Same day passport service! (Long story ahead)
Last year, I had an emergency passport situation.
On a Wednesday afternoon, my wife did our laundry. After all was said and done, we discovered my passport was in my pants and had now been destroyed. I had forgotten it was in my pants after arriving home recently from overseas.
Not normally a big deal, except that I was getting married on Saturday, and Friday was the dress rehearsal out of town. Sunday we were scheduled to go to Tahiti for the honeymoon.
Can you say PANIC?
Anyway, that Wed. afternoon I went to the local passport office and they said that my only hope was to go to the regional office in San Francisco where they actually print and process the passports. She said I should make an appointment.
When I called, there was no way to make appointments. The voicemail system just ran me in circles and circles, so I gave up and decided I would just show up the next morning and hope for good luck.
Thurs. morning rolls around, and I drive up to the office and arrive before opening so that I will be first in line. I have heard these lines can get long.
So I wait, and they open it up and let in everybody except me. You see, I didn't have an appointment.
An hour later, they let me go upstairs. I walk in, and the guy at security tells me I can't go in and there's no way I can get a passport today.
I tell him that somebody downstairs said I could try, and that it was an urgent situation. I needed my passport TODAY.
So he basically tells me there's no way, wishes me luck but lets me through security and says to go talk to a guy at a window.
I go to the guy at the window and explain I need a passport today, and he flat out says it won't happen. I explain to him my situation, and he gives me a number and tells me to wait in the lobby and I *may* get to talk to somebody who *may* be able to help me out, but no promises and it's doubtful.
I wait. And I wait. And I wait some more. Finally, they call my number.
I step up to yet another window, explain my situation, and basically beg this guy to help me out. The woman waiting at the window next to me says to me, "It's a good story. I'm sure it'll work out."
The guy looks through all my documents, verifies I have everything needed (including copies of my itinerary -- VERY important), and says that he'll have a passport for me and to come back before the office closes.
I come back later, and the passport isn't ready. I ended up waiting another hour and a half before the last batch was finally processed. But I *DID* get my passport with a 1-day turnaround.
So if you genuinely need this passport now, then here's what you do:
1) Go to local passport office in person with ALL documentation. Explain your situation, and ask them for the DIRECT LINE to make an appointment at the regional office. If possible, get the name of somebody specific with a direct line you can talk to.
2) Call up and make the appointment for the next day.
3) If you have an appointment, then you're set. Show up early, wait, and get your passport.
4) If you don't have an appointment, be prepared to beg and plead.
-- VERY IMPORTANT: Do not express frustration or impatience, no matter what they say to you. Be honest, sincere, and respectful.
These people hear sob stories every day for their entire careers, and they deal with jerks all the time who believe that their story and their reason is the most important thing in the world. To the people at the passport office, you are nothing more than another number and expect to be treated that way.
Anyway, that's a lot to digest but hopefully somebody, somewhere, will learn from my same-day passport experience and be able to utilize the advice.
I look forward to the day when travel is only for pleasure...
