Refunds for 'Expedited' Passports

If you're one of the thousands of Americans who shelled out an extra $60 for "expedited" passport processing -- but still haven't received your passport -- you can apply for a refund of the added fees from the U.S. State Department.

The department is offering refunds to citizens who paid the extra money in order to receive their passports within 14 days of submitting an application; numerous travelers to the Caribbean and elsewhere say that they didn't receive their passports as promised, in some cases causing vacations to be canceled.

There's no information about the refund posted on the State Department website, but the Associated Press reported that passport applicants seeking a refund should write to the State Department's refund office in Washington, D.C., including their passport number (if available), name, date and place of birth, date they applied for a passport, a mailing address and phone number. I'll post the address information once it becomes available.

The State Department previously announced that because of the passport processing delays, the rules requiring a passport to return to the U.S. from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Mexico and Canada are temporarily being suspended for those who have passport applications pending.