State Department experiencing significant backlog for standard Passport renewals
All AMO members and applicants who need to renew their Passport should use the expedited procedure for mariners provided by the U.S. State Department. AMO members and applicants SHOULD NOT use the standard procedure for renewing a Passport.
AMO Member Services can provide the new State Department fees, mailing address and complete instructions for expedited Passport renewal under the procedure developed by the State Department specifically for mariners. Member Services can also provide a letter from the union, which is required for this expedited renewal procedure.
AMO members and applicants are asked to contact AMO Member Services or by phone at 800-362-0513 Ext. 1050 during East Coast business hours for assistance with filing for expedited Passport renewal.
The backlog for renewing a Passport using the standard State Department method is more than two months and growing as applications and demand increase. The standard Passport renewal system is overwhelmed.
Please do not submit your renewal application using the standard method. Once your application has been submitted, it may not be possible to have it switched to the expedited Passport renewal track.