Advice if anyone from the US is having passport issues...

I wasn't sure if this was the right place to post this, but I'm sure the moderators will move it if that is the case...I don't know if anyone else is having passport issues, but in case you are, in the process of helping my sister figure out what was going on with her passport (she applied for it fifteen weeks ago and only just received it yesterday, just over a week before our departure date and after we went through most of the options that I'm about to write about) I have discovered the following information...

First of all, very recently (within the last week and a half) the NPIC has changed the time frame for receiving a passport from 10-12 weeks to 12-14 weeks. If you call the #1-877-487-2778 number, you do not have to listen to all the long-winded messages at that number if you are just trying to find out where your passport is because you are within a couple/few weeks of leaving. As soon as you hear the first message, press the number 1, wait for the next message to start, press the number 3, wait for the next message to start, and press the number 1 again. This will (hopefully) put you in a queue to talk to someone. There is no hold music or anything so don't worry if you don't hear anything! If you get the "all of our customer service reps are busy, your call cannot be answered" message, hang up and keep calling until they get put on hold. Everytime my sister used this number it took her numerous tries to get through, and once she got through, she was on hold for 20-30 minutes; however, they will be able to tell you where your passport is being processed, which is crucial. It seems that the New Orleans and Charleston processing offices have the worst backlogs.


If it is within 3 business days of your trip and you still have not received their passport, they can try contacting a watchdog group at #202-647-7948. Also, if you are finding that you cannot get through to the 877 number, you can call this number and give them your passport locator number from the travel.state.gov (to get this number you just follow the links on that site to the form where you put in your last name, DOB, and the last 4 digits of your SS #) and they will be able to tell you where your passport is as well.



If you still have a couple weeks or so, you can also try contacting your senator to see if his or her office can do anything to push it through. I think this is actually the option that got them to finally send my sister her passport.

OR, once you know where the passport is being processed, you can use the following link. It is a VERY LARGE PDF document with numbers from many different US Agencies. The link is:

www.state.gov/documents/organization/82073.pdf

Anyone with the letters "CA/PPT" next to their name is a passport processing agent. Just look at the area codes to determine which agency they work at (for example, 203 is the Connecticut passport agency, 843 is Charleston, 202 is D.C., 504 is Boston, 808 is Honolulu, etc.). Yes, it takes a while to go through this list, but if you are leaving very soon and still need your passport (and have already tried the 877 number, the watchdog number, and contacting your senator), this is the best "last resort" option available to you. Find a few numbers for people who work at the agency where the passport is being processed and start calling. Be nice because these agents have been informed not to end a call with someone looking for their passport unless the person is belligerant! You should only use this option if they have exhausted all the others suggested above.

I know this is a lot of information but I hope it helps someone out.