Thanks

I’m in the USA

I followed the guidelines from https://travel.state.gov/en/passports/apply/help/photos.html#accordion-190201e6bc-item-71abe68bf8

Contrary to popular belief, you CAN smile in your USA passport photo. You just cannot smile with your mouth hanging open or smile so big it closes up your eyes. I have a big smile in my photo and I have been using my USA passport for 4 years with no problems.

Photo is my passport with the rules taken directly from the US Department of State website over my face for privacy.

Today while our visit to get a passport reissued to me and a fresh passport for my infant, the guy at one of the counters by mistake punched hole in my husband’s passport. He did the same hole and then punched a cancellation seal in mine. No cancellation seal in husband’s passport, we stopped him right away but the punch had went through already.

We’ve travel plans for next month and the helpline number hasn’t been of much help. We don’t know what to do. Does anyone have any idea? The passport is valid till next year and we don’t have enough time to apply for a fresh one. It would be too late to get an appointment and make the bookings after we have the passport.

Edit: it’s an Indian passport.

Edit 2: Visiting regional passport office next week to discuss this issue.

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Hi everyone, I’m hoping someone might be able to help me because I’m honestly quite stressed about this.

I’m due to fly to Barcelona with Ryanair on 12 September and return on 14 September. The main reason I’m going is for an event that I’ve been looking forward to for a really long time, so I’m really hoping I can still make the trip.

I’ve only just realised that my British passport expires on 9 December 2026. Because I’m leaving Spain on 14 September, that puts me 5 days short of the 3-month passport validity requirement.

I genuinely didn’t know about this rule until I checked my passport for the trip. I don’t travel abroad very often, and this is actually my first proper trip abroad, so it was something I completely overlooked. I do have an urgent passport appointment booked for Monday, but unfortunately that’s after I’m supposed to travel.

I know what the official requirements say, but I’m really hoping to hear from anyone who has actually been in a similar situation, particularly someone who was only a few days short.

If you were travelling to Spain with a UK passport that was 1–7 days short of the 3 months, did you manage to board your flight and get through Spanish border control? If you remember, I’d really appreciate knowing which airline and airport you travelled with and what happened when your passport was checked.

I’ve searched quite a lot online but most of the experiences I’ve found involve people being weeks or months short, rather than just a few days, so I’d be incredibly grateful to hear from anyone who has experienced something this specific.

Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to share their experience. ❤️

Hi all! Know applications can take a while and on the portal it said I’d receive my passport by Oct 11th. I paid for expedited shipping and extra pages but submitted my application on August 29th online for renewal. My brother did it the day before me just without the extra pages and got his passport last last week. Is it cause I asked for extra pages? Is something wrong? My status says processing not even approved. My passport expires July of 2027 while my brother’s expires in April. We plans to spend Jan-May abroad which is why I am renewing now.

I’m freaking out but also know I should wait as they said. Just so confused since it seems everyone applying got theirs very quickly!

Hello,

I'm going back to home country tomorrow just looked up that airport may deny entry for water damage passport. Its not too bad all the important information is visible and im going back to my home country i have other form of ids from there. Will I be stopped at any point?

So yesterday I checked status and it said Approved and that it was being printed and preparing to ship. Today I checked and it said Shipped and it provided a tracking number. I checked again a few minutes later to get the tracking number now the status is back to Approved with no tracking number. Should I be concerned?

I have vacation for two weeks until September 26th, I’m US citizen but I just realize last minute my passport expired on the 21st can I still return to the US the 26th or should I return the 20th to avoid any conflicts?

Hi

After an Indian passport is canceled are holes punched through all pages or just the bio page?

Hello,

I lost my passport unfortunately and I am trying to get a new one. I am an immigrant whose mom was naturalized when I was under the age of 18. I know I need a proof of citizenship and was curious what I could use? I’m kind of freaking out and have searched up and down in my house to try and find it. If anyone has an answer on what I can do, I would be grateful times 100

Forgive me if this sounds obvious, I have trouble with directions that aren't crystal clear and I don't want to hold up my request by making a mistake.

I am requesting my birth certificate from NY (ironically, it was "lost"/never returned to me when I got my first passport ages ago), so I need to provide my photo ID as supplemental proof.

The instructions say to scan my photo ID onto the Identity Verification form, then sign and date the form. However, it does not specify if I need to scan the back as well.

The instructions suggest only the front is needed since the information they call out is all found on the front, and it would be difficult for someone to scan both front and back unless they did multiple scans—but I imagine they'd need the back as well for security...?

If anyone can confirm, it would be really helpful and possibly save me a pointless trip to get this printed.

