US passport center lost my documents

[Timona 3,941]

Currently, COVID plus Christmas time is making USPS mail slow.

 

I wouldn't fret about it. It's currently taking 2 months just to get receipts from USCIS....I think the same applies to the PP agency. 

[JeanneAdil 6,203]

How do I pay passport fees at a local Post Office™ facility?

• Two separate payments are required for passport services. One is an application fee which is provided to the Department of State; the second fee is an acceptance fee that is paid directly to the Postal Service:
  • Application Fee and any Additional Services Fees payable to "U.S. Department of State."
    • Checks (personal, certified, cashier's, traveler's) and money orders.
    • Credit and debit cards CANNOT be accepted.
    • Please visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/requirements/fees.html for the U.S. Department of State.
  • $35 Acceptance Fee Paid Separately payable to "Postmaster."
    • Money orders.
    • Personal checks.
    • Debit or credit cards.

• Passport Book and Card: You may receive three separate mailings; one with your citizenship documents, one with your newly issued passport book, and one with your newly issued passport card.

the Money we paid to the Postmaster was for a self addressed return prioity large envelope for the return of items /  we addressed it at the post office to our home and they included it in the packet with the application for US passport

 

our items were returned in 3 separate mailings to the house about a month apart

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

53 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

the Money we paid to the Postmaster was for a self addressed return prioity large envelope for the return of items /  we addressed it at the post office to our home and they included it in the packet with the application for US passport

Really? We didn’t. Everything was returned to us in DoS envelopes. 
 

I looked up more on the USPS fee, they call it an execution fee.

What Is the Purpose of the Passport Execution Fee?

Think of it like a service fee. When an American submits an application at a passport acceptance facility – a designation used by many post offices, local courts and other government offices – a clerk has to examine the person's identification and other documents and provide some other processing services. The government uses the execution fee as a way to recoup the costs associated with offering those services. The fee was raised from $25 to $35 in April 2018, after the U.S. Department of State determined that $25 wasn't enough to cover those costs.

 

While application fees always go to the Department of State, the execution fee must be paid separately to the passport acceptance facility.

 

- 

The execution fee is charged to first time applicants, including children, and anyone who needs to replace a lost, stolen or damage passport. To anyone who has to appear in person at a passport application acceptance facility before an agent. An agent who is authorized by the Secretary of State to give oaths to validate passport applications. The Department of State empowers Passport Acceptance Agents to receive passport applicationson its behalf because of the high traffic of passport needs.

The execution fee does not apply to all passport applications. It is only applies to certain cases when applying for a new passport. This offers convenient locations to American citizens without having to visit the Department of State. The execution fee is charge to reimburse the acceptance facility for the different costs of the services given to the passport applicant. 

[Disteny 38]

59 minutes ago, JeanneAdil said:

How do I pay passport fees at a local Post Office™ facility?

• Two separate payments are required for passport services. One is an application fee which is provided to the Department of State; the second fee is an acceptance fee that is paid directly to the Postal Service:
  • Application Fee and any Additional Services Fees payable to "U.S. Department of State."
    • Checks (personal, certified, cashier's, traveler's) and money orders.
    • Credit and debit cards CANNOT be accepted.
    • Please visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/requirements/fees.html for the U.S. Department of State.
  • $35 Acceptance Fee Paid Separately payable to "Postmaster."
    • Money orders.
    • Personal checks.
    • Debit or credit cards.

• Passport Book and Card: You may receive three separate mailings; one with your citizenship documents, one with your newly issued passport book, and one with your newly issued passport card.

the Money we paid to the Postmaster was for a self addressed return prioity large envelope for the return of items /  we addressed it at the post office to our home and they included it in the packet with the application for US passport

 

our items were returned in 3 separate mailings to the house about a month apart

Good that you got everything back.

[Disteny 38]

On 12/31/2020 at 2:19 PM, Timona said:

Currently, COVID plus Christmas time is making USPS mail slow.

 

I wouldn't fret about it. It's currently taking 2 months just to get receipts from USCIS....I think the same applies to the PP agency. 

I hope so, but they told me we already mailed the documents on Dec 11. even if it was sent by regular mail, I would have recieved by now. 

[MaleAlpha 314]

On 12/31/2020 at 1:56 PM, Disteny said:

so you got your documents , how long did it take to recieve them?

 

I would say the documents took the longest to receive. Perhaps a week or 2 after my passport arrived.

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

I am sure this is the problem.:

Widespread Mail Delays As USPS Faces Unprecedented Backlog

..lif you were expecting a delivery any time over the past month, you've probably noticed it already. We're talking about holiday packages that totally missed the holiday, important documents that never arrived, prescription refills delayed. They're all part of an unprecedented backlog of mail that's almost paralyzed the postal service in recent weeks, leaving both customers and postal workers frustrated

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/03/953073956/widespread-mail-delays-as-usps-faces-unprecedented-backlog

 

[Disteny 38]

6 hours ago, SusieQQQ said:

I am sure this is the problem.:

Widespread Mail Delays As USPS Faces Unprecedented Backlog

..lif you were expecting a delivery any time over the past month, you've probably noticed it already. We're talking about holiday packages that totally missed the holiday, important documents that never arrived, prescription refills delayed. They're all part of an unprecedented backlog of mail that's almost paralyzed the postal service in recent weeks, leaving both customers and postal workers frustrated

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/03/953073956/widespread-mail-delays-as-usps-faces-unprecedented-backlog

 

If this is the case , then there is hope of receiving my documents one day.

[Thelord 42]

I am still waiting 3 weeks for my NC after receiving the passport. I know there was one person that it took 1 whole month for the USPS to deliver their passport application to the Department of State (this in normal time would only take 2-3 days but given the COVID + Xmas time it could be a significant delay)

[CMJuilland 484]

This might not help, but we had a package scheduled to arrive right before Christmas, and while it was sent out on time, the tracking number showed that it was just sitting in one of the sorting facilities for days on end because of the backlog. Maybe the same is true for your NC (I really hope so).

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

The passport tracker thread has a few people saying similar things. 

[Disteny 38]

8 hours ago, CMJuilland said:

This might not help, but we had a package scheduled to arrive right before Christmas, and while it was sent out on time, the tracking number showed that it was just sitting in one of the sorting facilities for days on end because of the backlog. Maybe the same is true for your NC (I really hope so).

The problem is there is no tracking number  

[Disteny 38]

8 hours ago, SusieQQQ said:

The passport tracker thread has a few people saying similar things. 

Yes all of them complain of losing their documents 

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

30 minutes ago, Disteny said:

Yes all of them complain of losing their documents 

Well they say the documents are taking longer to arrive than expected, that’s not the same thing 

[Thelord 42]

On 1/5/2021 at 9:36 AM, Thelord said:

I am still waiting 3 weeks for my NC after receiving the passport. I know there was one person that it took 1 whole month for the USPS to deliver their passport application to the Department of State (this in normal time would only take 2-3 days but given the COVID + Xmas time it could be a significant delay)

FYI I finally received my NC after a month following the approval (3 weeks after passport receipt).