Passport renewal, likelihood of getting an appointment tomorrow? How can I improve my chances?

Submitted by millystelescope96 t3_zuydfy in boston

Hi everyone, I’m in a f*** situation, was supposed to board a plane to Europe yesterday but was denied boarding to due to the fact that my passport expires within 90 days. Not before I return, just within 90 days. I had no clue this was a rule and I’m so stressed trying to resolve this. I flew to Boston because my boyfriend’s family is from here so at least we have a place to stay. I NEED to renew my passport on Tuesday when the office opens, it just needs to happen.

Yes, I know I need an appointment, but I can’t get one because the office is closed until Tuesday and the only way to get an appointment is to call. Yes, I’m going to be calling like crazy at 7:30 in the morning on Tuesday. But, if I do arrive in person at 6 am, wait outside with all my documents, is there any chance in hell they will let me in even without an appointment? Again I am doing everything I can to get an appointment but it’s just not easy. Has anyone managed to get a same day appointment out of desperation?

Thank you thank you and merry Christmas

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Comments

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rip_wallace t1_j1m0di7 wrote

Drive to Portsmouth NH and be there when they open up

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millystelescope96 OP t1_j1m14fy wrote

They’ll let me in you think? Is there often a long line of people waiting?

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whereiskansascity t1_j1m1meb wrote

I second going to the National Passport Center in Portsmouth New Hampshire right when they open.

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millystelescope96 OP t1_j1m1tbp wrote

Even without an appointment? Do you know if people like campout? How early should I get there?

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Sufficient-Opposite3 t1_j1m0te4 wrote

They'll let you in and help you. You might be there all day but relax. And, btw, your airline should have informed you about the 90 day passport rule. You enter your info when you book your ticket and the expiration date should have been flagged.

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millystelescope96 OP t1_j1m1347 wrote

Yup, they weren’t! I scanned in my passport when I bought my ticket and was not altered of any problem until I tried to check in the day before!

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Sufficient-Opposite3 t1_j1m1irh wrote

Ugh. They suck. I'm sorry that you've got all this stress to deal with. I got caught up in a similar situation a few years ago. I had to travel for work last minute. My passport was expiring. But, I went down to Government Center and they worked with me. But, I was definitely there all day.

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millystelescope96 OP t1_j1m1ncj wrote

Did you have an appointment?

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Sufficient-Opposite3 t1_j1n5yg4 wrote

No. I just went and stood in line

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millystelescope96 OP t1_j1n81yo wrote

Gahh situations like yours give me Hope but everyone keeps telling me you absolutely need an appointment

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secretviollett t1_j1noo5t wrote

I booked a trip to montreal and then realized my passport was expired. I went in without an appointment. Get there early. Wait in line. I got there maaaaaybe 30 mins before they opened and already a long line. But they get you in and will triage. Ie: if you have a flight tomorrow they will do yours first, before someone who is flying in 3 days. I got mine next day. Just show up early….bring a coffee, snacks, earbuds & charger and plan to camp out there for the day. But it did work for me.

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Coders32 t1_j1r042p wrote

Post pandemic you may need an appointment. My spouse got their MA driver’s license the other day and despite having all the documents and waiting in line a half hr before they opened, they were dicks and told him to make an appointment. They showed up early to the appointment in Springfield and ended up finished before the actual appointment time. Good luck

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KM77777 t1_j1rweio wrote

Same with AAA or any DMV - I think its a scam so workers can stand around for 15 minutes. As once everything complete, only takes 5 minutes. Completley inefficient and forget about trying to make an appt online - complete govt joke!

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__plankton__ t1_j1mg27j wrote

FYI for future reference, many countries have a 6 month expiration requirement. Worth checking before planning travel next time.

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millystelescope96 OP t1_j1mgo6s wrote

Oh don’t worry, I will be checking every country’s requirements meticulously before I ever travel again

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Wtf_is_this1234 t1_j1pvuc4 wrote

Safest thing to do is renew when you're a year from expiration. It's a pain in the ass but it's the only way you can ensure you won't have this happen again.

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florida_born t1_j1ml3zj wrote

This is the reason I just put mine on for renewal even though it didn’t expire until July. I have plans for late February international travel and don’t want to be stuck.

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sammyo t1_j1lze0m wrote

When I called in September I was on hold for over 2 hours and got an appointment for the next day. Then I decided to call again immediately and they picked up on the second ring and had an opening in a half an hour later. The clerks are kind and smart but they have to work within their computer system. Crazy, perhaps have a friend or two also call simultaneously.

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fasteddye t1_j1m2s9l wrote

Happened to my wife. Show up to the Boston office when they open and you can get a same day renewal. Took like 6 hrs, but we caught the evening flight out of Logan the same day.

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millystelescope96 OP t1_j1m2xrf wrote

When was this? Did you have an appointment? Everything I’m reading online says they are total hard assess about the appointments and will not let you in without one

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ajdragoon t1_j1memer wrote

> was supposed to board a plane to Europe yesterday but was denied boarding to due to the fact that my passport expires within 90 days. Not before I return, just within 90 days. I had no clue this was a rule

Oof, and it gets another one. FYI the reason for this is because the agreement between the United States and the country you’re going to (I’m assuming you’re going to a Schengen area nation) silently says you can stay over there for max 90 days. If your passport expires within that period that obviously becomes problematic, so many countries will just deny boarding if that’s the case. This hits a lot of Americans each year, with some being allowed to board, fly across the ocean, and get denied entry at passport control. So at least you were spared that?

