Tuesday's Tip ~ Passports






My husband and I were aware our passports were due to expire during the first quarter of this year. We each went and had new photos taken a few weeks ago in preparation of applying for our new ones. My husband took care of the applications and sent them in. 


It didn't take long. Before we knew it, the new passports arrived in the mail. When I opened my envelope to see my new passport I found a document inside which I proceeded to read. One of the things this document made me aware of, was the fact we had to send in our old passports with the application to receive the new passports. I immediately asked my husband if he indeed sent out passports in, to which he replied, yes, he had to.


Well, I about lost my cool! I had no idea they needed to be sent in! After all it had been 10 years and I believe my husband sent away for our last updates also. I explained to him that had I known, I would have scanned the passports before he sent them off. Poor guy, he knew I was upset, and had no clue it would have even bothered me when he sent them in. Of course, I wanted copies of those stamps of everywhere we had traveled. Well, what was done was done. I would have to learn to live with it.


Fast forward to the following day, late morning. My husband informed me that he called, Philadelphia (!) to find out if the passports could be sent back to us. As a matter of fact, they informed him, they were actually mailed back to us the previous day! Well, he had no idea they would be sent back to us, and yes, it made my day! We haven't received them yet, unless my husband retrieved the mail and they happened to be there and he forgot to tell me. But, I highly doubt that because he knew how important it was to me to have them back.


So, my tip for the day? If you need to apply for a new passport and are asked to mail your passport in with the application, why not scan the passport first? My thoughts now are, what if something happens in the mail and they never find their way back home? Better to be safe than sorry!


Thanks for stopping by! 


Wishing you success in all of your genealogical treasure hunts! 






Copyright © 2012 By Cheryl Palmer All Rights Reserved

Comments

  1. I am assuming you already have the passports. They punch a few holes in them, and that's all..just so they can't be used by anybody else. What a scare tho, not knowing.

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  2. I need to renew my passport. So,thanks for the tip.

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  3. Here in the UK things are pretty similar. When I got married I sent off my passport for a name change. It was obviously returned to me. When I need to have my passport renewed I wrote a note asking that the old one be returned to me. It was and was returned with the bottom corner cut.

    Hubby's passport was renewed a couple of years ago. The old passport is sent off with the new application. The new passport which can be used for as regular ID checks was posted in the regular post and the old, expired passport was sent via a courier. Which seems odd, and politicians wonder why the government coffers are in the red!

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  4. Thank you all for your comments. Yes, the not knowing scared me. I didn't remember the old passports had to be sent back in, nor remembered or knew they would send them back. I would have loved to scanned them if I had known just in case the old ones never found their way back home. Thankfully, we have all of them now. I wonder if I will remember all this the next time around in ten years?

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