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Please, no head banging! Save the drywall.
I just want to comment on the length of time it is taking to get passports, even though I understand we do not need them for our upcoming trip to St John.
Before we had decided on the USVI as our destination, we thought be better apply for a passport in case we decided on a destination that required one. On February 6th, my wife and I submitted out passport applications. A couple of weeks later, I checked the State Department web site to see if they received our applications. Even though the web page stated that the application would not be in the system for "up to 1 week", ours could not be found. I checked daily until they changed the web site to say "due to the volume of applications, it could take up to 3 weeks" before our applications could be found.
It was almost a month before ours showed up as being received. Then it started to get funny. Each day I would check, and each day the estimated day of arrival was a day or two later than it was the day before. For example, the first day I was able to find it on line, the estimated time of arrival was 4/18. The next day it was 4/21. The next day it was 4/22. And so on.
This could go on forever; each day I check, the estimated delivery date is extended by 1-2 days. Like taking 1 step forward, 2 steps back. I am glad I do not need it for my vacation. I do hope I get it before we leave, however. It would sure make travelling easier if we have it, even if it is not required.
I was going to title my thread "Do I need a passport?", but some of you must already have concussions, so I decided I'd better not do that. Here is the state dept web site in case any of you are interested in the status of your passport application:
http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html
Good Luck, Joe
Well,
You are right about not needing a passport. We even went to the British VI to the Baths and did not have a problem (need Drivers Licence and Birth Cert for that). However we were very severely reprimanded by the customs officer when we were leaving St. Thomas to come home. He looked at my husband and said " Why Don't You Get Her A PASSPORT!. I mean really!!!!" Then I tried to explain that I applied for one as soon as I found out that we were coming (on January 8) and that I checked the mail every day and it did not come before we left. He then rolled his eyes and said "Yeah, whatever!" Well, can I tell you that the computer web site has changed what date I am to receive my passport from the 19th of Feb to the 20th then the 26th of Feb and then back to the 20th again. It still says the 20th of February and we left for your trip on the 2nd of March.
Well, we got back last week Friday and had a great time. And I still have not received my passport. I hope it comes before we have to go to Cozumel in June.
Funny story. I'm glad you don't need them. I am sure they are swamped right now with all the changes made in re-entry requirements. I had a horror story of my own last year when trying to get my daughter's passport prior to her high school exchange departure. We had plenty of time, but paid for expedited service -( I'm anal). We tracked it, same as you, but funny thing - it was never delivered. It is supposed to arrive by registered or certified mail, but it never came and we never received any notice. When I checked into it at the post office, I learned, that they had sent it to the wrong post office and it was waiting 30 miles away, for us to pick it up - even though we never received any notice that it was there! Who knows how long it would have taken if we had not tracked it down before they sent it back to DC?! Good luck!
The other couple going to STT with us in April had applied for their passports on Jan 18 (at that time we thought we'd need it to go to the BVI trip) and they just called to say they arrived today! whoopee! don't know how many weeks that is but I'm just glad they have them. Even tho they aren't required, it will make traveling so much easier.
I said, "now we can go anywhere we want, nothing stopping us!" well, only the green stuff. 🙂