Such rules don’t just apply to the Schengen area of Europe either; the situation is similar with Canada. This is one of those major international travel little-known tips that really should be underscored and stressed when you’re applying for a passport and when you get it.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/schengen.html

Anyway, hope you’re able to find a quick solution here.

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millystelescope96 OP t1_j1mf7t4 wrote

Yeah, I’m so disappointed that I didn’t know. I planned out every aspect of this trip so meticulously and how did this not just appear in front of my face at one point? I guess passports last so long that not many people run into the issue, but wow donI feel screwed

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jfburke619 t1_j1m6d3h wrote

I have seen passports get generated same day. Embassies overseas can replace your passport in a day if necessary. Bring all your stuff - (good quality passport photos, the application, old passport and the fee), be ready for a long day (snack and book) and stay patient. Good luck. Enjoy the rest of your travels.

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minensho t1_j1mai8o wrote

Typically you need to have 90 days validity remaining from the date you plan to depart a foreign country, not just from the date of entry into a foreign country.

Are you a Hungarian citizen trying to renew your Hungarian passport?

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Competitive_Bat4000 t1_j1mbvbc wrote

Interesting they didn’t let you board, not sure if things have changed, but I had a similar situation traveling from US abroad. They told me they’d absolutely let me fly out, but it’s up to the receiving country to decide to let you in or make you leave immediately, no guarantees, had to cancel my trip.

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terminal_e t1_j1n6byf wrote

Airlines will nearly never do what they did for you because THEY are on the hook for returning people who are denied admission by the destination locale.

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Competitive_Bat4000 t1_j1nczd8 wrote

They’ll just apply your return ticket to the one they are flying you back plus change fee and additional costs, I believe it’s in their terms and agreements.

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geffe71 t1_j1n76qx wrote

I met a lady that misplaced her passport and declared if lost/stolen and then found it. She accidentally took the “lost” one and was allowed to board a plane, but when she got to the other country’s immigration she was put on a plane home. She went home and got her newer passport and went and boarded a flight back. Missed vacation be damned

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loranlily t1_j1mcnuj wrote

Are you an American citizen? One of your comments says that you are not. In that case, the passport centers here can’t help you, you will need to contact the embassy of the country that issued your passport.

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EmergencyKeyLime t1_j1n653y wrote

You should call your congressional reps office, they may be able to set you an appointment. It is the holidays so they may be officially closed but are likely monitoring their voicemail for issues like yours. You can also submit a request through their website, I'd call and submit their passport form if you can.

Hopefully that helps!

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WitnessEntire t1_j1nv454 wrote

When this happened to us we went to the tip O’Neill building with passport photos at 7 am the next morning. With proof of travel we got the passport by 4 pm and flew out that night. That was 2017

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millystelescope96 OP t1_j1nw4yc wrote

You didn’t have an appointment?

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WitnessEntire t1_j1nwcbe wrote

No. Just showed up at the crack of dawn. We stopped off at cvs to get photos and the stood in line.

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millystelescope96 OP t1_j1nwd3q wrote

And were you there so early to get in line?

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WitnessEntire t1_j1r266c wrote

Yes. We left the airport at midnight. So we couldn’t call for an appointment. Went to cvs at 7 am to get passport pics and went straight from there to the tip O’Neill building and stood in line.

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millystelescope96 OP t1_j1r3rcn wrote

I want to make sure I’m bringing everytbing I need. I just need my current passport, flight confirmation, did-82 form, and drivers license, that’s it right?

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WitnessEntire t1_j1rarpu wrote

I think the instructions will tell you what you need. Sounds right. I found the employees there to be very accommodating

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gibson486 t1_j1msa5d wrote

I had this happen. I just showed up at the passport office in boston and got a new passport in 2 hours, which was needed for a flight later that night. Today,you may need an appt, however. Make sure you get your passport pic ahead of time because you will be cruched for time. Surprisingly, I was expecting to get nailed with a huge premium, but it only costs $30 more.

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Glad_Walrus t1_j1pyb3x wrote

This happened to my boss for a work trip. He couldn’t find appointments in New England so he grabbed a last minute appointment somewhere in Texas then flew from Texas to Europe

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felineprincess93 t1_j1lz8d2 wrote

It’s not a new rule, it’s been a rule for quite a while.

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snorkeling_moose t1_j1m5zvz wrote

Wow what a helpful comment. Never miss an opportunity to tell people they should have known what you already knew, and suspect many others already knew for quite some time, even though it does nothing to answer their question or offer any assistance to them.

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millystelescope96 OP t1_j1lzgar wrote

Yea but I’ve never flown internationally before and my work organization in Budapest told me that since I’m American I don’t need a visa just a passport and that I’m all set, I just didn’t know the rule.

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Skizzy_Mars t1_j1m7bct wrote

Wait do you have an American passport or not? If not, you need to contact the relevant embassy, not go to the passport center in Portsmouth.

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bucketsoffun t1_j1maa4z wrote

your post says "since I'm not American" -- not sure if that means dual citizenship or what but if you dont have a US passport, you'll need to go to the embassy of whichever country issued your passport.

If you *do* have a US passport, the national passport center can help you.

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jamesland7 t1_j1ly2zv wrote

Well, they’re closed tomorrow as its a federal holiday, so no. Plus even with an appt, there’s still the time it takes to process and produce a new passport which is at least a few days

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millystelescope96 OP t1_j1lyirq wrote

No, they can do it same day! All you need is an appointment but the difficult part is getting an appointment.

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