for me.