Help! Expired US passport (minor) and International vacation travel on July 2nd

[Anonymous]

OP here...meant to thank PP 18:12!

[Anonymous]

Actually...meant to say...thank u pp:18:12

[Anonymous]

OP, you will be okay. I've been through this. Go online to determine all the documents you need, especially proof of travel. You may need the expired passport as well as birth certificate. Best to check online. Gather everything up and go to passport office on 19th super early. (Before it opens so you are first in line.) You'll get in. If I recall, both parents were required to be there as well. Again, you should check this. Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here...just wondering about taking congressmans help...is it not for life/death emergencies? Will try....
Thx

I have done this. My situation was kind of strange, my DH had just become a citizen and was waiting for his US passport to come through (when you become a citizen at the ceremony they take your green card and explain you cannot leave the country and get back in on anything else other than a US passport, basically meaning he couldn't leave until the us passport was issued and he had applied for one the same day). Anyway his father died and for religious reasons they needed to bury him quickly, so I called my rep and asked to speak to someone in constituent services. They have staffers just for this. I explained the situation and asked if I could get a letter to the diplomat or secret passport office on 19th. They instructed me to fax a copy (that's how long ago it was) of our ticket confirmation, drivers license and a letter making the request. An hour later they faced back to me the letter. I printed it and my husband took it, along with birth certificate, etc., to the passport office above the regular one on 19th). They buzzed him in, he showed hem the letter, they took his picture and told him to come back in an hour, he did and he got his new passport and flew out that evening. I had read about the secret passport office on DCUM, so I knew to ask for it.

I would try your Congress rep first. If that doesn't work then I would go in person to the regular passport office on 19th but be prepared to wait, and remember your child must be there as well and if the other parent isn't there you need the affidavit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call your congressional rep first thing Monday morning, they should have a staffer for just this kind of problem. There is a secret passport office on nineteenth street above the main one in NW, diplomats, etc get to use it. BUT if you have a letter from your congress rep, you can also get in. I learned this on DCUM years ago and found myself in a similar situation when my FIL died and my DH needed to leave right away for another country. Our congressman got us a letter within hours, my DH showed up at the secret office first thing the next morning with the letter and his other documents, and he got a new passport in two hours.

Call them, ASAP Monday.

Wow! This is fascinating.

[Anonymous]

Special issuance passport office

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/information/where-to-apply/agencies/special-issuance-agency.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here...just wondering about taking congressmans help...is it not for life/death emergencies? Will try....
Thx

I have done this. My situation was kind of strange, my DH had just become a citizen and was waiting for his US passport to come through (when you become a citizen at the ceremony they take your green card and explain you cannot leave the country and get back in on anything else other than a US passport, basically meaning he couldn't leave until the us passport was issued and he had applied for one the same day). Anyway his father died and for religious reasons they needed to bury him quickly, so I called my rep and asked to speak to someone in constituent services. They have staffers just for this. I explained the situation and asked if I could get a letter to the diplomat or secret passport office on 19th. They instructed me to fax a copy (that's how long ago it was) of our ticket confirmation, drivers license and a letter making the request. An hour later they faced back to me the letter. I printed it and my husband took it, along with birth certificate, etc., to the passport office above the regular one on 19th). They buzzed him in, he showed hem the letter, they took his picture and told him to come back in an hour, he did and he got his new passport and flew out that evening. I had read about the secret passport office on DCUM, so I knew to ask for it.

I would try your Congress rep first. If that doesn't work then I would go in person to the regular passport office on 19th but be prepared to wait, and remember your child must be there as well and if the other parent isn't there you need the affidavit.

That situation is so incredibly different from the OPs. I'm thrilled they were able to help your husband and it's awesome they have resources for situations like that. But OP is trying to go on vacation and made a mistake regarding the passports. It's not the same and I would imagine (and hope!) most congressional offices take the "secret" passport office seriously and reserve it for cases that have some sort of special need, like your DH.

[Anonymous]

I paid a ton for it, but just had to use rushmypassport.com for a work trip. Got my passport in 5 business days. It cost a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I paid a ton for it, but just had to use rushmypassport.com for a work trip. Got my passport in 5 business days. It cost a lot.

18:12 here. We thought about doing that, but we decided to brave the passport office anyway. The passport office had the passport ready in two business days. We had to pay the expedited fee. The rest of the fees were just the normal ones.

Online it says you can only pay by check, so I brought my checkbook. Turns out they were fine with my Amex card.

I cannot say enough good things about the passport office on 19th Street. They are so efficient. And wonderful.

[Anonymous]

Walk in at the passport office.

[Anonymous]

OP here...
We went to DC agency, but were told to come back on thursday. They are allowing walk-ins only for people traveling in 24 to 48hrs. So will go back 06/29 which will make it 48hrs before our travel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here...
We went to DC agency, but were told to come back on thursday. They are allowing walk-ins only for people traveling in 24 to 48hrs. So will go back 06/29 which will make it 48hrs before our travel.

Good to know! Thanks for reporting back.

[Anonymous]

OP here...
So we went to DC passport agency...long wait...took 4-5 hrs. Picked up passports today. The agency employees are awesome and so efficient!
So happy and looking forward to the vacation.
Thank u all..

[Anonymous]

Lurker here. OP, thank you for coming back and updating us. Too often OP's just get what they wanted and never report back and it's hard to know what advice worked for the OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all!
Will walk-in at DC passport agency with paperwork...I hope it all works out.

You can't just walk in anymore. You need an appointment. Call the number on the site linked above.

That depends on the site! They do still do walk ins, depends on location.

I was told people line up 2 hours in advance and then tickets are given out, for x number of walk ins. You will leave with a passport.

Don't forget pictures!