Time to Renew

My passport will expire in December of this year.  Now is the longest stretch of time that I am not traveling (my next trip to Mexico is not until August), so it is essential that I renew my passport NOW!  Yesterday, my first full day home, I went to the post office and got the renewal form.

I also had my passport photo taken at the post office.  In the past ten years since I applied for my last passport, they have changed the rules about the photos.  People always complain about the way they look in their passport and driver's license pictures, but I thought my old photo looked fine.  However, you are no longer allowed to wear glasses when the picture is taken, and I do not like the way I look without glasses.

The clerk at the post office told me that it can take as long as eleven weeks to receive the new passport.  That is cutting it rather close, so I am thinking about paying the extra money for an expedited renewal.  

I am also considering applying for a passport card in addition to my renewed passport book.  I have read that visitors to Mexico are supposed carry their passports with them at all times.  I have never done that except if I am travelling outside of Mexico City. I worry about losing it or having it stolen, so I always keep my passport hidden in the apartment, or locked in the hotel safe.  But if I had a passport card in addition to the book, the card would easily fit in my wallet.

So, this weekend, one of my chores will be to carefully read the instructions and fill out the renewal form.  I hope to have the renewal form sent off in the mail next week.