Renewing a passport after its already expired, or renewing a passport on an expedited basis, is something I have an unfortunate amount of experience with.

I would like to think of myself as a a very organized traveler. I would also like to think that blueberry Pop Tarts are a health food. However, as I found myself preparing for a production shoot in Australia and New Zealand as part of The Palette Project, I realized at the last minute, or very close to it, that my passport was not expiring in 2017, as I had thought, but had already expired a few months back. At that point, figuring out how to renew a passport as quickly as possible moved tot he from of the line on my to-do list.

Well, shame on me.

Thankfully, renewing passport is not difficult, even on an expedited basis. Yes I found myself having to deal with the twin troubles of renewing an expired passport and expedited passport renewal. I was renewing a passport with about five weeks to go before my crew and I were scheduled to leave the United States for a month, with two countries on the itinerary. Worse, we were also applying for temporary work visas, essential for any film crew members working in Australia and New Zealand, even when the production company is based in the united States. Of course, those work visa applications required a copy of my current passport. A migraine inducing moment if ever there was one.

I’m happy to jump to the ending of this story and report  everything worked out, with the further somewhat obvious advice that it would be far better if you don’t have to find yourself in the same situation. The United States bureaucracy is rarely  set up to move nimbly when it comes to matters like this, and you should take care to keep these kind of documents current if you think travel overseas is anywhere near your future plans.

Of course, life happens. We forget things. so you may need to renew a passport that has expired. Yes, in the ranks of “do as I say, not as I do,” category, I know there are some of us who will find themselves in situations like this.

So let’s dive in, shall we?

Renewing a passport

Scenario #1: Renewing a passport when time is on your side

When it comes to renewing a passport, even renewing an expired passport, this is the easier problem, because if you have at least three months before you’re planning to travel and your passport is currently expired, renewing an expired passport and filling out a new passport application is a relatively simple process. You can submit your passport application by mail or at a local passport office. Please note that as of the writing, while you can use an online form to fill out a passport application, you still have to print it. You cannot submit a passport application online. Here’s how it works:

1. Go to the U.S. State Department’s web page for renewing a passport.
2. Fill out the passport application or renewal form. Check this page to confirm which form you need.
3. Mail the completed form, along with your current passport, your new passport photos (you’ll need to have new pictures taken somewhere that has the camera setup for this, like a Walgreens or a FedEx Office), and the renewal fee ($110 for a passport booklet as of this writing).

Easy peasey, right? Let’s continue, because if you’re like e, you need to renew a passport quickly. The is also doable.

Scenario #2: Expedited passport renewal

This is a bit more complicated, as well as the more expensive option. However, it’s not only possible, it’s a pretty paint-by-numbers process,but you should be prepared to babysit the process a bit, since time is your chief concern. I also want to add that if you’ve let renewing a passport go to almost the very last minute, by which I mean two to three weeks or less before your trip, You are not only playing a very risky game, you are also all but begging of the TSA expanded screening. In the current environment, it’s not really advisable to look like you’re trying to leave the United States in a hurry, so be prepared to be pulled out of line for questions.

I also want to discuss using a  party passport renewal agency, which I do not personally recommend,but we can deal with your absolute worst case scenario in a moment. Let’s go over the process for renewing a passport on an expedited basis:

1. Go to the U.S. State Department’s web page page for renewing a passport.
2. Fill out the required DS-82 form, or the DS-11 if you’re a first time applicant). This is a special form for unusual situations like a lost passport, a stolen passport or ta-dah (!), expedited passport renewal for expired passports. While there are two other DS forms that may apply to some applicants, the DS-11 is likely the form you need. You should confirm which application form you should use by click here.
3. Submit your form, along with your expired passport, your new passport photos and the application fee (which, as of this writing, is $170 for a passport booklet, which includes both the $110 renewal fee and a $60 expedited processing fee)
4. Print or stamp the word EXPEDITE at least twice (but don’t go nuts, more than three is overkill) on the following: the envelope into which you are placing your materials and the exterior envelope of your shipment if you’re sending your passport renewal application via USPS Priority Mail or an overnight service accepted by the State Department. Basically, you want the machine scanner that receives the documents to catch these words upon receipt, and you want the human that opens the inner envelope to see those words also. This is not just me saying this. This is the official advice on the Department of State’s website. By the way, don’t write or stamp those words  on the DS-11 or your passport itself.

I want to add a word about 24 hour expedited passport renewal agencies, which isarenot the same as an official United States passport office at your local U.S. consulate. There are roughly two dozen official passport office locations, but you may not live near one if you are not in a major metropolitan area. Anyone doing a quick Google search will find loads of these agencies online, all of them promising that renewing a passport is easy if you work through them. Well, maybe… and a very maybe not. Keep in mind that only a few of these passport renewal agencies are actually cleared to do urgent passport renewals, even though many agencies cloud the picture buy claiming this status. What they often may be doing is adding yet another layer to the process. They take your information, and your passport, not to mention their fee and then work through the truly certified agency, which then adds their own feebefore then finally going through the State. Department. Each layer you add when you’re renewing a passport adds more fees.

So this is why, for expedited passport renewal, I want to add an option you may not have considered. If you truly have an urgent need (and unfortunately, just forgetting about it until the last minute may not count), you can also try to go through the Constituent Services department of your Congressional Representative’s office. Every member of the House of Representatives has a Constituent Services department, and they deal with everything from complaints about potholes (yes, it’s a municipal tie, but they will listen) and federal legislation to… you guessed it, passport issues like expedited passport renewal. Years ago, when I was working as a reporter and was about to be sent to Ramstein AFB in Germany with a local Army National Guard unit on less than a week’s notice, I found myself needing a passport in a matter of days. This is what local Congressional representatives offices are for. I have to tell you, Congressional reps love being able to help speed these things along if they can – it’s like banking their next election one vote at a time. You’re grateful, they’re the hero and they hope you’ll remember that in November. I literally had a new passport in three days. While I was a member of that lamestream liberal media elite and I was doing a story on the Army for cryin’ out loud. My representative was going to bend over backwards to make this happen, but I was hardly the first person to have this problem, and his office knew exactly what to do, so don’t forget this option if you’re at the stage where time is a real factor.

Let’s face it, when it comes to renewing a passport, especially expedited passport renewal, it’s going to be a hassle, but if you have a few weeks to spare, this is a problem you can probably fix. I want to stress that three weeks is pretty much the dividing line between probably success and potential failure, and it still might be pretty close.

Keeping tabs on your passport renewal

Don’t assume everything will go smoothly. You can check the status of your renewal online.You should keep track of your processing number for your renewal (this will be emailed to you by the State Department upon receipt of your application) and be very diligent about checking the status of your application. If you’re renewing a passport on an expedited basis, you should also keep the State Department’s toll free (in the U.S.) number handy if you feel for any reason the online information is inaccurate or lagging behind the actual processing or shipping of your renewed passport. That number is 1-877-487-2778 and I can tell you from experience that this is a valuable resource, especially since it is pretty easy to bypass the phone tree and get to a real person for specific advice about how to renew a passport if you have unusual circumstances or are not entirely sure which passport form you need. However, if you follow the steps above, you’re putting yourself in the best position to make up for lost time.

Oh, by the way… keep that passport safe from identity thieves. I use this RFID sleeve that I bought at Amazon.com. It helps shield the chip in your passport from portable RFID scanners that thieves use in airports. They don’t even have to steal your passport, just scan you with a hidden RFID wand from a few inches away. The shield can prevent that.

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