Applying for Passport book and card

I applied on 4/25 and used regular.

It took less than a week for the passport to be mailed out it and i was pleased to see that from their status web page, but looks like USPS has misplaced it now.

They(usps) say that since their status shows 'delivered' there is nothing they can do about it, and that the guy who delivers mail is now out on holiday for two weeks.

Passport folks suggested i wait for a couple more days and then report it as undelivered/missing etc.

Pretty frustrating at this last stage.

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Oh. Another thing. I did receive my nat certificate back seperately by regular mail today, so at least that is safe.

I was hoping that maybe the tracking number refers to this package but looks like it can only be for the passport Priority mail, not the cert.

Surprisingly the passport folks i called could not confirm that.

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Oh. Another thing. I did receive my nat certificate back seperately by regular mail today, so at least that is safe.

I was hoping that maybe the tracking number refers to this package but looks like it can only be for the passport Priority mail, not the cert.

Surprisingly the passport folks i called could not confirm that.

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It is an unnecessary pain to go through at this stage of mere formalities. The good part is that you have received the nat. cert.; getting it re-issued would be a bigger headache. Keep the envelope in which the nat. cert. was delivered till this is resolved. Hopefully, they won't ask you to re-pay the fee's for the passport.
 
Ok. Finally got my passport. It was put by mistake in the mailbox of another apartment in my complex, and to make matters worse its new tenants had just moved in and were checking their mails late.

I was just a heartbeat away from reporting my passport as missing and planning to go thru the motions of applying for another one. Hope no one else has to go through this. Just an emotional drain. Phew !

Lesson learnt: Even Priority mails are not safe from these type of errors and its worthwhile asking your neighbors if usps shows 'delivered' and you have not received it.

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Ok. Finally got my passport. It was put by mistake in the mailbox of another apartment in my complex, and to make matters worse its new tenants had just moved in and were checking their mails late.

I was just a heartbeat away from reporting my passport as missing and planning to go thru the motions of applying for another one. Hope no one else has to go through this. Just an emotional drain. Phew !

Lesson learnt: Even Priority mails are not safe from these type of errors and its worthwhile asking your neighbors if usps shows 'delivered' and you have not received it.

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That's great news! Must be a big relief ... :)

This is the last kind of mail that you want to be misplaced, but usually it will be within a building or a street.

I got my passport yesterday along with nat cert in the same envelope.
 
I applied for both a passport book and card. The reason I did was because of the REAL ID Act which, according to various sources, is going to take effect between the end of 2009 and 2011. The current NYS driver's license is not compliant with the REAL ID Act, although the NYS DMV will begun offering a compliant "Enhanced Driver License" this summer. Basically I figured that paying $20 now will save me a trip to the DMV in a year or two; plus, I like the idea of having proof of citizenship on my person at all times. :)

Btw, as per my timeline below, I received my passport just over a week after I visited the post office and submitted my application. I did regular service and regular mail. I've been staring at the passport for a few hours now. I can't believe this baby is finally in my hands. :D
 
plus, I like the idea of having proof of citizenship on my person at all times. :)

Though I agree with the idea in general, think about the fact that, if you lose your wallet (or somebosy snatches it), you lost your passport (Passport card has same status as passport) You have to report it to police, get FIR, report to Passport office etc. Lot of people do not carry US passport (or Indian passport) with you all the time for the same reason. Losing it is, lot of hassle.

What I used do is for GC is I kept a small laminated photocopy of GC so if ICE stops me and ask for proof, I could have given them the A number and let them search. I am doing the same with passport. I have the passport no and date of issue with me in the wallet. They can search based on that and instantly get all details (including photo) to verify.
 
Though I agree with the idea in general, think about the fact that, if you lose your wallet (or somebosy snatches it), you lost your passport (Passport card has same status as passport) You have to report it to police, get FIR, report to Passport office etc. Lot of people do not carry US passport (or Indian passport) with you all the time for the same reason. Losing it is, lot of hassle.

What I used do is for GC is I kept a small laminated photocopy of GC so if ICE stops me and ask for proof, I could have given them the A number and let them search. I am doing the same with passport. I have the passport no and date of issue with me in the wallet. They can search based on that and instantly get all details (including photo) to verify.

While that's true, I'd imagine you'd have to file a police report if you lost a wallet with credit cards, cash and driver's license anyway. While it's something to think about, is it that big of a concern? I'd imagine the hassle of doing so would be far outweighed by the convenience when/if the REAL ID provisions are enabled.
 
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