Dave Naffziger’s Blog

First I’d like to say thanks for keeping this blog. The information and the comments were very helpful for me in obtaining a same day same day passports yesterday.

I’d like to return the favor by sharing our experience at the New York Passport Agency on 1/20/2011:

We arrived @ 7:30 for an 8:30 appt., there were approximately 15 people in line. Some in the line ahead of us had no appointments, but they were able to make their case and went inside. There was no separate line for those with appointments and those without, and best I could tell, the numbers were assigned according to who arrived at the window first. This was consistent with what I have read from the comments of others regarding their experiences in the New York office. Since it was only $30 additional, we went ahead and had passport cards made as well.

However, we did have an unexpected problem. As a word to the wise, I recommend bringing your social security card with you, as you may need to present it. In our case, we submitted our documents, paid the fees, and were told to return at 10:00am per normal. However, shortly after leaving, we soon received a phone call stating that they could not find her social security info in the system, and would have to return with her SS card. Without the card, or a letter of proof from Social Security, they would not make the passport. Since her card was unavailable, we had to go to the Social Security office at Federal Plaza so that they would provide a letter of proof. This was accepted, and then her passport was made with the next batch for a 3:00pm pick up. Perhaps there was something we missed reading, but we were totally unprepared for this and we were lucky that we were able to get to Federal Plaza and back on time. When asked, what caused the problem, they stated the staff is usually able to verify people’s social security numbers in their system, but it happens sometimes that they’re unable. Had we been flying same day, we would not have made our flight. While this happened in New York, I suppose it is possible that this could happen at any of the locations where same day service is provided. For that reason, I’ll cross-post my comment in both the main and the New York sections of the blog.

Thanks again, good luck, and happy travels.

Awesome, that is super-helpful!

Thanks for the information. I’m glad that it worked out (and that you
weren’t flying the same day)!

Hi, Hope you all can help, I’ve been up all night reading this. .We are going to the bahamas on tuesday and both of my kids passports expired last week. I filled out the paperwork and scheduled an appointment, but my appointment is not until Thursday. Can I go there 6am tomorrow and wait on line? We will lose the whole trip if we can’t go on Tuesday

Thanks!

I would certainly try it. Some have had success walking in…

Let us know how it works out!

UPDATE: My husband, 2 kids and I went to the agency yesterday morning, 545 am, we were the first people on line. About 630 others started to come, and when opened at 730(not a second before), they lets us in . They never asked if anyone had an appointment. We where in at 730, presented our paperwork, pictures.. they asked the kids questions(ie, are these your parents, where are you going e , etc).. We where out of there by 8am. YOu get a slip that tells you when to pick the passports up.. it said 10am.. I was there at 10am and they where ready.. So all in all it took about 30 minutes!!
Thanks so much for giving me the confidence and tools to do this!! Much appreciated..and now we are off!!

Awesome, and thanks for leaving such a useful response!

Can I get a same day passport for my 2 year old daughter if I have all of the documentation but she is not there with me?

Like many others, I have never been one to add comments to any kind of Blog. However, the experience I had at the Regional Passport Agency in NYC has compelled me to add my story so if for no other reason, people who feel like they’re in a helpless situation will have a sense of hope.

On March 10, 2011 my son was scheduled to fly from JFK to Madrid. This trip was months in the planning and we had every detail covered, or at least we thought we did. After arriving at JFK at the prescribed 2 hours before the flight, my son began the check-in process at which point it was discovered that his passport had expired. Because he was issued a passport when he was 15 years old, unbeknowst to us his passport expired after 5 years as opposed to the rest of the family’s which expired after 10 years. Needless to say, he was the picture of disappointment. Fortunately, one of the customer service reps at American Airlines suggested that we go to the Regional Passport office in Norwalk, CT because she thought they were one of the only facilities that would take walk-ins. She was convinced that the NYC office on Hudson St would not take anyone without an appointment. Since it was now 4 p.m., it really didn’t matter since both offices were closed.

Always being someone who refuses to admit defeat until every possible avenue has been explored, I immediately started to figure out how to get him on the same flight the next day. Fortunately for him, there was an available seat and as this was a frequent flyer ticket there wasn’t a huge change fee. That as you might imagine was the easy part, we still needed the renewed passport.

