By Karen Quinn-Panzer
Travel Matters
Karen Quinn-Panzer
Now that travel is starting to boom again, many of us are finding that we need to renew our passports. This takes a bit longer than usual due to the pandemic, and I thought it was a good time to provide you with some useful information on it.
Many countries require an expiration date that is anywhere between three to six months beyond the date of entry or the intended date of your return date back into the US. A good source of up-to-date information about international entry requirements is the US Department of State’s website at state.gov.
Although Mexico and Canada do not require this advanced expiration, many Caribbean islands do. This includes Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Lucia and many more. Although the UK and Ireland do not currently require any validity beyond your travel dates, the 26 European countries in the Schengen Area require at least three months validity: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. With much of Europe opening to Americans, this is important information to review before you book any trip to Europe.
United States citizens can get expedited passport renewals in one of three ways: by applying for expedited renewal by mail and paying an additional $60 additional fee; by submitting application DS-82 (found at most Connecticut post offices) and supporting documents at a regional agency )the closest being in Stamford); or to authorize a private expediter to submit the form on your behalf.
According to the State Department, it typically takes four to six weeks to process an application for a new passport or passport renewal, or two to three if you pay for expedited processing and overnight delivery of your application and new passport.
However, due to the pandemic backlog, it is taking far longer than four to six weeks. A minimum of eight weeks is the latest standard, and even expedited processing services are now saying four to six weeks.
My advice: start at least six months before you travel. If you do need an urgent passport renewal, you can set up an appointment with the passport office in Stamford. Here are the eligibility requirements:
Make an appointment online at passportappointment.travel.state.gov or by calling 1-877-487-2778. Be traveling internationally within 72 hours (three business days). Be able to show printed proof of international travel (such as your flight itinerary, hotel reservation, cruise tickets or international car insurance). Pay the $60 expedite fee in addition to the regular application fees.
You can schedule your appointment up to two weeks before your international travel date, but the date of your appointment must be within three business days of your international travel. If you need a foreign visa, the date of your appointment must be within 10 business days of your international travel.
Karen Quinn-Panzer is the owner and vacation specialist at Dream Vacations Quinn Panzer Travel.