Should I expedite my passport?

kimmiinthemitten

Our honeymoon is 9.5 weeks away and for a plethora of reasons ranging from procrastination to scheduling errors when I couldn't drive, I haven't gotten my passport yet. The website says its 6-8 weeks for processing. Do I trust that or pay to expedite?

CMGragain

You should be OK.  Do it NOW!!!!!!

charlotte989875

I would err on the side of caution and expedite it, but you probably should be fine. 

Linzrene

It depends on the time of year I've heard. When more people apply, the processing time is longer. I don't know if people are gearing up for holiday travel and applying, or if it's busier in spring when people travel for the summer. 

I renewed my passport in April, it came back in about 4 weeks. Same when I had my name changed. DH was a first time applicant in April. It took his about 8 weeks. 

If you don't have travelers' insurance I might pay to expedite (I imagine travelers' insurance covers that kind of thing?). You wouldn't want to miss out on your honeymoon AND not get your money back. 

Jells2dot0

Linzrene said:

It depends on the time of year I've heard. When more people apply, the processing time is longer. I don't know if people are gearing up for holiday travel and applying, or if it's busier in spring when people travel for the summer. 

I renewed my passport in April, it came back in about 4 weeks. Same when I had my name changed. DH was a first time applicant in April. It took his about 8 weeks. 

If you don't have travelers' insurance I might pay to expedite (I imagine travelers' insurance covers that kind of thing?). You wouldn't want to miss out on your honeymoon AND not get your money back. 

Insurance would only cover if you have a "cancel for any reason at any time" policy. Most standard policies do not have cancel for any reason coverage unless you pay a premium. Even if you pay the premium, you might not get the full refund. Some only provide a 75% refund  or less. 

SwissMs

Expedite it.  If any passport offices had to close for Hurricane Matthew the others will be backed up (my sister had this happen to her once - it was a nightmare because she was starting her job as a flight attendant and even paying to expedite didn't help much).  Drop in the bucket when it comes to the overall cost of a wedding.  This is one of those times when it is worth it to pay for the peace of mind.

SaintPaulGal

I very much doubt you would actually need to expedite in order to get it in time.  But if I were in your shoes I would still do it just for the peace of mind. It's not all that expensive, and I personally would rather pay the fee than be biting my nails a week before the wedding hoping it arrives in time.

STARMOON44

I trusted it and it was fine. 

kimmiinthemitten

SwissMs said:

Expedite it.  If any passport offices had to close for Hurricane Matthew the others will be backed up (my sister had this happen to her once - it was a nightmare because she was starting her job as a flight attendant and even paying to expedite didn't help much).  Drop in the bucket when it comes to the overall cost of a wedding.  This is one of those times when it is worth it to pay for the peace of mind.

I ended up having to call with a question; and the good news is they were actually reporting that Matthew hasn't affected their times and they're currently running 4-6 weeks. 

@jells2dot0 we have insurance since its in December, but good call on double checking what it entails. 

Thanks all!