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I am still waiting for my passport…in my 11th week and still none :{
but I know they are saying 10-12 weeks but just heard someone say they waited 6 months!
Does anyone have a real personal up date as to the truth? I had hoped to leave July 12 but can’t buy a ticket before I get the thing in my hand.
thanks
Terry From TexasI am assuming that you referring to your application for a US passport yes Terry?
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comYes, Scott I am referring to my U.S. passport….what a bummer…I have set up several site locations for extended stays, although not specific plans as I knew how screwed up the U.S. government is…”bloody bad”…sorry for the Brit. expression but thanks
Terry From TexasIt all stems from the new requirement for US citizens to have a passport to reenter the US from places like Canada and Mexico, or just about everywhere else.. The amount of people applying has gone up tremendously in the past few months, and the department is overwhelmed. I heard they have now temporarily suspended the regulation to cut down on the amount applicants.
The latest news was they are caught up, and you ahould have gotten yours by now.
The reality is, they most likely still are backed up.
Good Luck!I applied for a renewal about 1.5 months ago…still no passport. You can check on there site to see the status of your application.
https://passportstatus.state.gov/opss/OPSS_Status_i.aspYou can also call with your locator # if you need to travel within two weeks so they can get the passport out to you.
Edited on Jun 12, 2007 05:28
RULES CHANGE: Just several days ago the US State department has changed the rules for re-entry into the US due to the very long delays in processing new passport applications. Check the state department web site. As of January you had to have a passport to fly to/from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, you could still drive across the border with ID and a birth certificate. But because of the huge number of emergency applications and the the four to six month backlog they have rescinded these rules temporarily. However, this does not apply to Central America.
EMERGENCY APPLICATION: You can go to a regional passport service center and walk through the process in one day. You MUST call ahead for an appointment AND you must have plans (tickets in hand) to travel within two weeks time. A friend of mine who just became a US citizen and handed in her green card found out that her passport would not be ready when she needed to return to Costa Rica. She still had her German passport but no green card to get back into the US later as she had handed that in with her passport application.
PLEASE call and double check the rules. But I am sure that they were told that they must already have plane tickets and they could not ask for emergency processing until within the two week window. This is available only at the 13 regional centers so for most people this involves travel and some expense on top of the accelerated processing fee.
ALSO fill in your forms accurately in advance. How many of us know our parents city of birth (reliably)? Spouses parents? Even though I am close to my family there was always some debate as to where my father was born. I had to get the official story before filling in the form. Do this in ADVANCE!
Note that MOST U.S. forms including passport applications are in PDF format and can be filled in on you PC then printed with the information. This makes clear accurate easy to read forms.
http://travel.state.gov/passport/
Currently they have an on-line system that generates a special bar code on the PDF.
Also note that applications for renewals are running just as long as new applications. If you MUST travel in less than 6 months you should plan on going to a regional center for emergency processing.
Another reason for SOME of the backlog is that the largest regional passport processing center was in New Orleans and destroyed by Katrina.
According to a news report I heard this morning, the average turnaround is now 17 weeks. The most expedited way to get a passport is wait until 2 weeks prior to your deaparture date and make an appointment at the nearest Passport Office (typically a federal building in a major city). Bring proof of your departure date and apply at the passport office. It will cost nearly double, but you will get your passport within 5 business days.
Someone I know was facing this same situation. He’d applied for and paid for expedited service in plenty of time, according to the State Department’s website, but the passport just wasn’t arriving. He could not get a call through to the passport office. I suggested that he contact his local U.S. Congressman’s office. They have staff who are dedicated to resolving problems like this. He did so and it appears to have worked. He got a call on Saturday to come to the passport office Monday morning to pick up the passport and apparently he did, for he’s here in Costa Rica now.
grb..Good news to some..Tuesday the Government announced they would Refund the $60.00 fee if you paid to expidite your passport..(gee thanks :{. Sorry it will cost you $300 + dollars because you could not buy your ticked in a timely manner before you leave.
.one thing we know is that the government has NO idea of when a passport will be processed. Just for the heck of it I have spent 3+ hours going to all the sites giving my processing number and nada. I also called the U.S.Post Office in Washington and spoke to the department that handled Applications…she said 10-12 weeks but We all Know what was really being said :}
Terry From TexasDoes anybody know what Costa Rica customs requires?
I’ve been so many times, but not with a passport that has less then 6 months left on it.
Is there a way to find out what the minimum length of time you must have remaining is?
I’m waiting to close on our property, should be in 1-3 months. My passport expires end of October, if I send in my passport along with an aplication, I’m screwed until I get it back.I’ve seen the idea of going to a regional office, but none are close enough.
Anyone know the CR requirements?I would recommend you do an Internet search for Costa Rican Immigration (not Customs) and see what they say. Then, I’d call the C.R. Embassy in Washington.
Recently, there was a news story about an American who came to Costa Rica on a scheduled two-week trip. He had less than a month left on his passport, but more than two weeks. He was turned back and had to fly home.
This is a mistake you do not want to make.
pranaspakeywest….I believe it is 6 months but you should check and I will look later after an event I have tonight…good luck…I applied April 5 and no passport as of tonight..
Terry From TexasSorry…Looks like it might only need 30 days but please please check…I am obviously not an expert in any way..
terry cookWe recently faced a similar timing issue. What we learned was that despite what CR immigrations rules appeared to require, our airline (Delta)said that passports needed at least 6 months of unexpired time and that if we did not have that amount remaining we would not be allowed to get on the plane in the US. We made many calls and went up the ladder with Delta, since that seemed inconsistent with what we were reading online. So, I’d advise checking with your airline, too.
Not wanting to risk being turned away at departure, we decided to renew our passports.
So, a few weeks ago, we applied to renew our passports (applications sent to passport office by federal express) and paid the extra charge for expedited service. We received our new passports 12 days later in our regular mail service. Happily surprised – and just a bit peeved that I “lost” 5 months of passport time due to early renewal.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck.
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