RetireJapan

Any recent experiences?

Reddit has some people mentioning 2-4 weeks, but those posts are from a year or so back.

I renewed mine last year (2024) and if I remember correctly it took maybe 3 weeks before I received the new one. A rather painless process as I mailed my old passport in with the application.

Which Country?

UK took 3 weeks across the holiday period.

This is in the US citizens part of the forum.

I sent it to the Osaka Consulate Jan 2nd (received on 3rd), and I just got the notice that it is now "processing" and will take 6-8 weeks, plus shipping time.

With a March trip planned that is cutting it close, but I am betting that the timeline is more in line with others' experiences.

runmanTX wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2025 6:53 am I renewed mine last year (2024) and if I remember correctly it took maybe 3 weeks before I received the new one. A rather painless process as I mailed my old passport in with the application.

That's what I'm hoping for.

TJKansai wrote: ↑Fri Jan 17, 2025 1:52 am I sent it to the Osaka Consulate Jan 2nd (received on 3rd), and I just got the notice that it is now "processing" and will take 6-8 weeks, plus shipping time.

With a March trip planned that is cutting it close, but I am betting that the timeline is more in line with others' experiences.

Total time was about 4 weeks:

Sent Jan 2nd
Notice of processing Jan 17
Notice it has been mailed (to Japan Consulate) Jan 18
Received on Jan 28

Renewed my daughter's passport.

Submitted everything Jan 29.
Received passport Feb 12.

Two weeks exactly. This was done at the Tokyo embassy.

Embassies, Consulates! Complimentary Ferrero Rocher whist you wait I expect...
I've been here just long enough to recall when we could still apply in person(and they were visibly unhappy about it even then..).

Anyway, 'His Digital Majesty's UK Passport Service' is still 3 weeks from application* as of Feb 2025.
And I got paid a compliment in the process.
After uploading my selfie I was told it looked "Good" and that photos considered "Good" were more likely to be approved.

This "Good" rating was quite a surprise to be honest.
Being of the older persuasion I made the classic error of taking a photo before 6pm and in harsh light!
I actually took the photo at 9am after first checking in the mirror to see if I'd regained enough hair to get 'bed head' (I hadn't).
The first selfie I took looked like that photo when Saddam Hussain was ripped from his underground cave.
Honestly. I looked like a hostage in the process of being rescued. "He's alive!..."
So as you can imagine "good" left me well chuffed.

Now i have my new non-European passport making me wonder why I spent every Tuesday afternoon for two years earnestly studying French!**

* My Japanese wife© kindly visited the post office and within 30 short minutes had managed to post the old passport via EMS.
I'm not sure which will happen first. a) My new passport expiring. b) My beloved to stop complaining about how long it took..***

**I was mainly pretending to be a spitfire pilot in the Foreign languages audio lab..

*** It's a) Quite obviously a)..

runmanTX wrote: ↑Mon Jan 13, 2025 6:53 am I renewed mine last year (2024) and if I remember correctly it took maybe 3 weeks before I received the new one.

Two of my family members recently renewed theirs, and it also took about three weeks.