Expired Passport and Traveling in 15 days | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Expired Passport and Traveling in 15 days

How screwed am I?

  • No chance you’ll travel in two weeks

    Votes: 20 41.7%

  • So you’re saying there’s a chance?

    Votes: 16 33.3%

  • No problem

    Votes: 12 25.0%
  • Total voters
    48
You MUST call and schedule an appointment for that 72 hour window before you travel. Just went through this with a misplaced passport that I found after I had already reported it missing. Try for the earliest they have available in that 72 hour window. It might be a day before you can back and pick it up.
 
husky429 said:
My wife had this issue when we went to Thailand for a Muay Thai camp.

How to Get my U.S. Passport Fast

Learn how to rush your U.S. passport application so you don't miss your international trip.
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Make an appointment with the passport agency. I'm pretty sure ours had a website to make appointments and check availability.
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Funny, I had this issue entering Thailand, too. It was our honeymoon. Since we didn't notice until we were literally on line at the airport, and since it wasn't yet expired (it was set to expire on the trip), we decided to chance it. Fortunately, no one noticed. (Though I did have the Thai Baht equivalent of $40 US tucked neatly into my palm while waiting in departure line at the Phuket airport, just in case some wheels needed greasing).
 
MyDorona said:
Funny, I had this issue entering Thailand, too. It was our honeymoon. Since we didn't notice until we were literally on line at the airport, and since it wasn't yet expired (it was set to expire on the trip), we decided to chance it. Fortunately, no one noticed. (Though I did have the Thai Baht equivalent of $40 US tucked neatly into my palm while waiting in departure line at the Phuket airport, just in case some wheels needed greasing).
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Where'd you go over there?

I was at a fight camp on Koh Phangan for a month. 95 degrees and humid + 10k runs in the morning + 2 hours of time in the gym getting my ass kicked was brutal... Spent time in Bangkok as well, took a couple day trip to Angor Wat.
 
This brings back painful memories for me. A few years ago, we were going to the Bahamas with our kids for spring break. About 2 days before we were supposed to leave, my wife realized our passports had expired a few months before. I live in Raleigh. We were able to push our flight and reservations out by a day. So we drove from Raleigh to DC to the passport agency, got there literally as they opened in the morning, and were out of there by around 1 or 2 PM. Drove the 5 hours back to Raleigh and flew out the next morning. I wouldn't recommend this method though, lol
 
Dooch said:
This brings back painful memories for me. A few years ago, we were going to the Bahamas with our kids for spring break. About 2 days before we were supposed to leave, my wife realized our passports had expired a few months before. I live in Raleigh. We were able to push our flight and reservations out by a day. So we drove from Raleigh to DC to the passport agency, got there literally as they opened in the morning, and were out of there by around 1 or 2 PM. Drove the 5 hours back to Raleigh and flew out the nex
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All of these stressful experiences prompted me to look at my passport. I bet that I'm not the only one. BTW, I'm good for a few more years.
 
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willie99 said:
My wife would have been all over this months ago

Just saying :)
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One of the wonderful things about my wife is just how little I have to do when we travel. She plans things down to the minute when we travel and I get to be a mindless sheep that follows along as long as I bring the credit card.
 
husky429 said:
Where'd you go over there?

I was at a fight camp on Koh Phangan for a month. 95 degrees and humid + 10k runs in the morning + 2 hours of time in the gym getting my ass kicked was brutal... Spent time in Bangkok as well, took a couple day trip to Angor Wat.
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I've been there twice. When I was in my 20's I backpacked thru SE Asia, including Bangkok, Phuket, Bali, Cambodia and Vietnam. The second time was a honeymoon with the wife; we stayed in Phuket.

We took in a few Muay Thai matches in Phuket. My wife couldn't decide what was more offensive: that they let 8-year-olds beat the shit out of each other for profitable entertainment, or that they were taking bets on a winner.
 
Ugh, I tried calling the hotline and their nearest appointment in the next two weeks is Houston, TX tomorrow.

For those people you've mentioned the Stamford location and the long lines, could I simply just wait in line (even though I'm not supposed to?)
 
Hey Adrien! said:
Our five-year anniversary trip to Iceland was delayed two years. Flight is two sundays from now. Just realized my passport expired in April. Haven’t told my wife yet but about to drive to agencies to figures it out.

In summary: how screwed am I?
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My wife found out her passport expired the PM before we were to travel to Cancun. She found out she could go to the passport office in DC and get same day issue. She drove to DC (5 hours from home), got the passport and traveled a day late.
 