When we got home from JFK I immediately started to research the renewal process as well as the best location to secure a passport the same day. It was this site that not only gave us hope but also showed us the way. Following the advice of the other passportless travelers on this blog my son and I decided to go to the NYC Passport Agency arriving at 376 Hudson St at 6:31 a.m. (without an appointment) and we were first on line. Do not be discouraged by the large lettering on the door that say “BY APPOINTMENT ONLY”. At 7:30 a.m. the security guard, who by the way is a very nice guy and a retired NYC cop, came out to explain the process. At this point we weren’t sure if we would be allowed in but he announced that those with an appointment would go in first followed by the walk-ins. That was a huge relief! There were about 6-7 people with appointments who went in before us. As has been pointed out in the blogs above, you need to have all your paperwork in order. We had the completed forms (which can be found online), his travel itinerary showing his departure that day at 5:15 p.m. his old passport and a check to cover the necessary fees.

When we got up to the 10th floor and our number was called at 8:05 a.m. we went to the appropriate window where I explained that we needed the renewal passport no later than 1:30 p.m. that same day and if that wasn’t possible we would just go through the normal process saving ourselves the $95 charge to expedite the process. We were told that the passport would be ready after 10 a.m. and that we could wait in the “Will Call” room. At 10:50 a.m. his name was called and amazingly less than 20 hours after discovering that his passport had expired my son had a new passport! Interestingly, during my conversation with the security guard whom I mentioned early, he said to us on our way in, “don’t worry, you’ll be out of here with a new passport by 11 a.m.”

So, my advice to those who find themselves in the same situation as us, is to stay calm and follow the steps mapped out in the blogs above, the process really does work.

Great tips. The details on arrival times are super-helpful. Thanks for
sharing.

hi there
all these posts are very helpful, but let me make sure i am understanding correctly
I need a renewal passport and my husband needs a new one to travel to domincan republic the last week in april
my local post office said it would be 100 + 25 (their fee) then 60 more then the other total came to 195 – and i am unsure after all these fees if it would even be here in time
If i came to NYC would the fees be the same or less? Also, for proof of the iten. – if it was booked online, what do i bring , the printed confirmation or proof of how we paid?
and i would need to make appt i guess first, do they do them each day of the week?

thanks for all the help
JMC

New York City – After my amazing experience of getting a same day passport today, I had to share with others. Last night, as I checked in for my flight to Bermuda for 5:15pm today, I realized I could not find my passport. I turned my apartment upside down, but nothing. So, I called the 877# to make an appointment and they told me there were no appointments the next day in NYC and if I tried to go without an appointment I would be turned away. She offered me an 8:30am appointment in Philadelphia, which I took just in case, but really I felt it was too risky to go all the way there and back and still make my 5:15 flight out of JFK (I live in Chelsea). So, thanks to this site, I got all my paperwork together and had the guts to see if this would really work.

I arrived at 6:15am and was the first one there, luckily it was a nice clear morning. A couple people came within a few minutes of me, and others trickled in slowly, but by 730am, there were about 30 people. At exactly 7:30am, they told us to get in a single file line. I was first. Then they told the people with appointments to form a separate line, and then the rest of us to get behind them. However, I don’t think they ever verified whether or not you have an appointment, so technically you could just get on the appointment line without actually having one, but I’m not sure that would do so well for your karma. Someone with an appointment let a woman with a very small baby without an appointment in front of her, and the lady with the baby was not asked about an appointment and was one of the first to go through – no problem. Anyway, I was first of the “non-appointments” and I’d say I was about 12-13th in line.

You go through security and another single line for the “gatekeeper.” This person asked me for my new passport application, proof of citizenship (I used my previously expired passport), and ID (I gave a drivers license). She also asked if I had my proof of travel and the lost passport form (I did), but she didn’t actually check those. She gave me a number and sent me to the 10th floor. That was done by 7:57am.

At the 10th floor, they call your number, where you present all your documentation and pay. For a while, there was only one booth open (out of like 30), but by the time I went up, 4 were running. I was about the 7th one called from the time I got there. The guy I saw (a young Asian man in case you want to try to get on his line) was super nice and friendly and asked me questions in a very conversational matter. He took all the paperwork, asked me how I lost the passport (I really didn’t know), if I had ever lost one before (I hadn’t…he said it helps if you haven’t), passport photos (which I had done at a 24hr FedEx Kinkos near my apt in Chelsea), my most recent expired passport (I had my last 3 passports with me just in case!), my itinerary showing the 5:15pm flight to Bermuda that day, asked why I was going to Bermuda, what I do for a living (probably because my trip was work related) and of course, payment. You must have all of these things readily available to even have a chance of getting this done quickly.

