My passport is good for a couple of more years, but my DL is up for renewal, and I want to get the Real ID one. I need to get a decent haircut first, though. I've been letting the last, truly terrible one grow out and it needs a few more weeks of growth.

Yes, these days passport services are taking months. So anyone with plans to travel abroad next year should apply now or check the expiration date (your passport needs to be good for at least 6 months past the date you leave the US, for most countries), and renew now:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/passport-help/faqs.html

18 weeks!

Maybe there is expedited service, not sure, but it will cost more, and passport renewal is already $110.

Are you traveling internationally? According to the government website, yournpassport should bengood for,at least six months.

“Check the expiration date because certain countries require passports to remain valid for up to six months after travel. Also, some airlines do not allow you to board if you do not meet this requirement.”

If your flying domestically you should be okay with Reall ID, I think.

Not international, dedtired, or I'd probably be in big trouble. My Real ID won't be here before I leave, but the passport should work with October expiration. I'm going to Idaho; we won't be going into Canada.

I just posted this reminder since we've all been mostly "frozen in place" the last year, and now that people are starting to move around a bit, it's a good idea to check passport date.

Just FYI, the Real ID deadline has been extended to May 2023, so in the meantime a regular driver's license will do. https://www.dhs.gov/real-id

My passport expired this past January, so I sent it off for renewal in November. It took about two months to get it back, but I heard on the news that it's taking up to 18 weeks right now. My driver's license doesn't need to be renewed for quite some time, so instead of paying for a Real ID license now, I opted to get a passport card in addition to my passport for $30 more. I know that I can use my passport for domestic as well as international travel, but I thought that it would be more convenient to have the card.

Years ago my University president was going to Japan. He got to the airport only to find his passport has expired. Fortunately he was still in the US! And in a city with a passport office. They super-expedited it and he made it in time for the conference of University presidents lol..

DH has a reminder set in Outlook for a few years from now to renew our passports.

Thats too much stress, bpath! DH, good plan!

I just something yesterday ( before seeing this thread) that passports were taking like 6 months to renew. Now I have to look and see when mine expires. I keep it in the safe, and I know I have a copy somewhere scanned.........have to check. Pretty certain it's several more years but with the last year (haze) that we lived through, I have no clue anymore. Thanks for the reminder to check.

With the lockdown, our BMVs were not fully open for many months, and so they extended the grace period for renewals for driver's licenses until this last July 1. Apparently people hadn't gotten around to getting their renewals once the offices were fully open again, so the lines have be hours long in the past weeks around the deadline.

Bookwoman or anyone, so do I even need my passport to travel in the US now? I'll take it of course, but if the date for Real ID has been extended, maybe just a driver's license is enough.

For now, a valid regular driver's license is fine.

mine took 3 weeks. went thru the local county recorder's office ... [this was three years ago when we prepping for Cancun, right after my stroke] ... accompanying passport arrived before the paperwork got back

My passport expires Jan 2023 and my DL Feb 2023. I believe we will be going to Houston in August 2022, and so I will apply for my passport renewal after that. I'll probably convert my DL to a real ID when I renew it in 2023.

I'm not that interested in domestic travel, but I do take domestic flights from time to time. When I lived in San Francisco, I generally left the country when I left town - there was less of a culture shock for me that way.

Do you need a passport for internal US flights?

At the moment, a driver's license will do, but after a certain time, one will need a real ID (modified driver's license) or a passport. I've had a passport since my early 20s, and so I've always used that, as it is easier.

Floral, it's about stricter ID requirements now, not for usual passport purpose of international travel. There is now an enhanced driver's license available that fits the purpose, but passports are also accepted.

We were able to renew our driver's licenses last year online, but could not get the enhanced licenses that way. When we renewed our passports several years ago, we both got passport cards which we can use for domestic travel instead of having enhanced driver's licenses. But whenever things get back to "normal" - we'll probably go ahead and get enhanced licenses, as well...

