I need to check my passport expiration date.
by Bernadette
(Lakewood, WA, USA)
Question: I'm afraid my passport will expire at the end of this month. I'm not sure. My passport is at my home in Knox, IN but I'm at my other home in Lakewood, WA. I have my first passport issued about 20 years ago. I renewed this passport before it expired, and I was to renew the other one before that expires too. However, I don't know when its expiration date is.
If it is not till May, I will still have time. If it is already expired, then I'll have to get a new one.
Can you find out my current expiration date? I would give you my old passport # or whatever information if this were a secure site. Or can we do this by phone?
Answer: There are only two ways to discover the expiration date of a passport. One, look on the data page of the passport itself. Two, request a
passport record from the U.S. Department of State. There is a $50 fee for this service and it could take several weeks.
It is possible to
renew a passport even after it expires. Passports that are issued to adults and are not damaged can be renewed up to 15 years after their issuance date. Even if it expires this month, you can renew it later. The only problem with this is that you cannot travel with an expired passport.
Another option if you cannot get your passport and feel the need to renew it now is to
apply for a new passport using
form DS-11.
This is the option for those who are either applying for a first-time passport or are unable to submit their most recently-issued passport with the application.
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UPDATE: Mailing delays are impacting passport processing. The Department of State's processing times begin when applications are received at a passport agency or center and not when you mail them or apply at a local acceptance facility.
Standard service may take between 6 and 9 weeks. This timeframe does not include delivery time. Mailing times vary across the country.
Expedited service takes from 3 to 5 weeks exluding mailing times on the front and back end. Mailing delays may be significant so requesting 1-2-day mailing may greatly help.
Regional passport agencies are offering two types of appointments: Life-of-Death Emergency Service and Urgent Travel Service.
Life-or-death emergencies are serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family (parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, sibling, and grandparent) that require you to travel outside the United States within 3 business days.
If you need to travel due to a qualified life-or-death emergency, please call the National Passport Information Center for an appointment:
Mondays through Fridays 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. ET, call 1-877-487-2778 (TDD/TTY:1-888-874-7793)
Outside of these hours, call 202-647-4000.
For Urgent Travel Service, you need to call 14 days before your scheduled international travel or 28 days if you also need to secure a foreign visa.
If you need to travel urgently for reasons other than a life-or-death emergency, please call the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 Mondays through Fridays 8 A.M. to 10 P.M. ET.
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