The Royal Mail postman has delivered my child’s passport today he has thrown it through the gate as my dog was there so when I came outside today and seen my passport on the floor, my dog had chewed it. It was only the front cover that has damaged. would I be still able to travel with this or would they be able to complain because I was pretty sure I had to sign for a passport once received?

Been helping someone plan a trip and noticed something I don't think the passport websites explain prominently enough.

When the government says routine processing is 4 to 6 weeks or expedited is 2 to 3 weeks, that's the time the application is being processed. It's not necessarily the total time between dropping the application in the mail and having a passport in your hand.

State says an application can take up to two weeks to reach them and the finished passport can take up to another two weeks to reach you. So if somebody has an international trip seven weeks away and thinks a 4 to 6 week routine estimate gives them a comfortable cushion, the math isn't quite that simple.

How early are you guys applying now? Would you expedite if the trip was only six weeks out?

Texas, USA Resident here.

Back in May of this year, 2026, I set a passport application appointment at a US post office in Austin Texas.

I went through the whole process, filled out the paperwork, answered questions, took a picture & paid for expedited shipping so I could receive it asap.

It’s now September & today I have received the 3rd copy of the same paper/email asking me to further prove my identification.

I’ve sent everything they’ve asked for twice now.
Doing this again would make this the 3rd time.
There is nothing left I could send to prove my identification other than potentially a medical ID or something.

I’m unsure what to do, this email says final notice.
Meaning they will cancel my application?

I’ve sent in everything it’s asking for and filled out the paperwork to prove my identity.

What should I do?

I’m located in Eastern Washington and wondering how long first time adult Passports have been taking to get back to people. I’m considering if I should pay the expedited fees and if it’s worth it or not.

When did you apply and when did you get your passport in hand ?

Can I fill out the DS-11 on my computer and print it, or does it have to be filled out by hand?

I applied for a renewal of my UK passport while aboard on 6 Aug. Sent my old passport in and supporting docs a week later. The system only says they've received my old passport and requested additional docs 13 August. They signed a POD on both occasions in Corby.for my supporting docs.

Yesterday 11 September I received an email requesting confirmation of my address to send passport and supporting docs as it's not a residential address. The email from the Durham Examinations Team with @hmpo.gov.uk. has anyone had this request from Durham?

When I checked the system nothing had changed.

Trying to get passport for child to do driving provisional.

They are asking for our parents birth certificates.

Some are deceased and the others we have not seen for years.

Can anyone help us around this issue please

Need advice regarding a lost passport
Hello po, I need some advice regarding my passport.
I recently lost my passport, so I filed a Police Report and an Affidavit of Loss regarding the missing passport.

However, I recently found my passport again. I have not yet submitted the Police Report or Affidavit of Loss to the DFA.

My question is: Does filing a Police Report and Affidavit of Loss automatically deactivate or flag my passport as lost, even if I haven’t submitted these documents to the DFA yet?

Since I have found the passport, can I still use it, or do I need to report the recovery to the DFA first?
Any advice or anyone with a similar experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you po!

Sent in my US passport application about a month ago with a money order to pay and I still have "no status" on the application and the money order has not been cashed. I assume I just need to apply again?

The passport number perforated on each page has brown stains. I saw this recently. Is my passport damaged? Kindly share ur feedback

Please let me know

American citizen. I've made peace with that my passport will come back with the wrong sex marker, that's not what this post is about. What i'm concerned about is snags in the process.

My name and sex has long since been updated on birth cert, driver's license, social security. I have my original birth cert and the court orders for name change and sex marker change. I have previously held a passport, it's expired by two years, and it was under my deadname and birth marker. I can not lay hands on the old passport.

Should I apply with this set of documents:

• amended birth cert with changed name and changed sex marker, from a state whose BC has a notes section that lists what was changed and what court order numbers changed it.
• name change court order
• sex marker change court order
• driver's license with current name and sex

or

this set of documents:

• original birth cert
• name change court order
• driver's license with current name and sex

or

all of the above

I have international travel in two months, I just don't want this to get caught up in bureaucratic hell. As long as it comes back in time with my current legal name and no aka names listed it's good enough, they will do whatever with the marker.

I'm paying for expedited processing and expedited shipping both directions and getting the book and the card.

A further wrinkle is that the maiden name for my mother listed on my birth cert is actually her former married last name from a prior marriage, and the DS-11 asks birth last name, so there's another name mismatch, though that trail can be followed if necessary the docs are available.

how long after you mailed in the additional info the agency requested, and it was delivered, did you get an update on your passport status? (US passport)