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I've been traveling full-time for over four years. Even before I started as a digital nomad, I traveled at absolutely every opportunity I could find. So, my passport (issued back in 2018) had quite a few stamps in it. Imagine my surprise when I learned that South Africa — where I'm headed in October — requires two blank passport pages to enter the country (always check entry requirements!). Imagine my even greater surprise when I opened my passport to discover I only had one blank page left.
As a digital nomad, I typically only go back to the U.S. once per year. That leaves me with limited time to renew a passport, and I have a flight booked out of the country on September 12. After scouring the internet to see how long fellow passport renewals have taken this summer, I decided to submit my application and hope that it arrives as quickly as possible. Spoiler alert — it was much faster than I expected.
Here's what to know about how long it takes to get a passport expedited.
Standard vs. Expedited Passport Renewal Timeline
On Sunday, August 3rd, I realized South Africa requires two blank passport pages for entry. My flight out of the U.S. is on Friday, September 12. So, I had just shy of six weeks to get a new passport.
According to the U.S. Department of State, current processing times for a routine passport application is 4-6 weeks. In addition, it can take up to two weeks for your application to arrive at a passport agency, and another two weeks for you to receive a completed passport once it's printed. In total, a routine application could take as much as 10 weeks from door to door.
If you pay extra to expedite your application, you can cut processing time down in half. An expedited application is scheduled to take 2-3 weeks, plus mailing time. Fortunately, I realized I needed to renew my passport in enough time to not need to go through urgent channels (my closest passport agency is a four-hour drive away).
Related: Passport stolen or expired? Tips and tricks to get a passport in as little as 24 hours
My Expedited Passport Renewal Timeline
Sunday, August 3: I filled out my passport application form.
Monday, August 4: I went to get passport photo taken, then went to the post office to mail my old passport, my renewal application, and check (including the expedited fee).
Wednesday, August 6: My application package was delivered to the PO Box in Philadelphia.
Friday, August 8: I checked the online portal and saw that my application was marked as “in process.”
Tuesday, August 12: I received an email notification that my application was in process. In my experience, email notifications were a few days behind what you can see through the online portal.
Wednesday, August 13: I was notified by email that my new passport had been shipped.
Thursday, August 14: I was notified by email that the application had been approved. Yes, you read that correctly — it was marked as approved (a day after it had supposedly been shipped).
Monday, August 18: My new passport was delivered!
And I also received an email that my supporting documents had been shipped.
Since it arrived so quickly, I was also able to submit my Global Entry renewal application ahead of my November expiration date. I used the American Express Platinum Card® to pay the $120 renewal fee, which will appear as a statement credit to my account in the next few days.
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Related: Passport Stolen or Expired? Tips and Tricks to Get an Expedited Passport
Expedited Passport Renewal Cost
You can now renew your passport online. Unfortunately, this only works for routine applications. If you need an expedited passport, you'll have to do it by mail.
A passport book costs $130. To avoid the same situation in the future, I chose the large passport book with more than double the number of visa pages. A large book costs the same, so it's absolutely worth it for frequent international travelers. To expedite your application, you'll pay an additional $60. Then, you need to pay another $22.05 for the Department of State to ship your passport within 1 to 2 days after it is issued.
So, you'll write a check to the U.S. government for $212.05 to get an expedited passport. This is in addition to the $34.10 I paid to the USPS for fast delivery to send my application. In total, I paid $246.15, but I was without a passport for only two weeks!
Related: How to Track Your Passport Details Using AwardWallet
Final Thoughts
Aside from the initial panic that I was going to need to cancel my trip to South Africa, the expedited passport renewal process was extremely simple. All in all, it took exactly two weeks from dropping my old passport off at the post office to receiving my new passport at my home. The advertised times on the Department of State's website says it will take 2-3 weeks for an expedited application to process, not including mail times. So, I was pleasantly surprised that it only took two weeks, including mail.
Now, I have a brand new passport with dozens of empty visa pages ready for me to use. As long as you have a few weeks before your next trip, you shouldn't have any problem getting an expedited passport.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees)
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