Appointment at Passport Agency while application pending

[MGMA 55]

Hello, first time passport applicant and made the mistake to send my application and been in processing for 3 weeks. I have less than 2 weeks to travel, and due to urgency was able to secure an appointment at passport agency 2 days before my flight. Now my original naturalization certificate is sent with my passport application. Can I go to travel agency with a copy? Please, help me with experience you have only. I do have few options as I read online:

1- Call and ask for my application to be transferred. When should I do that? 1 week before my appointment? few days? or more than that? I still have hope contacting my senator will help me get my passport and not having to go to an agency, but I still want to be prepared. Any suggestions?

2- Go to the agency with a copy of my naturalization certificate. Will this be accepted?

[Timona 4,207]

5 minutes ago, MGMA said:

Hello, first time passport applicant and made the mistake to send my application and been in processing for 3 weeks. I have less than 2 weeks to travel, and due to urgency was able to secure an appointment at passport agency 2 days before my flight. Now my original naturalization certificate is sent with my passport application. Can I go to travel agency with a copy? Please, help me with experience you have only. I do have few options as I read online:

1- Call and ask for my application to be transferred. When should I do that?  This is the only option you have. Call NOW and ask for it to be sent to the closest PP agency near you.1 week before my appointment? few days? or more than that? I still have hope contacting my senator will help me get my passport and not having to go to an agency, but I still want to be prepared. Any suggestions?

2- Go to the agency with a copy of my naturalization certificate. Will this be accepted?

 

[millefleur 5,046]

Let us know the outcome. My husband had an urgent reason to travel (death of a relative) but he was never able to figure out how to get an emergency appointment, so if you succeed I'd be very interested to know how.

[arken 4,197]

1 hour ago, MGMA said:

Call and ask for my application to be transferred. When should I do that? 1 week before my appointment? few days? or more than that? I still have hope contacting my senator will help me get my passport and not having to go to an agency, but I still want to be prepared. Any suggestions?

Agreed that this is the only option you have. Call them ASAP. They make take weeks just to mail your NC and/or application back to you or to the passport agaency.

[Timona 4,207]

19 minutes ago, millefleur said:

Let us know the outcome. My husband had an urgent reason to travel (death of a relative) but he was never able to figure out how to get an emergency appointment, so if you succeed I'd be very interested to know how.

 

Check your PM. Accidentally, I became an expert in this within the last 1.5 months

 

[MGMA 55]

4 hours ago, millefleur said:

Let us know the outcome. My husband had an urgent reason to travel (death of a relative) but he was never able to figure out how to get an emergency appointment, so if you succeed I'd be very interested to know how.

It's simple to get an appointment. This is for non-life related urgent travel, like if you have a plane ticket that you will lose, then you need to follow this:

1.  14 days before your trip, you need to schedule an appointment in a travel agency
2. Appointments are not easy to get, but there is tricks. 
3. Wake up at 7:45 eastern time 
4. @7:55 am call the passport number 877-487-2778 (This have to be exactly 14 days before your plane ticket or less. If less, it will get harder to find an appointment) 
5.  Click 1 (For English), then 1 (New Passport), then 2 (To continue). That is 112
6. Listen for the options, and notice that it say click 4 to repeat this menu 
7. Click 4 to repeat, and keep doing this while watching your watch 
8. When your watch hits exactly 8 :00 am, then hit 2 (for travelling within 14 days option)
9. Now you will be waiting for an agent. If you are very lucky, you will be waiting few minutes or maybe as long as 15-20 minutes.
10. If you did not hit the 2 option exactly at 8:00 am, you may have to wait for more than an hour and half 

Notes: I did this from 3 phones. I hit the 2 too early from one phone, so I lost my place in line and got disconnected, so I used the other phones as a backup for such thing. If you tried to call again after 8:00 am, you will mostly get busy signal. So follow steps above exactly as is. 

 

If it's life threatening appointment, you can do the same steps above but you have to do it 3 days before your travel date. I am not sure if it's the same as above 112 4444 2 or, if you have to use other keys. But play with the number after like 7 pm when they are closed to find the right keys. 

 

Your other options, is reaching out to your congressman or senator only when you have a flight ticket and ask them to help you with an appointment in a passport agency. 

 

[swadesi 12]

On 8/9/2021 at 4:06 PM, MGMA said:

It's simple to get an appointment. This is for non-life related urgent travel, like if you have a plane ticket that you will lose, then you need to follow this:

1.  14 days before your trip, you need to schedule an appointment in a travel agency
2. Appointments are not easy to get, but there is tricks. 
3. Wake up at 7:45 eastern time 
4. @7:55 am call the passport number 877-487-2778 (This have to be exactly 14 days before your plane ticket or less. If less, it will get harder to find an appointment) 
5.  Click 1 (For English), then 1 (New Passport), then 2 (To continue). That is 112
6. Listen for the options, and notice that it say click 4 to repeat this menu 
7. Click 4 to repeat, and keep doing this while watching your watch 
8. When your watch hits exactly 8 :00 am, then hit 2 (for travelling within 14 days option)
9. Now you will be waiting for an agent. If you are very lucky, you will be waiting few minutes or maybe as long as 15-20 minutes.
10. If you did not hit the 2 option exactly at 8:00 am, you may have to wait for more than an hour and half 

Notes: I did this from 3 phones. I hit the 2 too early from one phone, so I lost my place in line and got disconnected, so I used the other phones as a backup for such thing. If you tried to call again after 8:00 am, you will mostly get busy signal. So follow steps above exactly as is. 

 

If it's life threatening appointment, you can do the same steps above but you have to do it 3 days before your travel date. I am not sure if it's the same as above 112 4444 2 or, if you have to use other keys. But play with the number after like 7 pm when they are closed to find the right keys. 

 

Your other options, is reaching out to your congressman or senator only when you have a flight ticket and ask them to help you with an appointment in a passport agency. 

 

Since you had already applied for the passport, what all did you take for your appointment?

[mwert 6]

I'm very interested in hearing OP's update on this or anyone else's experience.
 

I plan to apply for passport at USPS expedited, and if I don't get it done in 4 weeks I'll want to switch to urgent PA method. I wonder if it will work

[CMJuilland 485]

Following.  I will have to travel for Christmas, but only have my naturalization interview in 11 days (I will ask if they have an oath ceremony not too long after that).  Our Christmas travels might very well turn out to be a life or death emergency as my sister has been quite ill for a couple of years, and we never know if or when she takes a turn for the worse…  Thanks for keeping us up to date, everyone.  I will do the same once the time comes to apply for a passport for me.