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MyDorona said:
I've been there twice. When I was in my 20's I backpacked thru SE Asia, including Bangkok, Phuket, Bali, Cambodia and Vietnam. The second time was a honeymoon with the wife; we stayed in Phuket.

We took in a few Muay Thai matches in Phuket. My wife couldn't decide what was more offensive: that they let 8-year-olds beat the out of each other for profitable entertainment, or that they were taking bets on a winner.
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The culture of little kids fighting professional over there is definitely screwed up. On the other hand, if you're not going to be able to make money any other way, why not let them punch each other up? It's complicated I guess. You hear of all these stars like Buakaw, Saencahi, Rodtang, and they've been training full-time since they were 7-9 years old. It's crazy.

My friend and former training partner fights full-time out of Phuket. Has a big presence on social media. Beautiful island! Seems like all the Farang's manage to go to Phuket to fight for whatever reason.

A lot of people actually say the betting is ruining Muay Thai in Thailand. When you watch the fights, the first two, even 3 rounds are super slow because the fighters are waiting for all the bets to come in. It's boring as hell.
 
Hey Adrien! said:
Ugh, I tried calling the hotline and their nearest appointment in the next two weeks is Houston, TX tomorrow.

For those people you've mentioned the Stamford location and the long lines, could I simply just wait in line (even though I'm not supposed to?)
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Doubtful but worth a shot. They changed to appointment once Covid happened

Might be worth the airfare to go to Houston depending on your situation
 
There are commercial passport services that will take care of this for you.

I used one - overnighted my stuff to Chicago. They went and got the renewal the next day and expedited it back. Sent on a Monday, received new passport on Wednesday.

I paid dearly for it, but worth it. Google the services.
 
HCCForever said:
Any chance of viewing the Northern Lights while there or is it the wrong time of year? That is something that I have always wanted to see.
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I went to college in beautiful downtown Potsdam NY, 20 miles south of the Canadian border, and we could see the northern lights there. If there were only a schedule of when they appear, I’d suggest a trip to Montreal and a viewing of the lights. Of course, you’d need to drive away from the city but there’s a lot of nothing not too far away.

spacetourismguide.com

The 12 Best Places to See the Northern Lights in the USA This Winter

Did you see the news? The aurora will be visible across the northern parts of the globe! If you're living in the northern part of the U.S. and want to see the northern lights in the USA, it's totally possible. You just have to plan ahead to get to an ideal viewing spot...
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You are going to have to pay a third party to expedite it. Just got back from London and one of my colleagues found out his passport expired 2 weeks before our trip and tried to call for an appointment and they are all booked up with appointments from passport expediting companies. Kinda the same game like scalpers who immediately get the best seats when they are available to the public. So for $750 he paid "a guy" and was able to get it in time. You have no shot of getting it on your own within 2 weeks. You are going to have to pay.
 
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WallStreetHusky said:
You are going to have to pay a third party to expedite it. Just got back from London and one of my colleagues found out his passport expired 2 weeks before our trip and tried to call for an appointment and they are all booked up with appointments from passport expediting companies. Kinda the same game like scalpers who immediately get the best seats when they are available to the public. So for $750 he paid "a guy" and was able to get it in time. You have no shot of getting it on your own within 2 weeks. You are going to have to pay.
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I think I paid $500.

These companies just have more access.

My passport wasn’t even expired. We were going on a cruise in Europe and one of the countries required that you have a passport valid for six months beyond the date of your visit. My six months fell on the very day we were going to be in whatever country. (Sweden, I think.)

Call the travel agent, called the cruise line, called Sweden and all of them said it would be a crap shoot if they let me in…..BUT, the cruise line said that if one passenger was not eligible to enter, the ship could be denied so they would likely prevent me from sailing.

So that added $500 to the cruise.
 
Hey Adrien! said:
Looks amazing.

We'll spend almost all of our time in Northern Iceland between our Airbnb just west of Akureyri and Lake Myvatn. My wife's grandmother is from Iceland and while it'll be our third time in Iceland, it'll be our first time in the area where her grandmother is from.

Our flight is a Sunday night (three days after our last day of school), we'll spend the jet-lagged Monday in Reykjavik and then Tuesday-Friday in the north. Whale watching, a few hot springs and a hike up Hverfjall volcano are the planned stuff. Flight back is late on Friday. Two nights before the flight, we're seeing the Icelandic band Sigur Ros at the Beacon, a band we've both liked well before we met each other and it'll be our first time seeing them...pretty serendipitous!

