I think USPS lost my son's passport renewal application, what do I do?

[WMoore3 0]

Hi. I am really frustrated. My son is 6 and is the center of my world. He already had a US passport but it was about to expire so on Saturday we went to the post office and applied for a new one. They packaged up his current US passport and birth certificate and we had it sent overnight (priority express) and paid extra for expediting. This was a relief since we got his first passport we had to send in his foreign birth certificate, green card, and a bunch of stuff. It was supposed to be delivered today by 3:00 guaranteed. Anyway, the USPS tracking does not show that his package arrived in Philadelphia today all, it doesn't even show it made it to the post office in Philadelphia (where the passport agency) is located. I'm worried to death, I don't know what to do; do I need to go ahead and call the State Department and tell them that the USPS has apparently lost all of his stuff? The USPS is so huge, they told me at the 800-number they would "look" into it but I doubt they will ever find it. The idea that all my son's info, passport, ssn, etc. is just "lost" makes me a nervous wreck. Can anyone please help me?

[rhein 451]

Hi. I am really frustrated. My son is 6 and is the center of my world. He already had a US passport but it was about to expire so on Saturday we went to the post office and applied for a new one. They packaged up his current US passport and birth certificate and we had it sent overnight (priority express) and paid extra for expediting. This was a relief since we got his first passport we had to send in his foreign birth certificate, green card, and a bunch of stuff. It was supposed to be delivered today by 3:00 guaranteed. Anyway, the USPS tracking does not show that his package arrived in Philadelphia today all, it doesn't even show it made it to the post office in Philadelphia (where the passport agency) is located. I'm worried to death, I don't know what to do; do I need to go ahead and call the State Department and tell them that the USPS has apparently lost all of his stuff? The USPS is so huge, they told me at the 800-number they would "look" into it but I doubt they will ever find it. The idea that all my son's info, passport, ssn, etc. is just "lost" makes me a nervous wreck. Can anyone please help me?

Where did you mail it from? Priority Express is 1-2 days, not overnight anymore.

[WMoore3 0]

Thanks Jon and Sol; I hope you are right but when I check the tracking it says delivery guaranteed by Monday at 3:00 or money back. I don't want the money back; I just want the USPS to find it and scan it. The USPS website says Priority Express is overnight. Are you sure they changed it and it's not overnight anymore?

[rhein 451]

Thanks Jon and Sol; I hope you are right but when I check the tracking it says delivery guaranteed by Monday at 3:00 or money back. I don't want the money back; I just want the USPS to find it and scan it. The USPS website says Priority Express is overnight. Are you sure they changed it and it's not overnight anymore?

The website I see says it is in 'most' locations. Where did you send it from? https://www.usps.com/ship/priority-mail-express.htm

[WMoore3 0]

From Kentucky to Philadelphia. The receipt I was given guaranteed delivery by 3:00 today with Priority Express. I sent mine just plan Priority Mail and it made it there today. But my son's wasn't scanned as arrived in Philadelphia. I feel so helpless, all his stuff...lost.

[rhein 451]

From Kentucky to Philadelphia. The receipt I was given guaranteed delivery by 3:00 today with Priority Express. I sent mine just plan Priority Mail and it made it there today. But my son's wasn't scanned as arrived in Philadelphia. I feel so helpless, all his stuff...lost.

That's nuts. I wonder if it simply missed the scan, but was actually delivered....

[vlcrain 3]

Im a postmaster for the USPS and sometimes the customer tracking is behind by 24 hours, you should go to your local post office and have them track it, our systems is more up to date than the customer ones, another thing that could have happened is if there was a storm where flights were canceled, or arrived late that could have slowed it down, and should arrive by Tuesday if that happend.

[WMoore3 0]

Thanks Jon and Sol; I thought about maybe it was possible for them just to have forgot to have scan it...but that would mean that they didn't scan it at the post office on Philly when it arrived or when they delivered it. But they scanned mine both times. What do I do? I don't know where to turn.

[WMoore3 0]

Im a postmaster for the USPS and sometimes the customer tracking is behind by 24 hours, you should go to your local post office and have them track it, our systems is more up to date than the customer ones, another thing that could have happened is if there was a storm where flights were canceled, or arrived late that could have slowed it down, and should arrive by Tuesday if that happend.

Thanks Vlcrain for responding, you have a great perspective as a postmaster and I appreciate that. The package was sent priority express from Kentucky to Philadelphia on 3/29; along with my package which was sent just plain old priority. In comparing the tracking numbers it showed that both departed from my location in Kentucky Saturday morning...then on to knoxville Tennessee and that they departed from knoxville sometime Saturday also. Then my priory package was scanned into the Philadelphia post office Monday morning and delivered Monday afternoon. But my son's priority express package was never even scanned into the Philadelphia post office; the last location for it still just says "departed Knoxville" on Saturday. We live in a small town and my postmaster looked on his system and said he could just see basically the locations I was seeing. He had me call the national usps help line and they were no help; they just opened up a "case" on it. It scares me to death that my sons passport, ssn, birth cert, and personal info is just out there somewhere. What should I do? Surely they would not have forgotten to scan it multiple times...because it was money back guarantee for delivery at 3:00 Monday. Do I need to call and cancel the passport with the state department or what do I do? I feel helpless. Thank you so much.

[Avery Cates 1,141]

See what happens tomorrow.

The post office in the last 9 months or so has seen very degraded quality, I worry myself every time I have to send something through it.

[vlcrain 3]

yes, see what happens tomorrow, but it would not surprise me if a scan got missed,

[WMoore3 0]

See what happens tomorrow.

The post office in the last 9 months or so has seen very degraded quality, I worry myself every time I have to send something through it.

Thanks Avery. I think if wasn't for the fact that mine was scanned in by USPS today and his wasn't; I wouldn't be so upset. I don't care about the "money back guarantee" but that makes me think that it must be lost for sure because they wouldn't want to risk the money back guarantee. Where do I turn?

yes, see what happens tomorrow, but it would not surprise me if a scan got missed,

Thanks Vlcrain but would they have missed the arrival scan at the PO and the delivery scan both? But not miss it on the other package?

[rhein 451]

Thanks Avery. I think if wasn't for the fact that mine was scanned in by USPS today and his wasn't; I wouldn't be so upset. I don't care about the "money back guarantee" but that makes me think that it must be lost for sure because they wouldn't want to risk the money back guarantee. Where do I turn?

Thanks Vlcrain but would they have missed the arrival scan at the PO and the delivery scan both? But not miss it on the other package?

Have you gone here to check the status of your and your son's Passport Application Status? https://passportstatus.state.gov/opss/OPSS_Status_ip.asp

[WMoore3 0]

Have you gone here to check the status of your and your son's Passport Application Status? https://passportstatus.state.gov/opss/OPSS_Status_ip.asp

I checked the passport status morning just in case it had miraculously reached the right place and nothing shows up. Would it show up this early anyway?

[rhein 451]

I checked the passport status morning just in case it had miraculously reached the right place and nothing shows up. Would it show up this early anyway?

Perhaps not. Did you expedite? I encourage you to check both yours and his daily.

I'm anxious too because we're sending off Sol's passport application this morning. I hate that we have to send the original naturalization certificate.