Yes. My wife travels internationally for work, and I accompany her when prices aren’t stupidly high (like now).

We also have vacationed overseas.

It really isn’t that big a deal. Be aware that they functionally expire 6 months before the expiration date on the passport. Apparently they think you might spend an additional 6 months in a foreign country after you go there for vacation or a work trip.

Yup, valid passport & ID (with Star). Hard to go anywhere without it.

Yeah

Just an Enhanced DL. Gets me into Canada. Basically just had to show my birth certificate and social security card when I renewed my license. I think it cost about $20 more.

Yes I travel internationally for work so I have to keep my passport current. The one I got in 1998 or so expired in 2008 but I renewed in in 2011 when I got the travel job without much trouble.

The 2011 one expired early April this year and it took 6 weeks to get it renewed. State Department is way behind, and I've heard it's taking even long now. You would think they would have extra time now given all the travel bans, but I guess they are too busy processing asylum claims for illegals and SIV's for Afghans.

So the advice is, keep it current because you really don't know how long it will take to get a replacement. I also have Global Entry, a Real ID DL, and a Passport Card. The Passport Card is only good for land or water, not air so it's mostly useless.

quote:

Originally posted by Lefty Sig:
The Passport Card is only good for land or water, not air so it's mostly useless.

Well, you can use it domestically for flying which I find useful.

Have two

Keep them valid at all times

quote:

Originally posted by clayflingythingy:
My buddy, thinking he may want to go see them, got his passport out to see when it needed renewing. To his surprise, it had already expired. What's more, it expired over five years ago, so he now has to do the in person application all over again.

Is that a new thing? Last two times I renewed my passport it had expired well over five years past, and I don't recall having to jump through any special hoops. ISTR* renewing the last one at a nearby USPS office?

quote:

Originally posted by clayflingythingy:
What about it Sigforum, how many keep an up to date passport?

Mine's currently up-to-date. We have family on my wife's side in Europe.

* I Seem To Recall

I have two...

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

Is that a new thing? Last two times I renewed my passport it had expired well over five years past, and I don't recall having to jump through any special hoops. ISTR* renewing the last one at a nearby USPS office?

Renewing only requires filling out the application and mailing it in with your old passport. An original passport or getting one that has long expired I think requires completing the application in person such as at a Post Office that does passports.

Yup, I'm good until '23
Real ID got done two years ago, local DMV was very fast.
Renewed my Global Entry 3-months ago, took 10-minutes on the laptop and two weeks to get the new card.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:
... getting one that has long expired I think requires completing the application in person such as at a Post Office that does passports.

Yeah, I suppose that last is what I had to do. Wasn't a big deal.

Mine's good for another seven years--not that we're likely to get back to Europe anytime soon.

My passport expired in 2019. No longer have a need so it was not renewed.

As for Real ID drivers license, got my Gold Star in 2013.

I keep an up to date passport and passport ID because, while infrequent, I have traveled and do intend to travel overseas.

Just received my first passport (at age 38) about 2 weeks ago. It took about 7 weeks total with expediated service.

We have a trip to the Dominican coming up so we needed them.

Real ID compliant DL should be here any day now.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

Is that a new thing? Last two times I renewed my passport it had expired well over five years past, and I don't recall having to jump through any special hoops. ISTR* renewing the last one at a nearby USPS office?

Renewing only requires filling out the application and mailing it in with your old passport. An original passport or getting one that has long expired I think requires completing the application in person such as at a Post Office that does passports.

US Passports are valid for 10 years. If it was issued within the last 15 years (so it's expired less than 5 years), you can renew by mail.

quote:

Originally posted by thumperfbc:
Just received my first passport (at age 38) about 2 weeks ago. It took about 7 weeks total with expediated service.

We have a trip to the Dominican coming up so we needed them.

Real ID compliant DL should be here any day now.

Since you have the passport already, the Real ID DL is superfluous for your flight. Real ID is only needed for domestic US flights and you don't want to carry your passport.

We’ve had passports for 30 years as we have traveled throughout Europe and Canada. We lived in Mexico for about a year also. Add 4 international cruises to the list as well. Nothing though in the past 2 years.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:

quote:

Originally posted by thumperfbc:
Just received my first passport (at age 38) about 2 weeks ago. It took about 7 weeks total with expediated service.

We have a trip to the Dominican coming up so we needed them.

Real ID compliant DL should be here any day now.

Since you have the passport already, the Real ID DL is superfluous for your flight. Real ID is only needed for domestic US flights and you don't want to carry your passport.

DMV offered free Real ID this year if you renewed your DL last year during the lockdown when they didn’t allow office visits to process the REAL ID. I qualified and I recently had to go to DMV anyway to do some paperwork when I bought a vehicle from a different state, so it wasn’t any extra hassle.

Besides, as I understand it the REAL ID streamlines the process of buying a gun here. With my non-REAL ID I’d need a birth certificate or something and with my passport I’d need a document to establish residency. REAL ID apparently does both. Just need that and my work ID to bypass the 10 day.

I’m sure we’ll be doing more domestic flying in a couple years anyway. We have a retirement home to find in 5.5 years, and it won’t be in CA.

Took out my last passport in 1989 to travel to England and see my new granddaughter born there. Expired in 2000, haven't felt the need to get a new one.

Since that time the simple act of walking across the bridge from El Paso to Ciudad Juarez has become much more of an event. Mexico may not care about your citizenship or paperwork, but coming back across the bridge to the USA has become more of a challenge.

Of course, I could probably just walk a mile downstream and find a crossing point with little difficulty or official attention, just like a couple of million people coming the other way every year. But I've been to Juarez a few times and there really isn't anything there I want to see again badly enough to get my shoes wet. Good food, good beer, cheap tobacco, but not worth the trouble anymore.