Post office or passport agency?

[Jon & Ygritte 178]

My oath ceremony is scheduled for August 30th, so I can't start the passport process until then. Which is my best approach to getting a passport in time for travel sometime in the second half of September? Do I schedule an appointment with the post office to get the process started as soon as the oath ceremony is over or do I wait and do nothing until I have a ticket and can make an appointment at the passport agency for an urgent passport due to traveling within the next 14 days?

[Crazy Cat 41,836]

You have no choice for a trip that soon after the oath.  Even an expedited passport after a USPS appointment will take more than a month (maybe 2 months).  You will have to get an URGENT appointment at a passport agency, and that usually requires booked travel withing a few days.  

Edited August 16, 2023 by Crazy Cat

[carmel34 3,621]

On 8/16/2023 at 9:03 AM, Jon & Ygritte said:

My oath ceremony is scheduled for August 30th, so I can't start the passport process until then. Which is my best approach to getting a passport in time for travel sometime in the second half of September? Do I schedule an appointment with the post office to get the process started as soon as the oath ceremony is over or do I wait and do nothing until I have a ticket and can make an appointment at the passport agency for an urgent passport due to traveling within the next 14 days?

Congrats on the oath ceremony!  You're almost done....  The challenge with the urgent passport option is that even with a flight ticket for travel within 14 days of your application date, you will need an appointment at a passport agency.  With the huge demand for passports right now, it is very difficult to get an appointment.  It's very easy to book a flight ticket to qualify and then change it later if needed, so many people are trying the urgent route and plugging up the phones.  My husband had his oath ceremony a month ago and when he got his appointment notice, he tried to schedule an urgent passport interview, but gave up after a few days of endless calling and settled for a regular appointment at a local post office two weeks after his oath ceremony and made the appointment online.  He paid extra for the "expedited" option which is taking three months right now. 

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast.html

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies.html

Edited August 17, 2023 by carmel34

[Jon & Ygritte 178]

If I understand it correctly, you can't book the appointment until you are actually 14 days before the trip? So let's say you are traveling on September 15th, then the first day you can call and try to book an appointment is on September 1st? Is this correct?

[Crazy Cat 41,836]

2 minutes ago, Jon & Ygritte said:

If I understand it correctly, you can't book the appointment until you are actually 14 days before the trip? So let's say you are traveling on September 15th, then the first day you can call and try to book an appointment is on September 1st? Is this correct?

You can try, but I have heard that getting any appointment is difficult.  Another option for emergency travel is to contact one of your state Senator's office staff.  I know of people who have used that route.  The passport system is in a sad state of affairs right now.