Nick Gleifert works in college admissions and can’t wait to get away during the holiday break, but his time in paradise was in jeopardy.
He reached out to NBC CT Responds for help when his passport came back with a photo that wasn’t of him.
“Not always do you have good passport photos. I had a decent one, so I sent it in. So this official document for 10 years, I am going to have a decent photo. Got real excited, and then opened up the passport in disbelief. I stood there looking at the photo in the passport for 10 to 15 minutes and then I called family and I’m like, ‘What’s going on? How could this have happened?'" Gliefert said.
We’re not showing the picture that was printed on his passport to protect the other person’s identity.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
But NBC CT Responds verified that while both men had beards, dark hair and were wearing black shirts in their photos, they were two very different people.
Gleifert said it absolutely was not the photo he stapled to his application many weeks before.
He said after making many phone calls, the department told him to just submit another application, which meant another long waiting period for processing.
NBC CT Responds
That is until NBC CT Responds reached out to the State Department on his behalf.
A spokesperson tells us that it’s a rare circumstance when a passport gets printed with an error. When it does happen, they say the department will work with the applicant to correct the issue.
In a letter to Gleifert, the department said it is confident that his photo was not printed on another passport.
Gleifert said with our nudging, the department offered him an express envelope to send a new application and the incorrect passport back.
Plus, his new passport was expedited to him. It’s now in his hands and he can go on his well-deserved cruise.
Remember, passport processing times are taking a lot longer than you may think. Plan on at least 12 weeks for that and shipping, too.
The State Department encourages people to not book a trip abroad without having an up-to-date passport in hand.