He gave me a 10a-4p window for pickup, but I asked him nicely if there was any way he could rush it so I would be able to make my flight. He said no guarantees, but he would see what he could do. He even said to come back at 10am and if it wasn’t ready yet, to find him and he would personally check the status. As a side note, he says what takes so long is background checks, so the cleaner your records, the better/faster. He gave me the pickup ticket to present later, which had an approximate pickup time for 12 noon printed on it, but that he had crossed out in pen and replaced it with 10:00am. By the time I was through, it was about 8:30am. I went home and finished packing for Bermuda, and even brought my stuff with me back to the agency in case I had to wait so long I would have to go to the airport straight from there. I returned to the agency at 10:20am, no line, straight thru security and up to the 10th floor to the will call room. I showed them my ticket, and my passport was READY!!! I didn’t have to wait at all…and I was out of there by 10:30am!!! I couldn’t believe it. I wanted to find that nice Asian man and give him a huge hug! I went from thinking I was going to have a lot of explaining to do to my boss about why I wasn’t able to attend this huge industry conference that we had paid a lot of money to send me to, to now being able to finally relax for a couple hours before my flight after being up all night getting together my documents!!!

Hope you have as much luck as I did!!

Wow, this is an incredibly useful story. Thanks a ton for sharing!

What I don’t understand is why the security put people with a will receipts in the common line along with regular appointment-application people? I suppose to go straight on the 10th floor with a will receipt! What should I stay again in the line on the 1st floor?  

What I don’t understand is why the security put people with a will calls receipts into the common line along with regular appointment-application people? I suppose to go straight on the 10th floor with a will call receipt! Why should I stay again in the line on the 1st floor?

if i got a 11:30 am appointment at the agency should i get there early like around 7:00 ???

pleasa anybody give me advise if i get there early like around 7 am for a 11:30 appointment would that help?? and also i already made an appointment for the 18 of july 2011 and is for 11:30 but my flight is the next day at 9 am should i be able to get my passport in that same day of my appointment ??

You should be fine going at your appointment time.

But, why chance it?

My siblings and I are scheduled to fly out on the morning of July 19, 2011. We have a 10AM appointment at the New York office on July 18th. My question is: is it guaranteed that you get your passport the same day? I’ve read all the posts from everyone saying that they received their passports within a few hours; however, I was wondering if there’s any chance that you don’t. I’m extremely worried that we won’t get our passports.

Everyone seems to be able to get the passport same day. I’m not sure I’d
use the word ‘guaranteed’, but it seems quite common.

Thanks Dave for the Blog.  My story is similar to so many of the above. I arrived at 6:20 am and out at 11 with my passport.  Things that were different for me are as follows.  by 7:30 about there were 100 people on line, and they kept coming.  Only one person with an appointment and they went first.  Security guard on the inside was a complete douche, but everybody getting my passport was completely helpful and friendly.  There were quite of expediters in there as well, some with the person getting the passport.  After my first trip inside the when i turned in my paperwork at 8:05, I went back outside hung around until 9:30, and then had to get back on the 100 person line to re-enter the building.  This line was now comprised of the some of the first 100 and a lot of new faces.  I had perfect timing as the line took 70 min to return to the 10th floor, I waited 15 minutes, and the woman at the desk called my name.  If you have an extra day, you can probably show up a little later, if 6:00 am is too early for you.

Great, thanks for sharing the story – its super helpful for other readers!

I am soooooo GLAD to have found this blog.  I’ve been researching ways to get a same day passport as we are planning a family cruise on August 4th out of Barcelona, Spain. We have been planning this trip for the last 9 months and so far 15 of our family and close friends will attend.  My mom, who has never gone on vacation…specially to Europe, is NOT a US citizen and when we tried to obtain a visa from the Spanish embassy back in April, she was denied for unknown reasons…(you either get it or not but they keep the fee anyway….:(.  So, we immediately submitted her paperwork for the US citizenship as she has been a green card holder for the last 20 years..(yes, i know she waited wayyyyy too long….but that is another argument….:)  Thankfully, she got her exam date for August 2nd…(two days before travel) and we have heard they usually do the Oath the same day.  So we are shooting to get her passport, provided she passes the exam, on August 3rd.  Based on what I’ve read on this blog, she will have no problem flying out the next day…August 4th.  I will tell you, it was a RELIEF to find this blog and read on people getting their passports withing hours from flying…It makes our worries less heavy.

