Community Chat

[lulu2]

@Shorty2U

Your granddaughter can expedite her passport for a fee.

As long as she has proper documentation, (it is spelled out on the website) she should have no difficulty.

[bri20]

Best advice I ever got was to order multiple copies of my kids' birth certificates. I ordered 10 when each of them was born.

[151949]

Since 911 it is complicated and difficult to get a first passport. After that you should just keep renewing it to keep it current. 

[151949]

If I were your neice I would go back to the Commonwealth and get a corrected birth certificate there. My birth certificate had the wrong date - I was born Jan 5th and the lady accidentally wrote the wrong year, so mine has also been corrected. I never had any difficulty using it, despite that it does say on it that it is not the original due to being corrected.

[Lipstickdiva]

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@151949 wrote:

Since 911 it is complicated and difficult to get a first passport. After that you should just keep renewing it to keep it current. 

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My DH and I both got our first one's without a problem. They just arrived this week.  And we got them in 2 weeks of applying for them with our county clerk of courts and didn't pay the expedited fee either.   

[sandraskates]

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@Tribesters wrote:

@Shorty2U

I am a passport acceptance agent. From the info you've provided I do not think the birth certificate is the problem. You must submit proof of citizenship AND current photo identification. I am guessing the ID may be the problem. Was a photocopy (front & back) of the ID submitted along with the birth certificate? And was the ID an acceptable form of primary ID? For example an in-state drivers license is on its own sufficient. However, an ou of state drivers license or a learners permit needs another form of ID. Usually for an 18 year old a student ID would work along with the learners permit. So, for example, if your granddaughter is from PA. but applied for her passport while away at college in NY she would need to submit copy of both her license & student ID. 

Travel.state.gov is the official website- you can check acceptable forms of ID there. Also visa information is available as well.

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Wow - there is such depth of professions and knowledge on this board.

[JavaQueen]

I had trouble--in 2001.

They literallly accused me of being a terrorist.

I sent birth ceritificates, diplomas, church records, etc. school records. No copies allowed! Nerve-wracking.

In the end, I did get my passport. It's going to be harder to get drivers licenses in some sttes in the U.S. They will have to meet an "enhanced standard" and will be required for domestic travel. So I guess one is better off getting a passport or the card version.

[aubnwa01]

My passport will be expiring in Oct. of this year.  It's my 1st ever passport, so I've never renewed one before.  How far in advance should I start the renewal process? 

It was a big hassle just getting it, because of me having a different last name than the one on my birth certificate & having never been married.  I was raised by my father's cousin & her husband after my bio mother died when I was 3 mos. old & was made a ward of the state & my father refused to let them adopt me.  They had signed me up for school under their last name & it's all I've ever used thru all of my education & employment.   

I had to send the passport place my school & employment records, since I had used the last name that was never really my own on everything in my life.  My "mom" somehow even got me 2 different SS cards, one with my birth last name & one with their last name, but both the same SS number! 

That made things really "interesting" when I applied for SS, as they had me in their system under about 6 different combinations of names!  The guy at SS told me they see lots of weird stuff from the days before computers.

Back to my question, though, how far in advance should I start the passport renewal process?

[terrier3]

May I suggest that anyone having issues getting a passport should contact the local office of one of their Senators.

They have staff that handle passport issues - that's what we elect them for - to serve as our advocates when we need them!

[sunshine45]

@aubnwa01 the answer is......do it now.

Application for a passport renewal should be done approximately nine months prior to the passport's expiration date. There are three reasons for renewing your passport so early. One, the earlier you apply, the less likely you are to need expedited services.

When Can I Renew My Passport - US Passport Service Guide

www.us-passport-service-guide.com/when-can-i-renew-my-passport.html