Randy W Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 In the NY Times Passport Expiring Soon? Renew It Now, State Dept. Says If you have a United States passport expiring any time in 2016, the State Department has a message for you: Renew it now. . . . Officials are expecting a flood of renewals of 10-year passports issued in 2006 and 2007. The latter was the year when the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative went into effect, for the first time requiring passports for Americans returning by air from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda. . . . “We were overwhelmed then, and we are not going to be overwhelmed again,” said Michele Bond, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, who oversees passports. She has been on a campaign to cajole Americans into renewing early. There has also been an uptick, officials said, in first-time applications from Americans in states that have not yet complied with the Real ID Act . . . Many people seem to have a mistaken belief that a deadline is imminent after which they will not be able to present licenses from those states for flights within the United States. The Department of Homeland Security recently clarified the deadline: Jan. 22, 2018. As of that date, residents of states that still have not complied with Real ID will have to show an alternative, approved form of identification, such as a passport. . . . But some are rushing to get passports anyway (travel.state.gov), adding to congestion in the system. State Department officials say another reason to renew soon is that many countries are now enforcing a requirement for at least six months’ validity on a United States passport. . . . Officials said they expected to issue more than 17 million new passports and renewals this year, about 1.5 million more than in 2015. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnoblett Posted January 28, 2016 Report Share Posted January 28, 2016 Glad I renewed 2 years ago, but with the rush on them to travel two and from Canada 9 years ago better get on it now before the renewal rush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchilde Posted July 10, 2016 Report Share Posted July 10, 2016 I renewed in June and it was seamless. I also got a Q2 China Family Visa allowing 180 day stay for 10 years. Highly encourage others with travels to China for family visits. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now