Passport Advice

I enjoyed Christopher Reynolds’ Travel Insider on passports (“Need a Passport for That Summer Trip? Stand in Line,” April 21). However, he failed to mention that birth certificates must include the date on which the registrar recorded the birth in the registry records. The certificate that I submitted did not note this date and it took 14 telephone calls--several to numbers that I learned had been disconnected--and 49 minutes on hold at the Passport Agency to obtain the proper form and resolve my dilemma. Although I now have passport in hand, I offer the following suggestions to other travelers: Order your birth certificate early; apply for your passport early; double-check the telephone numbers for the office of vital statistics or city hall in your hometown early, and hang up early when put on hold at the Passport Office. And most important: Have cousins back home, preferably one of whom previously worked at city hall, help you out.

WILLIAM S. CHURCH

Whittier

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According to Christopher Reynolds’ article, it takes weeks for a passport to be issued, but I wanted to tell you our experience at the Passport Agency in Los Angeles. My husband and I went in on a Tuesday and were told it would take 10 days to two weeks to receive our passports. Amazingly, on that Saturday, we received them. Maybe it was a fluke, but we wanted you to know.

BETTE RUDICK

Los Angeles