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Home >> Travel Logistics >> Renewing American Passport

Renewing American Passport

Renewing American passport… again? A top priority for travelers.

Before my wife and I took off for a round the world trip/honeymoon we had a checklist of things to do. We researched what vaccinations were required for the countries we intended to visit, as well those that were suggested. We met with our CPA to discuss our taxes for the year; had more dental work done than I care to admit, and rented our house out for the year.

We had three (!) garage sales to make room for our new tenants, gave notice at our jobs, rented our car, cancelled our insurance… you get the picture. Yet, despite all the planning two A-type personalities could muster, somehow it failed to occur to me to check our passports expiration date… which just so happened to be in three months! Renewing an American passport is a deceptively easy process, requiring little more than filling out one form online and mailing it in.

Deceptively easy, but time consuming on the government side. Having said that, if are in a rush to renew your passport, there are several great services that will help expedite the process. If you file with the government directly, the general application process for renewing an American passport takes three weeks from the time you mail the application to the time you receive it. That’s what they say, though I can vouch that it often takes about two weeks.

The travel agency I used to work for had a visa department. This guy’s sole duty was to ensure all American travelers had their travel passports and visas renewed and up to date before departure. In the worst case scenario, where someone renewing their passport had only a few days, they would charge a special fee. The best turnaround I’ve ever seen is 48 hours. Not bad considering the amount of bureaucracy involved.

If you are renewing your American passport, you’ll have to provide your existing passport along with your application, as well as two passport sized photos (you can get these at the post office, or many drug stores for less than ten dollars).

Total cost is around seventy dollars and three weeks processing. Going with a passport renewal agency such as Visa Network or RushMyPassport.com will generally cost you an additional one hundred dollars, though the amount of time they can save you are well worth the money.

Renewing American passports is generally an easy process, though it’s important to plan ahead. My wife almost left me for a honeymoon by herself!