I promise to update you guys on the ending of this drama…hopefully it will be a positive end.  My mom really deserves this cruise….:) 

Let us know how it all goes!!

I made a 7:30am appointment for 12/8/2011. I brought my application, plane ticket, pictures, naturalization certificate, a copy of my naturalization certificate and a copy of my driver’s license.  I brought my wallet with DL as well as SS card just in case.  The fee was $195.00 for same day passport.  I arrived at 6:40am and parked on King St I believe. Lots of parking available.  Waited the hour until they let us in.  There were about 10 people there by 7:30am.  People with appointments were brought to one line and non-appointments brought to the other. They let the non-appointment folks go after us.  Got my passport at about 10:30am. Very easy! Thank you to this website. I really needed some info on this.

 I am traveling to Montreal in 2 weeks via car for a Sambo Competition. I can not provide a airline ticket. Any advice for what I should do here? Need my passport within 2 weeks : /

Some people have had success with just a hotel reservation. I’d bring that, the competition confirmation and anything else that would indicate ‘firm plans’ to travel.

Reading through the whole blog I am noticing everyone here had proof of travel by way of itinerary or plane ticket. I am planning on just the competition confirmation does anyone know of anyone turned down for not enough proof of travel within 2 weeks?

i am travelling to Barbados on Wed.. looked high and low for my passport and to no avail I CANT FIND IT!!! I made an appt on the ohone but it was for WED at !pm and my flight is at 830 am.. what to do WHAT TO DO?!!  im just going to wing it and go tomorrow morning(TUES) for 6am

Arrived at the NY office at 7:25am for our 8:30 appointment. Needed to renew 2 kids passports that expired. Today is Friday, we’re departing this Tuesday at 6am. They separated the line into 2, calling 7:30 appointments first, and so on up to @9am. There seemed to be 2 appointments for every half hour. That line of maybe 7 people in front of us entered first, then probably @ 20 non appointments followed in for the security check. Since I had kids and knew food and drink were a no-no, I stuffed small snacks in our coat pockets (fruit snacks, zip locks of gold fish etc). They had everyone remove coats that went through the screener and no problem with the snacks. Then onto the information desk line where they did ask and verify if you had an appointment. Woman at next window was told to go back to the end of the line since she could not prove she had an appointment, and probably didn’t. Once up to 10th floor (7:45), there were 4 windows out of 30 open. We waited @ 20 minutes or so for our number to be called, by that time maybe 8 windows were open. Had all paperwork/documents ready, brought more then asked for. We had an older Asian woman helping us, seemed nice but very soft spoken so had hard time hearing what she was asking for through the glass window, that was slightly annoying and time consuming. Once done, she handed us the receipt for one of the parents to return on Monday to the will-call room between 10-4. They wouldn’t process same day. We were out of there by 8:35. From what the security man said about the will-call room, one of us could show up no later than 3:45 Monday since they close at 4:00. My husband plans on going there on his lunch break since he works downtown. Never even touched the hidden snacks. There are restrooms and a water cooler right by the waiting/will-call area on the 10th floor. Hope Monday goes as smooth as today.

Great, thanks a ton for sharing!

I am devastated.
I am flying to europe and just found out i need a 90 day passport validity for France..i am unable to get an appt for Monday, the day of my arrival…can i go there without an appt?? My flight leaves at 9pm. Will i get me passport the same day?

From what is posted, get there by 7am with all documentation including flight tix and you should be fine.

Thanks to this blog i have my passport in my hands ready for my flight!!!!
I owe you big time!! I was so worried that I arrived at the office at 5:30am!! Was 2nd in line the guy in front of me had a flight at noon! Where as mine is at 9pm.
Waited till about 7:25am worried as hell that they won’t een see me without an appointment..I still kept my hopes high. Aboutout 6am another guy showed up behind me also without an appointment. At 7:25 there were about 50+ people waiting to get in. Security guy cam out very abruptly asked who ever has an appointment to step to the right. Went in provided all paperwork and got my passport at 10:15am!! So happy! Thanks so much!!
P.s: make sure you go early!!