Yesterday morning I woke up in a mini-panic around 5am. No, it wasn't another one of those pesky wedding nightmares. It was the thought of my expired passport that jarred me awake. I don't have any clue what made it pop into my head, but I think the wedding gods were giving me a giant jab in the ribs, reminding me that it was now or never.
My passport had expired back in December 2011, but seeing that I don't use it very often I didn't realize it until around February. At that point I would have had plenty of time to renew it in time for the honeymoon, but bridal brain stuck again, and somehow renewing my passport floated out of my mind, being replaced by more important things like monograms. Well I certainly ended up paying. Processing time for a standard mailed-in renewal takes 4-6 weeks and costs $110. Due to my procrastination, I had to pay an additional $60 to expedite the process to a 2-3 week time frame and pay $12.72 to overnight my new passport as the Department of State recommends.
The paperwork was actually extremely easy to fill out. For the renwal, they only required I fill out form DS-28. I also had to provide a new passport photo, my current passport, and a check for the fees. Being that the process was so simple, I don't know what was holding me up all this time.
For anyone who needs a new passport in less than 2 weeks, there are several Regional Passport Agencies where you can apply in person (by appointment only). There are also services like Fastport Passport that can help you obtain a passport within as little as one business day, but expect to shell out big bucks.
Moral of the story: If you are traveling out of the country for your wedding or honeymoon, check your passport now!!
Did anyone else procrastinate with something major like renewing your passport? Were you hit with extra fees to get it done on time?
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