Can you pay an expedite fee after already paying for a passport?

DaftChris

I'm going on a 5-week study abroad from June-July and, earlier today, I applied for and payed for my passport. However, being the genius that I am, I didn't know of or pay an expedite fee to have it arrive faster.

Can you pay the expedite fee after already applying for and paying for a passport?

If not, how long does it take for a U.S. passport to regularly arrive in the mail?

lamaramadingdong

You should be fine.

Dakini

No, once you've sent it in, you can't alter the original request. But you have more than enough time. Off the top of my head, I'd say you should have it within 2 months.

Takuan

If you want to expedite your passport, you usually have to do it through a company. When I was preparing to go to Japan, I realized that I had forgotten to apply for a passport. It was needed for my visa, so found the cheapest expediting company. They worked some awesomeness and got it to me within a month.

If you're really worried about it, I'd suggest contacting the Bureau of Consular Affairs, they're the branch of the Department of State that handles your passport application.

vinlyn

Chris is talking about an American passport, and although he is plenty early enough, anyone can expedite an American passport without using a company. Been there, done that.

Takuan

When I told the post office, where I was originally applying for my passport, about my situation. They told me to use a company to expedite the process. I've been hoodwinked!

vinlyn

http://travel.state.gov/passport/hurry/hurry_831.html

Takuan

Status of being hoodwinked has been confirmed. lol

DaftChris

Thanks for the answers so far. I would like to springboard into another.

I payed for my passport with a couple of checks at the post office: one for a local establishment and one for where the passport is actually made. Concerning this I have two questions.

1.) At the post office, they have to check and see if the check is correctly filled out, correct? One of my fears is that I filled it out wrong.

2.) The local check appeared on my bank statement a couple of days after it being submitted. How long do checks that have to be sent to state/federal facilities take to appear on a bank statement?

Dakini

Takuan said:

When I told the post office, where I was originally applying for my passport, about my situation. They told me to use a company to expedite the process. I've been hoodwinked!

I don't understand why you wrote two checks, to (apparently?) two different entities.

Are you saying the check written to the feds appeared on your bank statement within two ("a couple of") days? That's not possible. It takes a minimum of 24 hours for your bank to process a cashed check, which means the fed. office would have had to turn the check around in 24 hours.

If your passport was received by the passport agency without a proper check, you would eventually receive a notice, or a returned passport. You have plenty of time to re-apply if something goes wrong with the initial application. It only takes about 6 weeks max. to process a passport app. You have enough time to re-apply twice, if you had to. Try to relax. If you do end up re-applying (highly unlikely), you can pay an extra fee for an expedited processing, and have your passport within 2-3 weeks. There's really nothing to worry about.

Takuan

Dakini said:

Takuan said:

When I told the post office, where I was originally applying for my passport, about my situation. They told me to use a company to expedite the process. I've been hoodwinked!

I don't understand why you wrote two checks, to (apparently?) two different entities.

No, I wrote a check out to one entity, the company the handled my passport. Honestly, the worst thing that happened is my over paying for an expedited passport.

Dakini

DaftChris said:

Thanks for the answers so far. I would like to springboard into another.

I payed for my passport with a couple of checks at the post office: one for a local establishment and one for where the passport is actually made. Concerning this I have two questions.

1.) At the post office, they have to check and see if the check is correctly filled out, correct? One of my fears is that I filled it out wrong.

2.) The local check appeared on my bank statement a couple of days after it being submitted. How long do checks that have to be sent to state/federal facilities take to appear on a bank statement?

I meant to quote DaftChris' post, sorry Takuan. My previous post applies to you, DaftChris.

DaftChris

@Dakini

At my cities post office, when applying for a passport, they require that you pay with 2 checks: one for a local place and the other for the actual place where the passports are made.

The check that was made for the local place appeared on my bank statement a couple of days after applying. It was also made out in a much lower amount.

My issue is that I'm worried that the larger,and more important, check may have been incorrectly filled out. The check that is actually going to the place where passports are processed. And my inquiry is: do post offices check the checks to make sure they are filled out correctly and how long would such a check take to appear on a bank statement?

Dakini

Thanks for clarifying. If the check was wrongly filled out, the passport office will notify you. I don't know if the clerk you dealt with reviewed your check, did you notice anything like that? That would have been the only time they'd review the check, not in some back room somewhere.

At this point, I'd assume all is well. If you don't receive your passport by about 6 weeks after applying (mid-March?), you might inquire. Worst case scenario: you have to re-apply in April. No problem: pay the expedited fee, and you're good to go by early May. Is this your first trip abroad? You've just got the jitters. Where are you going for your study abroad, btw?

DaftChris

@Dakini

I checked with my bank and the other check did go through and my passport is currently being processed. My biggest fear is that I would have to re-apply and miss the "deadline" for my passport. Which, technically, is the first of next month, but I talked to the study abroad office and they're willing to give me some extra time.

The trip is to Salamanca, Spain for my Spanish minor. We will be studying at the University of Salamanca (one of the oldest universities in Europe) and have excursion trips to Barcelona, Madrid, Portugal and the running of the bulls.

Dakini

Cool, Chris! Sounds like everything's working out. I see there was a deadline your program had imposed--it makes more sense now. Have a great trip, and give us a report afterwards.