5 TIPS to get your Passport FASTER (From Experienced Traveller)

I applied for my United States Passport in December of 2022 and didn't get it until April 2023, the passport Application process was a freaking beast to understand, really hard to conquer and I wish I had had a 5 tips list for how to apply to get my passport successfully back then. Also, I wish I had known about the passport application hacks that I found out along the way to help you understand how to navigate the process and get your passport faster! In this video I break down all that I believe you need to know BEFORE you apply as well as WHILE you are waiting and what you can do about it. GOOD LUCK!

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I applied for my passport on December 27th in the online portal with standard processing times (no longer availiable), it sat in the state of "pending" for 11 weeks and thenswitched to "processing" for 2 weeks. I was getting scared about three weeks from my departure date of April 4th, I called them and told them I have travel coming up and they put in a request to prioritize my application. I called back a week later and asked for an update... they had no updates

On both of these calls, they told me that they can't schedule an appointment until 5 business days out... I could have lied about my departure date. I began faxing, calling, emailing my senator for help at about 2 weeks out, and on the 5 business day out the morning I called the office and requested an appointment, the only one available was Fort Worth Texas.... about a $1,000 plane ride away on such short notice. At this point, I didn't realize that other appointments will become available as they get released and as people cancel theirs, but I didn't know that and the agents never told me. So I assumed I would be having to fly to Texas to try to get a passport the same day, try to work out flights, work schedule, hotels, etc.... it was this morning that I began to cry because I really thought that I might not be able to go on my trip.

I figured I'd call them again just to check... While I was on the phone with the agent, an appointment became available in Denver, Seattle, Texas and Denver, A Seattle and a Denver appointment got swiped before they were able to book me, but I eventually did get a Denver appointment, which is closed, had a more favorable flight and was about half the price of a texas appointment, but it was for the next morning at 10am, literally 20 hours from when I made the call, so I booked a one-way flight out of PDX, and I did one-way because I didn't know if I'd be able to pick up same day or I would need to come back the next day... anyway, the flight left in 3 hours, so I started to pack up.

At this point, the online portal still said 'processing' not even 'approved' THEN would have to be shipped, so I was skeptical that even if it was approved that day, I wouldn't get it in time, so off to Denver I was ABOUT to be, but then I got a call. I got a call from the US government, and the guy on the other end was like, "I see you made a passport appointment for tomorrow?" and I was like, "Yeah, I need it ASAP and I can't wait anymore, I applied forever ago, IDK why it's taking so long" and then the guy goes, "That's weird because it ways here that your passport was delivered yesterday... was it not there?" And it was then that I freaked out!! I was like, you're kidding me... I almost got on a flight and it was sitting in my mailbox? So I ran out, opened my mailbox, and there it was in all its glory, IDK why I didn't check just in case, but I assumed... and I shouldn't have, they told me that they'd give me a tracking number and that I would be told when it would ship, but I wasn't... and that's okay because it came in time, I went on my trip, and I canceled my flight to Denver, thank goodness I didn't get on that plane when my passport was sitting 20 feet from my front door!!

✌🏻, Jax

#passport #passportTips #passportApplication #passport2023