(British) The bigger passport was discontinued years ago Mike
@British - I think you had better check the passport renewal application. At the top of the application there's a box to check for the larger passport.
I renewed in the past year or so and got the larger passport. It has 50 pages (IIRC) while the regular one has 25 pages.
My wife renewed recently and got the larger one, also.
There's no charge for the larger passport. I'd recommend to anyone to get the larger one - it's good insurance.
Also, to answer your question about a rush passport, you can pay extra to the government for a rush of your passport, I did and got my passport quickly - couple of weeks, if I remember correctly. It might take more than a month to get your old passport back. They shipped the new passport from Arizona (I think) even though you ship your application to Philadelphia.
[Update: It's $60 extra for a rush which is 2-3 weeks. Standard is 6-8 weeks.]
[Perhaps you are thinking of those accordion fold out pages that you used to be able to get added to your passport. That was discontinued years ago.
It used to be possible to get two separate passports if you traveled to Israel and to certain middle east countries. Those countries would deny entry to anyone who had an Israeli visa stamp. Israel doesn't stamp youe passport any more - they give you a "chit" so the two passport thing went away.]
Here's a screen grab of the application. See the very top where it has a box where it says "Large book".
Mike - They shipped the new passport from Arizona (I think) even though you ship your application to Philadelphia.
This is shocking. It seems like nothing gets shipped from Arizona (based on how long it takes us to get anything). You know, we're in the Wild West and the pony express is kind of slow. 😂😂
BKMD - Those expedited services are just another way of saying, "We work for the gov't. Our goal is mediocrity and poor service."
That's a private company. You can get expedited services directly from the gov. Down to just a few days, if you can show an important need, such as a death in the family. For $60 you can get expedited service for a renewal. I received my renewal in a couple of weeks when I used the expedite service.
Those companies can only do the same things that you could do, but they offload you from having to do them, at a fee.
As an international airline pilot you cannot fly without a passport. I would go to the passport office in Miami or San Francisco, and come back in a couple hours to pick up my passport. Of course my last passports were mail aways after I retired.
I know this is an old thread, however sharing that sometimes there can be amazing service. Not sure if it was because no one submits passport applications around Thanksgiving, but we submitted our renewal online November 30, regular speed, large book (50 pages) and received them via priority mail today on December 8!!!! May everyone have a happy and meaningful holiday season and safe travels in 2026!!
Yes, the same happened to us - i received my new passport within 3 weeks. I even took the chance and submitted everything online including a new passport picture taken in front of a white wall in my house - easy peasy. If I didn’t like the picture, I can do a do-over.
We renewed ours this fall online, complete with do-it-yourself photos. Two days after receiving emails saying our applications had been received by State and it would take four to six weeks, we received emails saying they had been shipped.
Last time we applied for renewal we happened to do it in early Dec and they came back in a week or two. We had submitted our applications at our local post office. We live in a semi-rural area so the post mistress knows us personally. She said it was smart we'd done it then because after the holidays their office is swamped with applicants and it takes much longer for the passports to come back. I guess after the holidays people start suddenly looking at summer travel and realize they need to do this.
Comments
No experience but a suggestion: When you apply for a passport, get the big passport. It's an option on the application form.
I had to renew my passport early because I had run out of pages.
The bigger passport was discontinued years ago Mike
I renewed my passport during the pandemic and was able to request and receive the 'larger' book with the added pages.
I got my "regular passport" in about 6 weeks
@British - I think you had better check the passport renewal application. At the top of the application there's a box to check for the larger passport.
I renewed in the past year or so and got the larger passport. It has 50 pages (IIRC) while the regular one has 25 pages.
My wife renewed recently and got the larger one, also.
There's no charge for the larger passport. I'd recommend to anyone to get the larger one - it's good insurance.
Also, to answer your question about a rush passport, you can pay extra to the government for a rush of your passport, I did and got my passport quickly - couple of weeks, if I remember correctly. It might take more than a month to get your old passport back. They shipped the new passport from Arizona (I think) even though you ship your application to Philadelphia.
[Update: It's $60 extra for a rush which is 2-3 weeks. Standard is 6-8 weeks.]
[Perhaps you are thinking of those accordion fold out pages that you used to be able to get added to your passport. That was discontinued years ago.
It used to be possible to get two separate passports if you traveled to Israel and to certain middle east countries. Those countries would deny entry to anyone who had an Israeli visa stamp. Israel doesn't stamp youe passport any more - they give you a "chit" so the two passport thing went away.]
Here's a screen grab of the application. See the very top where it has a box where it says "Large book".
That had me Googling around also. I have the 52 page passport. You cain get either a 28 page or a 52 page for the same price.
We must have gotten the 50 page one last time. We were told there was no longer a smaller passport at that time.
The $60 expedite fee really does work. Should see your new passport in 2-3 weeks.
This is shocking. It seems like nothing gets shipped from Arizona (based on how long it takes us to get anything). You know, we're in the Wild West and the pony express is kind of slow. 😂😂
All shipped from the Amazon wharehouse off I-10. 😆
Amazon has a huge presence in the area you describe, all within the lost 5-10 years.
Smiling Sam, We summer in Pinetop-Lakeside and winter in Mesa. Show Low is getting a "last mile" Amazon warehouse up here in the White Mountains!
Ok, so has anyone used RUSH my Passport?
Do they advertise that they can renew your passport in less than two weeks? If so, for what price? I've never used them.
[Oops, I found their rates. This does not include the government fee.]
https://checkout.rushmypassport.com/step-1?product=passport-renewal
Those expedited services are just another way of saying, "We work for the gov't. Our goal is mediocrity and poor service."
That's a private company. You can get expedited services directly from the gov. Down to just a few days, if you can show an important need, such as a death in the family. For $60 you can get expedited service for a renewal. I received my renewal in a couple of weeks when I used the expedite service.
Those companies can only do the same things that you could do, but they offload you from having to do them, at a fee.
As an international airline pilot you cannot fly without a passport. I would go to the passport office in Miami or San Francisco, and come back in a couple hours to pick up my passport. Of course my last passports were mail aways after I retired.
cathyandsteve. I love your positive posts
Thanks everyone, so not worth using now I’ve found out more from you all.
I know this is an old thread, however sharing that sometimes there can be amazing service. Not sure if it was because no one submits passport applications around Thanksgiving, but we submitted our renewal online November 30, regular speed, large book (50 pages) and received them via priority mail today on December 8!!!! May everyone have a happy and meaningful holiday season and safe travels in 2026!!
Yes, the same happened to us - i received my new passport within 3 weeks. I even took the chance and submitted everything online including a new passport picture taken in front of a white wall in my house - easy peasy. If I didn’t like the picture, I can do a do-over.
Yes we also received ours very quickly.
We renewed ours this fall online, complete with do-it-yourself photos. Two days after receiving emails saying our applications had been received by State and it would take four to six weeks, we received emails saying they had been shipped.
Last time we applied for renewal we happened to do it in early Dec and they came back in a week or two. We had submitted our applications at our local post office. We live in a semi-rural area so the post mistress knows us personally. She said it was smart we'd done it then because after the holidays their office is swamped with applicants and it takes much longer for the passports to come back. I guess after the holidays people start suddenly looking at summer travel and realize they need to do this.