I'll definitely breathe a sigh of relief once my visit w/ the passport office is over!
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Bought the cds, ( ) and Takk, by Sigur Ros many years ago. Then saw the documentary Heima by them on Amazon Prime. I think the best word to describe their music is ethereal. Once you come to grips with Jonsi Birgisson's vocals and that they only sing in Icelandic and Vonlenska (madeup language), they are a very interesting group.
 
Fishy said:
There are commercial passport services that will take care of this for you.

I used one - overnighted my stuff to Chicago. They went and got the renewal the next day and expedited it back. Sent on a Monday, received new passport on Wednesday.

I paid dearly for it, but worth it. Google the services.
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Prolly cost less than a plane ticket to Houston. It's why I have two passports.
 
UCTitleTown said:
If you pay to use an expediting service company, you can get it in a week. You're gonna pay $$$$$. I used this with past companies I worked for, but they paid so I didn't care.
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This ^^^ and even less. I did 36 hours before one time going to India. Huge money, company paid. No one realized passport was expired until company handler was getting my visa. The day before trip was a nightmare but I was on that plane the next day.
 
Alright update time:

After offers for appts in a wide array of cities: Honolulu, San Juan, Houston, San Francisco, LA and Seattle, I decided to do what some here suggested by waiting in line at 7 AM this morning before the Stamford location opened at 8 AM.

Greeted at the door by a security guard, he said with a laugh “you know there’s no way you’re coming in here without a appointment,” and I laughed back and said “I know, but I figured it was worth a try.”

He asked for more info about my trip and from that he told me that while my trip does seem soon to me, it’s an eternity away according to the passport agency based on the volume of requests they’re getting. At the earliest, he recommended trying next Thursday, which is actually my first day of summer vacation.

Accepting the reality of what he told me, a few people came up to me and shared their similar stories and encouragement. One woman was in my shoes 10 days ago and she had her appointment today with her flight tomorrow. Two other people confirmed similar timelines. All of these people were relatively local people from Fairfield and Westchester counties.

So basically, I’ll wait for a few days before trying to find appointments that are within a driving distance. Worst case scenario, Icelandair offers free change-of-date offerings so we’d just rebook for August. This trip has already been delayed for two years, what’s two more months?
 
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Buy a refundable British Airways ticket for Friday and then go back to the passport office tomorrow.

Also, check and make sure British Airways tickets for Friday are refundable.
 
Fishy said:
Buy a refundable British Airways ticket for Friday and then go back to the passport office tomorrow.

Also, check and make sure British Airways tickets for Friday are refundable.
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If you have points (Delta, American) you can buy a ticket using those. Award (points) tickets are fully refundable up until boarding.
 
Iceland is still the best trip I’ve ever taken. Like visiting another planet.

Good luck with the passport situation.
 
I hate to resurrect a zombie thread, but @Hey Adrien!, what happened to your passport situation? Were you able to get it done? I find myself in a similar situation, and was curious how successful you were.
 
Sleepy said:
I hate to resurrect a zombie thread, but @Hey Adrien!, what happened to your passport situation? Were you able to get it done? I find myself in a similar situation, and was curious how successful you were.
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Send me a PM and I can get more in detail.

Long story short, I wasn't able to get my passport renewed in time for our trip and despite paying for a ticket that would allow this, Icelandair did not let me reschedule my trip and now they are not allowing for a refund.

I've put in two formal complaints so far with no progress. Will do one more before eating the money and let the big corporations beat me down.
 
Hey Adrien! said:
Send me a PM and I can get more in detail.

Long story short, I wasn't able to get my passport renewed in time for our trip and despite paying for a ticket that would allow this, Icelandair did not let me reschedule my trip and now they are not allowing for a refund.

I've put in two formal complaints so far with no progress. Will do one more before eating the money and let the big corporations beat me down.
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'despite paying for a ticket that would allow this,'
'Will do one more before eating the money and let the big corporations beat me down.'
no, no no. drag 'em into small claims, sue 'em in the big leagues, bark at the faa, call ur congressperson, yell yell yell.
scream bloody murder from the rooftop. eventually, their beagles will fold like a cheap suit, and i'd fully expect you to get paid, or get more tix, cuz u deserve it honestly.
there also is kind of a magic bullet lately, it's called 'covid.' say 'covid made it happen' and the seas part. stick it to them, cuz, like grammps sez 'the squeaking wheel get the oil.' tru dat.
and, since it appears that im on a 'who else can i annoy today with a vid?'
kick, hav sum.
 
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