State Dept removing passport processing from USPS post offices?

[Anonymous]

MAGA says why would you want to fly overseas, traitor?!? We are making America great again! You should vacation here! You should never want to leave!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just go to the passport center in DC. I was there and this lady needed a passport and didn't even have her child's birth certificate. They treated her like royalty with four people trying to help her despite her doing nothing to prepare and for all we know stealing a child.

OP here: we ended up doing this today by using a (refundable) hotel reservation for Canada for next week; said we were going on a road trip. Friends of mine have booked fully refundable cheap airfares to the Caribbean to trigger an appointment with the Washington Passport Office. Of course, you cancel the reservation once you have your passport in hand.

The Washington Passport Office is amazing. I'm picking up our toddler's passport in person later this week.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone who submitted an application in the last month actually received theirs, or seen their status changed from “in process”?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just go to the passport center in DC. I was there and this lady needed a passport and didn't even have her child's birth certificate. They treated her like royalty with four people trying to help her despite her doing nothing to prepare and for all we know stealing a child.

OP here: we ended up doing this today by using a (refundable) hotel reservation for Canada for next week; said we were going on a road trip. Friends of mine have booked fully refundable cheap airfares to the Caribbean to trigger an appointment with the Washington Passport Office. Of course, you cancel the reservation once you have your passport in hand.

The Washington Passport Office is amazing. I'm picking up our toddler's passport in person later this week.

Great! I've always done similar, but with a real trip. Just show them my booked flight and hotel about a week out and I've always gotten a passport same-day. Haven't mailed a passport in 20+ years. Yes, you pay an expedited fee but it's worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well that's terrifying. I submitted my passport for renewal last week (expedited) and it is saying "UNAVAILABLE" when I tried to check status :/

Update: I just checked mine again today and it now says "In process". phew

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in DC and have been trying to get a passport for our toddler.

We had an interview lined up for the USPS on Pennsylvania Ave last Wednesday. On Tuesday the post office calls me and said my appointment is canceled. They will not be conducting passport processing, as they lost the person who handles it. I asked if they will be getting a replacement and they had no idea when that would happen.

My spouse was at the Wisconsin Ave post office this weekend, which also does passport interviews. People kept coming in for interviews and the processing office is closed. Again, post office staff told my spouse that the processing person was pulled last week and no notice was provided. And in the case of Wisconsin Ave, they are not even calling people to let them know the interviews are canceled! USPS website also keeps allowing people to make interview reservations - so people take their kids out of school, come to do their interview, and then the Post Office staff at the mail desk have to let them know its indefinitely closed and to try to make a reservation at another facility. People are obviously pissed off and yelling at the Postal desk staff!

Is this happening only in DC or elsewhere across the country? Feels like a systemic change that was not announced anywhere.

This happened to me too. So f*ing annoying with a baby in tow. Thanks for the updates PPs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, when tromp won the election we all knew govt systems would disappear or slow down significantly. I rushed the renewals on our passports to make sure they got done. I think it’s just one of those things Muskrat wants to shut down. Administration already announced all trans people would have passports revoked and denied, so I’m sure the system is shut down while they go thru and confirm that.

FAFO as they say. Sorry OP.

[Anonymous]

Please let this be true!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone who submitted an application in the last month actually received theirs, or seen their status changed from “in process”?

Submitted mine on 1/7 and received it last week. The email alerts were very helpful. I would expedite or do in person now that it looks like they are messing with the process.

Although the good thing about doing it online is that you don’t give up your passport. It’s not valid at that point, I believe. But at least you still have it.

[Anonymous]

USPS is self-funded so I don't know how much control Trump has. But it's likely thati indeed they are short-staffed.One trick we used to do is get an apointment at a post office in an exurb of DC, like Front Royal or Hagerstown. Demand is lower there, so easier to get appointments.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone who submitted an application in the last month actually received theirs, or seen their status changed from “in process”?

My husband got his in less than a week. (No joke). Mine, submitted at the same time, has been in process for a month.

[Anonymous]

Just did a walk-in at USPS. No issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone needs to get the press on this stat.

I wanted to add that adults have not been able to use the post office for a while. When I tried to renew mine late last year, the office said I had to do it online. If I was getting a passport for a child, they were still allowed to use the post office or a library.

Last month, I did my renewal online. This won't help the person with the toddle, I don't think, and not having ANY staff at USPTO or a library is new and scary.

I'd get people to make a big fuss about this.

That makes no sense - I renewed mine and that of my youngest child at the PO by Navy Yard last year. It was incredibly efficient - didn’t pay to rush, and we got them at our house in 2 weeks

[Anonymous]

We’ve had the same issue, been cancelled twice the night before at two different USPS locations. Trying a library location next and fingers crossed. It’s absurd. If this one doesn’t work out I am going to freak out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would try another type of office that issues them . We had to go in person and went to our county Clerk-Recorder's office. Much better service than I've ever had at the post office for passports in the past. Some public libraries do, or find the federal office.

This. We have 2 separate appointments coming up. Neither at the post office. I briefly tried looking on the USPS website but it was so slow and too awful to deal with that I gave up. There are multiple options within 15 min of our house and we were able to get appointments within a few weeks. The post office is always the last option for everything.