US Passport Renewal -- my experience

TominStuttgart wrote:

Many countries require a passport to have 6 months of validity left - not just 3.

The 6-month validity is for the final day of an international trip, not for renewal.  We've always renewed our passports pretty close to the expiration date unless our trip is within the 6-month mark.  Our latest renewals were in 2016 (making the current passports my 5th and spouse's 6th), and we had them done a month before they expired.

Last Sept, our children renewed their passports within one week of expiration, which happened to be 3 days before their trip.  They made an appointment for extradited service with Los Angeles Passport Agency, showed their airline tickets and cited the reason for lateness, then paid the extra fee.  The new passports were ready for pick up the following day.

Ciambella wrote:

TominStuttgart wrote:

Many countries require a passport to have 6 months of validity left - not just 3.

The 6-month validity is for the final day of an international trip, not for renewal.  We've always renewed our passports pretty close to the expiration date unless our trip is within the 6-month mark.  Our latest renewals were in 2016 (making the current passports my 5th and spouse's 6th), and we had them done a month before they expired.

Last Sept, our children renewed their passports within one week of expiration, which happened to be 3 days before their trip.  They made an appointment for extradited service with Los Angeles Passport Agency, showed their airline tickets and cited the reason for lateness, then paid the extra fee.  The new passports were ready for pick up the following day.

Yes, 6 months validity. But the original post was claiming 3 months and not referring to renewal. If one doesn't have an international trip planned, then it doesn't really matter if one waits until the last minute. But going on a trip with a passport that expires in say 4 months while any of the countries to be visited require 6 months will lead to problems. One needs to time the renewal to fit one's needs.

But one has no requirements to renew a passport since it is not required unless one elects to travel abroad. Some people seem to confuse a passport with citizenship. One needs to have citizenship to get a passport but citizenship is not based on having a passport – obviously since many Americans never even get one. The reason to renew on time is so that one doesn’t miss an opportunity or need to travel and have to wait on a passport. I myself once had to renew a passport and delayed my travel waiting for it as it took many months due to multiple mistakes by government official.

twostep wrote:

Expedited processing takes 2-3 weeks. All supporting documents get returned vis USPS in separate envelopes.

When you request your expedited service in person at the passport agency, the new passport can be available on the same day (in the case of family death) or the next day (as in my daughter's case last year with Los Angeles Passport Agency:  she was in a long trial that didn't allow her any free time for 6 weeks prior, and the departure for her trip was in 3 days).  Proof of departure are required for that kind of expedited processing, and applicants need to pick up the new passports in person, no mailing allowed.

Years ago when we applied for an expedited service, we were visiting NYC at the time but needed to return home to Italy.  New York Passport Agency sent out our new passports in 2 days via Express Mail (we paid for Express Mail both ways.)  That was a surprise because we didn't apply in person and didn't ask for that quick turnaround.