Passport expedite

[Sowhat]

My son is scheduled to go to Yeshiva in Israel at end of August but his passport is expiring the first week of September.  Does anyone have advice how to renew his passport in the next few weeks?

Welcome to the club.   
I have been trying to answer this.  I can tell you that I spoke to Chaim Vchesed in EY this morning.  Consensus is that ELAL will allow boarding even with passports with less than six months on them.  And the gov't does not care; its not their issue.  I also think the passport office is moving more quickly, but maybe not quickly enough.  If you apply now, you have to surrender the passport.  If you don't get the new one on time, you unquestionably won't fly.  For now, I am holding on to my daughter's passport, which expires in Nov.  You have a different coniseration--if the zman is delayed the passport may expire.  Then you are stuck.  Not sure why the State Dept can't extend all passports for six months.

[Joel]

anywhere in the Catskills to get an expedited passport?

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect our workforce and customers, we significantly reduced passport operations in March 2020. We temporarily suspended expedited passport processing and restricted service to cases involving life-or-death emergencies. As global conditions evolve and U.S. states begin to reopen, we are resuming operations in phases. We ask for your patience as we safely work on your application.

[avromie7]

Routine Service (If you live in California, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, or Texas):

                National Passport Processing Center
                Post Office Box 640155
                Irving, TX 75064-0155

Routine Service (If you live in any other state or Canada):

                National Passport Processing Center
                Post Office Box 90155
                Philadelphia, PA 19190-0155

As I posted upthread, my kids passports were processed in Philadelphia within 2 weeks of sending the application. If you live in any state that sends renewals to Philadelphia, you'll probably have it processed very quickly.

[shapsam]

As I posted upthread, my kids passports were processed in Philadelphia within 2 weeks of sending the application. If you live in any state that sends renewals to Philadelphia, you'll probably have it processed very quickly.

Same for first time passports?

[yochai]

Same for first time passports?

Should be, since kids passports are always processed as first time passports

[claker]

Welcome to the club.   
I have been trying to answer this.  I can tell you that I spoke to Chaim Vchesed in EY this morning.  Consensus is that ELAL will allow boarding even with passports with less than six months on them.  And the gov't does not care; its not their issue.  I also think the passport office is moving more quickly, but maybe not quickly enough.  If you apply now, you have to surrender the passport.  If you don't get the new one on time, you unquestionably won't fly.  For now, I am holding on to my daughter's passport, which expires in Nov.  You have a different coniseration--if the zman is delayed the passport may expire.  Then you are stuck.  Not sure why the State Dept can't extend all passports for six months.

Thanks.  I am also holding on to his passport as I am afraid that of I submit it, then I will not have any docs.   The Yeshiva also just told us that the students will need to bring their original birth certificate in order to get the Entry Permit.   They also said that they probably can not get him a Student Visa and therefore no Entry Permit, since his passport is not valid through the end of academic period. 

[PlatinumGuy]

You don't need to surrender the old passport. You can just apply for a fresh passport which cost $35 more than a renewal.

[points 99]

You don't need to surrender the old passport. You can just apply for a fresh passport which cost $35 more than a renewal.

Problem with doing that, is that you have no idea when they will actually get to work on processing your passport. Whenever they do (some people have reported here that they were processed withing 2 weeks of submission), they will right away cancel your old passport. The yeshivos and seminaries that are arranging entry permits for bochurim/girls require your passport number for the permit, and if they put your old passport number we don't know if they will let you in...

[ar]

Applied at local post office (Bklyn) for minors and adults beginning of July and got passports yesterday. Was able to add the 2-3 week expedited service at the post office, I believe it was sent to Philadelphia.

[Pad18]

Applied at local post office (Bklyn) for minors and adults beginning of July and got passports yesterday. Was able to add the 2-3 week expedited service at the post office, I believe it was sent to Philadelphia.

Could you check and report what you see when checking on https://passportstatus.state.gov/

I am still waiting on my renewal that was send out more than 2 month ago ..

[avromie7]

Same for first time passports?

They were first time. Based on that I assume renewals sent to Philadelphia should be processed very quickly.

Could you check and report what you see when checking on https://passportstatus.state.gov/

I am still waiting on my renewal that was send out more than 2 month ago ..

Where did you send it?

[Pad18]

Where did you send it?

Irving TX ..

[avromie7]

We should try to put together some DPs about renewals, did anyone receive a renewal? If yes, when did you send it in and where did you send it to?

[points 99]

Irving TX ..

Do you know if they cashed the check yet?
I just applied in Philadelphia PO on Monday, and they cashed the check. The application status does not show yet, it says I need to wait at least a week.

[avromie7]

Do you know if they cashed the check yet?
I just applied in Philadelphia PO on Monday, and they cashed the check. The application status does not show yet, it says I need to wait at least a week.

It's been reported that they cash the check right away even if they don't process it for months.

[Pad18]

Do you know if they cashed the check yet?
I just applied in Philadelphia PO on Monday, and they cashed the check. The application status does not show yet, it says I need to wait at least a week.

Correct, the check was cashed out 2 days after receiving the tracking shows delivered ..

It's been reported that they cash the check right away even if they don't process it for months.

+1

[yochai]

It's been reported that they cash the check right away even if they don't process it for months.

+1
I applied in May, and they cashed it 2 days later.
From the passport agency FAQ’s:
 
Why did you cash my check if you are not updating my passport status?

One of the first steps in the process is handling passport fees. Although we can process fees remotely, we are not able to handle secure documents such as birth certificates at home. Your applications and documents with personally identifiable information are secure. We cannot further process these applications until our staff return to our passport agencies and centers.

[Sowhat]

You don't need to surrender the old passport. You can just apply for a fresh passport which cost $35 more than a renewal.

Seems like you do.  Someone got a new one without surrendering the old, and the State Dept demanded it be surrendered.

[Sowhat]

Thanks.  I am also holding on to his passport as I am afraid that of I submit it, then I will not have any docs.   The Yeshiva also just told us that the students will need to bring their original birth certificate in order to get the Entry Permit.   They also said that they probably can not get him a Student Visa and therefore no Entry Permit, since his passport is not valid through the end of academic period.

This is news to me.  I was told the exact opposite. 

[yochai]

Seems like you do.  Someone got a new one without surrendering the old, and the State Dept demanded it be surrendered.

Same here. I applied for my kid in the post office and they took her old passport