Hi
Yes, I had to apply for my kid's passports last year otherwise they couldn't continue in school, and they are very helpful but I did have quite a few problems. Firstly, you need a credit card and I don't have one, I only have a debit card, so I had to use my boyfriend's sister's card who is Argentinean, but her bank declined it, and the passport office never let me know. I was getting desperate as this was January and I needed it for end of Feb. I rang them and they couldn't speak to me as I wasn't the cardholder, so asked her to ring but her English is very limited so she didn't understand anything, I then had to go 30 kilometers to her house to ring in her presence, then they told me it had been declined by her bank.
I then asked my British boss in the UK if she could please do it for me with her card and take the money out of my wages, which she agreed to. The Passport office in Washington then passed me to a very senior person who dealt with my passports for me, as I had to go through the whole process again, if it is declined they return the application forms to you. This senior person was excellent and I got the passports back in time.
