I just tried to renew my passport

[China_cat]

and was told that I needed 'proof of departure';

You must provide a copy of ONE of the following :

*

your foreign travel plane ticket
*

your printed travel itinerary showing foreign travel
*

If this is a business trip, you may present a business letter from your employer. Click here for more instructions and a sample letter.

I've never had to do this before. Anybody else run into this? Since I'm not going any place...my passport is just about to expire...I like having it available, I was told to come back when I have a ticket.

[leftofthedial]

1. that is very strange

I've never had to prove anything except identity before

I'll hire you and write a letter saying I plan to send you to Switzerland on business if you want.

[China_cat]

9. Thanks for the offer

but if I really needed it, I could write my own and get the union president to sign it.

[LeftyMom]

2. What the hell?

What about people who travel on short notice and need to have one ready?

[Ravenseye]

3. Were you requested it to be expedited?

In the past if you wanted one extra fast processed you had to provide a ticket to prove that you're leaving and need the passport. Otherwise I've never heard of that requirement.

[Ravenseye]

5. Here's the Form

http://foia.state.gov/FORMS/Passport/ds0082.pdf

The only part is 17. Travel Plans but you can just leave that blank. Whoever told you you needed a ticket is wrong.

[PassingFair]

4. Where did you go?

What type of office.

What is someone had to leave suddenly,
and had an expired passport. Are up-
dates on passports available immediately now?

[China_cat]

8. Passport office at the main Post Office

here in Charleston. Passport runs out next month, I don't need an expedited one. I just like having it handy...just in case. I see where it's cheaper to get it by mail. I was told $85...and a ticket to prove I was traveling.

[caty]

12. Call the post office and ask to

speak to the Postmaster. Tell him so he/she can straighten this person out.

[intheflow]

6. Renew it by mail.

I don't know what asshat you had to talk to about this, but they're full of shit. Let's see what the State Department has to say on the subject:

How to Apply for a Passport Renewal

Should You Apply for a Passport Renewal by Mail?

YES, If You…
Already have a passport that is not damaged; and
Received it within the past 15 years; and
Were at least age 16 when it was issued; and
Still have the same name as in passport (or you can legally document your name change).
NOTES:

U.S. citizens residing abroad (except those living in Canada) should renew their passports at the nearest U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate.
U.S. citizens residing in Canada may mail DS-82, Application for Passport by Mail, renewal applications to the address indicated on the form. Payment must be in US$.
Passports renewed by mail in the U.S. may only be mailed to U.S. and Canadian addresses.
If you mutilate or alter your U.S. passport, you may invalidate it and risk possible prosecution under the law (Section 1543 of Title 22 of the U.S. Code).
If your passport has been mutilated, altered or damaged , you cannot apply by mail. You must apply in person. ( See How to Apply in Person .)
Some countries require that your passport be valid at least six months beyond the dates of your trip and/or have two to four blank visa/stamp pages. Some airlines will not allow you to board if these requirements are not met.

If you can, then How Do You Renew Your Passport By Mail?

1. Complete Application For Passport By Mail , form DS-82
Click here to download the DS-82 Application form .
Be sure to sign and date your application.

2. Attach to it:
Your most recent passport
Two identical passport photographs
And, a $67 fee payable to the U.S. Department of State.
If you need your passport urgently, you may request Expedited Service. ( Click here for information about Expedited Service .)
NOTE: Your previous passport will be returned to you with your new passport.

NOTE: If you travel extensively, you may request a larger, 48-page passport at no additional cost. To do so, please attach a signed request for a 48-page passport to your application.

3. If your name has changed since your passport was issued:
Enclose a certified copy of the legal document specifying your name change (e.g. marriage certificate, divorce decree, adoption decree, or court order).
No photocopies accepted.
NOTE: If your name has changed by other means, you must apply in person. (See How to Apply in Person .)

4. Mail in a padded envelope to:
National Passport Center
P.O. Box 371971
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7971


5. If you use an overnight delivery service that does not deliver to a post office box, then send it to:
Passport Services - Lockbox
Attn: Passport Supervisor 371971
500 Ross Street, Rm. 154-0670
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-9971

NOTE: Include a prepaid overnight return envelope. Please note that overnight service will not speed up processing time unless the $60 fee for expedited service is also included.( Click here for information on Expedited Service .)

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/renew/renew_833.html

Not a word about needing plane tickets or an itinery or even any plans to travel outside the US.

[Kajsa]

7. I've never heard of this, before.

The only question I remember is

" where do you plan to travel?"

That was it.

As long as you answered that it was a country/countries where
they wouldn't try to shoot your American butt off the second it landed-

Okie-Dokie!!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. I don't think that's necessary, you probably got wrong information.

I didn't have to supply that information when I got my passport renewed. I had to get a new passport for my job, but I had no immediate plans to go anywhere, so as I recall I just left that line blank. I think it's only when you need expedited processing that you have to produce your travel plans.

[Nickster]

11. It's funny you mention this because my wife just did the same thing today

She has a business trip coming up next month and needed an expedited passport. All she did was put that info on the application and the person asked about the trip. No problem at all, she was in and out in 15 minutes. She didn't have any documentation other than the standard stuff required, drivers license and birth certificate and 150 bucks.

[babylonsister]

13. I've NEVER heard of that. Since you can't travel if you have less

than 6 months til your passport expires, that makes no sense. Have you tried
How to apply for a passport renewal?

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/renew/renew_833.html

[Lydia Leftcoast]

14. Actually, that restriction depends on the country you're visiting

It's true if the country you're visiting gives 6-month tourist visas, as many European countries do.

Others (including Japan and Taiwan) have shorter tourist visas (90 days for Japan, 60 days for Taiwan), so they care only that your passport is valid for the length of their particular tourist visa.

[babylonsister]

15. Thanks. I stand corrected. The OP's restrictions still don't make sense. n

[bumblebee1]

16. My husband and I renewed our passports a couple of months ago.

We didn't need any proof of departure when we renewed.

[NMMNG]

17. Weird

I got a passport last summer and didn't have to do that. They just asked when and where I planned to travel (no "proof" required) and that was that.

[Whoa_Nelly]

18. I had to get a new passport after a divorce

Went in to post office. Had photo taken. Was asked to relinquish my old passport. I told the guy I would love to but my cat peed on it. He said, "We'll just mark that as Lost."

True story :rofl:

Sorry about your hassle. You don't have to be traveling to get a passport...unless it's in some line in the stupid Patriot Act.

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

19. I think this is only if you're getting your pasport expedited.

I got my passport within 24 though expedition service and I had to show my plane tickets to the offical at the post office while I was doing my paper work when getting my passport.

[China_cat]

20. Like I said, not expedited.

I've carried a valid passport for over 30 years. I don't need it, I just want it.

We went through worse with renewing my husband's passport when his mother was dying and he hadn't realized it had expired. (He's a Dutch citizen) He can no longer renew by mail. He had to go in person to either Jacksonville or Houston (the DC embassy doesn't handle passport renewals) in order to renew. Then they gave him all kinds of crap and held up the sending of it. It came 3 hours after he got the call saying his mother died. He didn't get to see her to say goodbye.