Passport
In anticipation of my trip back to Scotland to visit with family this coming June, it was necessary for me to make sure my passport was current. To my horror, it was good up though the middle of May; panic set in with a resulting hasty dash to the passport office.
Passort service is provided at our local post office between 10:00 AM and noon, Monday through Friday. It was my impression that there would be a special area of the post office set aside for that service. Imagine my surprise to find that everything was being handled at the regular counter; with the exception of the passport photograph being taken in a back office.
The staff was very helpful, courteous and assisted with the completion of the forms. A comment was made that it might take up to 10 weeks or more for the passport to be returned and, as a consequence, it was suggested that the application be sent by Expedited mail with the return being prepaid by the same method.
Everything was handled on Friday, March 9; with the realization that the renewal application and surrendered passport would not be received in the Philadelphia passport office until Monday, March 12. My anxiety level went sky high when an article appeared in the local Sunday paper the following weekend. In the article, it was reported that the Passport office was inundated with thousands of applications and monsterous delays were expected; even though extra help was being brought on.
Are you ready for this? My renewed passport was delivered by Expedited mail on Monday morning, March 19. It had been mailed on Friday, March 16. Kudos to the post office staff and the passport office.
Now I can relax.
