I have a paper clip or two on both of my passports just for these paper slips. They used to take them away at the Russian border if I forgot them in, but that hasn’t happened for a while.
Needed for the mariner’s passport is a letter confirming you are currently employed as a mariner. And your current passport. No one realized this will prevent a mariner from working internationally in the interim.
The time to process a passport in the US is inexplicably long. Yes the printing of the passport goes thru a special process which takes longer. Yes, the passport agency is underfunded. But, if you need a passport quick there are private agents that apparently know some shortcuts or someone and can renew your passport quickly. I worked for a few companies that got my passport renewed super fast using their agent. In recent years my child needed a passport renewed in a hurry, we had forgotten the expiration date. I contacted one of these passport agencies in FL, paid them a bunch of money and poof ! Five days new passport. Reminded me of getting visas in developing countries which can take forever, unless you hire a “fixer.”
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My wife had her US passport renewed here in New Zealand and it took 10 days from memory.
You can get your passport renewed same day (well, I don’t know about now), if you have proof you need to travel within a week or so. And you have to drive to one of the passport offices and hope they have an appointment. Did it back in college.
Everything is a lot more difficult than it use to be. All you can get on the phone is an automated system. This is probably because so many frustrated citizens were cussing out the poor service passport office staff.
The passport office process and staff now makes American citizens that they are supposed to be serving for a fee so angry with their lack of service, that all the staff now has to hide behind layers of rent-a-cops and armored glass.
The passport offices now look like bank vaults in a high crime area, even though they are inside Federal buildings with robust security.
It’s worth it to just pay $199 for one of the expedited passport services to handle all this for you. It’s also cheaper than driving 100 miles or more to a passport office.
Wonder if that is by design?
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Of course. Who do you think runs these expedited passport services?
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If your’re in a hurry it’s worth it. Let someone walk it through the line for you. Supposedly, in Brazil, you can hire someone to wait in all of your lines for you, like the DMV etc.
Yup, I recall getting an expedited passport in a day or so. I did have to go to the Federal Building in person, but I really needed the renewal in a hurry.
I used an agent some years ago when I needed a visa for Brazil ASAP. I got a two year visa in two days. One of my coworkers also needed one, and didn’t use the agent. Took him two weeks to get a 6 month visa. . . money well spent for me, and I charged it to expenses for the job.
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What is the job market like down there? Can Americans break into it down there or Australia?
The job market in New Zealand is dead. There is a couple of coastal tankers, a cement ship and 4 Cook Strait ferries. The offshore oil industry was shut down by the greenies in government and only one tug and barge run of 60 miles carrying cement exists. Since the mid 80’s most of us have worked in the oil patch here or mostly offshore or for international companies overseas. Cruise ships were taking on cadets and I knew a couple of young second mates who were starting off in the oil patch after a very enjoyable apprenticeship.
I guess that’s off the table now.
Australia has seen the end of some big projects and the unions have blanket coverage of the whole country. Unless you are Australian and a member of the union forget it. As New Zealanders we were barely tolerated when we worked in Aussie to cover a shortage of locals.
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I applied to renew my “official” US passport (maroon jacket) in Feb. Still no turnaround.
My blue US passport expires in 2.4 years; hope to be past this Covid stuff by then. I intend to be retired from federal service as well.
Can you send me the link to the no fee passport please
That’s very old fashioned. These days the passport issuer (sorry, different gov) has a biometrics machine that takes the picture of you on the spot as well as taking your fingerprints with a scanner. Your signature is on a screen, not a piece of paper.
I thought, since the US driver’s license is done somewhat similarly, that it would be done the same with US passports.
Sent you the info via PM.
Two things needed when applying: a letter from your current employer stating you are working aboard and your current passport. The problem with that should be obvious.
Yeah. I got my “free” one when I needed to renew my other one. I submitted everything right at the start of a vacation in order to give myself extra time, just in case. Turn around was pretty quick. It was before COVID but during a govt shutdown. I did a write up that was linked above and detailed the process, here it is again:
I inquired about this several years ago, so the info may be dated but here is a cut paste of the response I received:
Hello,
Please see below for details on the authorization that Merchant Mariners must provide.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Authorization: Letter from Employer (An American seaman must submit a letter from his employer certifying that he is working on a ship of U.S. Registry.) and their Merchant Mariner’s Document (American seamen who, because of their occupation, must depart from or enter the United States are required to have in their possession a specifically validated U.S. Merchant Mariner’s document issued by the U.S. Coast Guard. U.S. seamen applying for a no-fee regular passport must provide a copy of the U.S. Merchant Mariner’s Document along with their application.)
V/r,
Frishta Yazdani
Associate Processing Supervisor
CGI- Contractor
Special Issuance Agency
(202) 485-8200
Mailing Address:
U.S. Department of State
Passport Services
Special Issuance Agency (CA/PPT/SIA)
44132 Mercure Cir
PO Box 1185
Sterling, VA 20166-1185
Physical Address:
600 19th Street NW Suite 3.200
Washington, D.C. 20006
Privacy/PII
This email is UNCLASSIFIED.