Ultimately, Ms. Zimmerman found help on Reddit. Other passport applicants advised her to call a tech support line, where she found help. Her passport finally arrived more than seven weeks after she applied, and two weeks before her trip.
“They definitely made the right decision to shut it down for now,” she said of the online renewal program, adding that she thought the website needed to be better equipped to handle the traffic and offer regular updates.
What if I need to travel this year?
The consensus from immigration experts and officials is to check your passport expiration date before making international plans — and to renew it as early as possible, if necessary.
With the online process suspended, applicants can still renew by mail or make appointments at passport acceptance facilities, which can include post offices, libraries and local government offices. Appointments are limited, however and some applicants have reported traveling beyond their local office to snag one. Fuji Whittenburg, the chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association State Department Liaison Committee, recommends taking care to ensure the forms are completely filled out and that the correct fees are included with a money order or check.
If possible, she said, opt for expedited passport processing ($160 for a renewal for an adult, plus the $60 fee for expediting) and expedited postage ($19.53) to mail your old passport and return the new passpor. The entire process should take between seven and nine weeks, with a day or two on either end for shipping.
If you need to travel imminently, within 14 days, you can try to book an in-person appointment at a passport agency. If all else fails, both Ms. Whittenburg and Mr. Alwadish suggest reaching out to your congressperson or your senator with your passenger record locator.
If you want to avoid the ordeal a little longer? Travel within America, Mr. Alwadish said.
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