Beginning of March 2007:
An opportunity to go to the Bahamas comes about.
I applied for a passport IMMEDIATEDLY and was told 8 weeks at the most.
APRIL 9, 2007:
According to my bank statement, the check I wrote to the Dept. of State was processed. Little did I know, a passport was NOT on its way.
May 2007:
No sign of a passport but plenty of time before my trip.
On May 23, I inquired about the status of my passport using travel.state.gov.
(It said it would take 2-4 days to hear back from them by e-mail)
On May 25, I receive an e-mail that my passport is "IN PROCESS" at the New Orleans Passport Agency (and thats all). "IN PROCESS" MEANS NOTHING!!!
After visiting travel.state.gov and trying to figure this out, I learned that...
"If you are traveling or need your passport in order to get a visa within the next 2 weeks, please call us at the National Passport Information Center or use the link below to check the status of your application online. If you have already applied but will not need your passport within the next two weeks: There should be no need to contact us at this time."
So, I called the National Passport Information Center only to be greeted by an automated voice that insists she wants to help me but can't do anything for me!
I pressed "1" for a first available appointment after I chose which of the 13 agencies I wanted to work with (Chicago is the closest to me...though several hours away, but who knows if that would do me any good given that my passport is in New Orleans.
It then asks if you want a morning or afternoon appointment...there were no mornings so I tried afternoons (KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU ARE LUCKY TO GET THROUGH TO THIS AUTOMATED SYSTEM AND WHEN YOU DO, YOUR TIME IS LIMITED AND OFTEN TIMES YOUR CALL WILL BE DISCONNECTED)
Guess what...there were no afternoons and without giving me any other options, my call was dropped!
#1 1-877-487-2778, the number you are to call when you are within 2 weeks of travel and without your passport, DID ME NO GOOD!
#2 What is ironic is that you are advised not to call this number unless you are within 2 weeks of travel (refer back to the bold quotations above. HOWEVER, I've come to find out that (OBVIOUSLY) if you wait until 2 weeks out, people have already beat ya and have gotten all the possible appointments leaving you with no way of getting one!
JUNE 2007:
To make a long story short, the best thing you can do is get in touch with a senator or congressman's office in your local area.
Tell them your circumstances and I assure you, its nothing new! This has caused not only us as consumers a HUGE PROBLEM, but a HUGE HEAD ACHE to the local government offices who are pretty much your last resort. They cannot guarantee much of anything but its good to have them working for you to try to upgrade the status of your passport and have it to you in time.
After getting in touch with a local senator's office, I learned the following:
1) Do inquire about the status of your passport using travel.state.gov. You should be given a tracking number (which doesn't do ANYTHING but allow you to pass it on to a senator/congressman's office)
2) Do inquire about the status of your passport by e-mail as well (If I remember correctly, I filled out more information when I requested the status by email) because knowing where your passport is "IN PROCESS" helps too.
3) You will read on the internet of people who traveled to the nearest passport agency when it came down to crunch time BUT ONLY 2 AGENCIES ACCEPT WALK-INS (all others are by appointment only).
***CHICAGO & HOUSTON ARE THE ONLY AGENCIES THAT WILL ACCEPT WALK-INS ONLY IF YOU ARE WITHIN 48 HOURS BEFORE DEPARTURE.***
I JUST FOUND THAT OUT ON JUNE 4TH as I began to make arrangements to get to Chicago but it would do me no good unless it was 2 days before my trip...and AGAIN, there is NO GUARANTEE THAT I WILL WALK OUT THE DOOR WITH A PASSPORT IN HAND.
If you do travel to Houston or Chicago (though they are just as backed up as all the other agencies) you MUST have proof that you are leaving within 48 hours (copies of iteneraries/tickets/etc).
4) I just learned for the first time that in New Orleans (this may not be the case for all agencies) your information is not even looked at until 2 days before you are to leave. SO APPARENTLY SENDING MY APPLICATION IN 13 WEEKS AGO WAS NOT EVEN TO MY ADVANTAGE.
If you are LUCKY, they process them the day before and overnight them to you so that you recieve them the morning of.
Today is now Wednesday. I leave Saturday and the chances are not looking good. The details that I've shared with you are from the lady I have spoken with locally at the senator's office.
IF IT WASN'T FOR HER, I WOULD STILL BE DIALING 1-877-487-2778 AND KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED THAT I WOULD GET THROUGH TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT.
Please help me get word out that there is a problem and those who voted for this bill did not plan accordingly leaving us all in a mess!
I'll have more for you in the next 24 hours...be sure to check back!
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