What I really don't understand is why we need the Real ID if we have an up-to-date passport, but I applied for the Real ID anyway as there seems to be a push for it. I think the Real ID asks for quite a bit of verification compared to the passport.

You don't need Real ID if you're planning to travel domestically with your passport. But the passport is something extra to carry with you, and bulkier than a license, so somewhat less convenient.

SIL lives in canada, was able to fly to usa on his 2yr expired usa passport. DD flew internally with her recently expired passport as well. Go figure!

DH's renewed passport arrived in today's mail. He Priority mailed it in June, they received it on June 22. We paid for expedited service plus 2 day return delivery. 4 weeks - that's not bad.

Just heard that the backlog for new passports and renewals is huge, like 1.5 million. Processing is taking 18 weeks as of now.

https://6abc.com/passport-backlog-delays-us-passports-summer-travel/10889029/

I put off renewing my passport until yesterday, which is when I mailed in my application, along with my old passport (expired Jan 2023) and a check for $130. I mailed it in a regular #10 envelope and sent it certified mail, as recommended by the State Dept website.

I renewed my driver's license in Dec 2022 and got it a month later, and I did get a Real ID driver's license. I was going to renew my passport right after getting my Real ID, but I kept putting it off, until I learned from Kevin that I could get passport photos at CVS. This made the renewal process much easier. My new passport is supposed to arrive in 10-12 weeks, according to the State Dept. Kevin renewed his passport in January, and his took about 10 weeks.

It's a good thing that I have my Real ID because I am concerned that my BIL may die before I receive my new passport, and I will need to fly to Texas for his funeral.

Normally, I do not let my passport be expired for this long, and when thinking about it, I thought that perhaps this will be my last passport, but time will tell.

Lars - one of the local papers reported last week that the passport backlog has diminished but that it still hovering around 3 months. I hope you have the desire to renew your passport in '33 and again in '43.

Call me paranoid but I've been avoiding the Real ID due to the RFID chip.

Food, can you elaborate? I’m curious, not contentious. Pre-pandemic I got my driv lic renewed but didn’t have my birth certif w me. I intended to return to the RMV with the certificate and pay $25 additional for a Read ID, but the pandemic quashed those plans. Now I’d likely have to start anew.

What about RF chips in your credit cards? Or wrapping the Real ID in aluminum foil? ( A PITA)

I recently got my first passport and my husband renewed. I expedited both of then for $60.00 and got them in 6 weeks to the day.

@petalique - No, I can't elaborate as it's probably irrational. 🙂

FOAS, are you avoiding getting a passport? They also have the RFID chip, as do most credit cards. I have protective sleeves where I keep my passport and credit card so that information cannot be scanned without my knowing it.

You do not need your birth certificate to get a Real ID if you have a valid passport.

When I had checked early last year, we were fine. We traveled in May , returned in June (2022) and all was fine. I think i totally forgot about his but luckily several months ago I checked and saw that our expiration dates on the passports was February 2023... so in January we sent away to renew. We did have enough time to renew them. It took about 6 weeks or so.

I would not book any travel until I had the new ones in hand. We'll be leaving in about week :).

@Lars - I have a passport but I don't carry it around with me. I realize my cc's have chips but somehow that feels different from the government chipping me. As I admitted, it's probably irrational. I should probably look for a secure card case.

It is very easy for thieves to scan your credit card if it is not in a protective sleeve.

When Kevin and I went to Brazil, we had to change planes in Miami (never again!), and when we go to Rio, Kevin discovered that his CC info had been stolen, and someone was using it in south Florida.

We don't know exactly how this happened, but we believe that it happened in the Miami airport. Kevin was unable to replace his credit card in Brazil while we were there, but mine was okay, and we were with a friend who was picking up $40,000 in cash for back rent for some property that he owns in Rio. Here's a photo of him carrying the rice bag in Ipanema that would later have the cash in it:

I have no explanation for the white socks.