Observations on Obtaining One’s Passport

Posted on March 31, 2006 by Devin


  1. Somewhere in the instructions, the Department of State website, or the various other places that talk about the process, there should be a warning that your birth certificate will be sent into the processing center and returned with your passport.
  2. It’s cheaper to have a mild concussion than it is to get a passport. Costs start at $97 for a US adult — $67 for the passport + security fee, $30 to the prep location. If you need expedited service (as I did), that’s another $60. Photos are $15. Total cost: $172.
  3. Perhaps Friday afternoon isn’t the best time to go to the post office to get a passport, especially when there’s only two agents at the counter. I took one of them out of commission for 20 minutes or so, during which time the line got impressively long again.

About Devin

Husband and father; technology consultant, speaker, author, and blogger; Microsoft Exchange architect and MVP; writer, reader, Xbox player, karate student, and music lover. Seeker of balance, reveler in life, learning how to look for the uplifting.
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2 Responses to Observations on Obtaining One’s Passport

  1. http:// says:
    April 1, 2006 at 03:59

    …dear god. Is that for a brand new passport, or for renewing one? And if the former, do you know if the latter costs that much? How downright terrifying. The last time I got my passport renewed, all I had to do was show up at the embassy while my dad took care of the details, and wait for them to give me the new one…

  2. Devin says:
    April 5, 2006 at 20:41

    Brand new. The price has climbed quite a bit in recent years, from what I understand.

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