How to renew your U.S. passport in Jerusalem

Posted by Rebecca on September 14, 2008

consulate vs.

donut targetstarbucks

If only the U.S Consulate would greet you with freshly-made Dunkin Donuts doughnuts and muffins, a Starbucks white-chocolate mocha and a fully-stocked Target, it might make up for the annoying process of renewing your passport and venturing into East Jerusalem.

If I could award one website with the worst usability, that special prize would go to.. wait for it.. the Jerusalem U.S. Consulate. After reading and re-reading each section of the site, the big question for me was still, how do people aged 16-26 renew their passport?!!! I pretended to fit into the over 26 category and it worked out, but um… some headlines and clarity would be nice.  Americans are supposed to have a good reputation for clear instructions. Especially compared to the Israeli system. C’mon people!

In case you want to know how I went about it, or in case I need to do it again, here are the steps I took to renewing my passport.

Step 1: Make an appointment by clicking here. Mine took at  least a month in advance to schedule.

Step 2: Read the U.S. Consulate website about 30 times to decide which form to fill out. In the end, I needed the DS-82 application so I printed it and filled it out.

Step 3: Prepare the following:

Step 4: Travel to 27 Nablus / Shchem St. which is off of Kvish 1 by the Paz Gas station. You can use Egged’s site to map your route. I saw signs for the following busses that stop fairly close to the Consulate - 66, 30, 49, 6.

P.S. You can renew by mail or in person. But considering I don’t trust the Israeli mail system, and, get this, the Consulate emailed me that they don’t recommend it, I went in person.

Contact Info for the Jerusalem U.S. Consulate:

Phone: 02-628-7137 or 02-622-7219
Fax: 02-627-2233
Email: jerusalemacs@state.gov

Disclaimer: Please thoroughly check the Consulate site for updated information and to ensure you bring all the correct paperwork.

Essentials, Jerusalem Scene, Wisdom Gained | Tags: , , , ,

Don't miss the next article. Subscribe by RSS or email via the form on the right.

11 Responses to “How to renew your U.S. passport in Jerusalem”

  1. Posted by: Gadi - 09/15/2008

    I would add that you should bring as few things with you as possible.

    Everything, including cell phones and all bags, will have to be left with security.

  2. Posted by: Gadi - 09/15/2008

    Another thing,,

    There is a parking lot just across the street from the consulate in case you don’t find parking on the street.

    Gadi

  3. Posted by: ck - 09/15/2008

    …or, you can do the same thing at the US Consulate in Tel Aviv where the lines are shorter and the service is better. Just make sure you have a friend’s address in Tel Aviv. The same applies for non-American Jews wishing to obtain visas, work permits etc. BY ALL MEANS use the Tel Aviv US Consulate and avoid the East Jerusalem Consulate as they tend to give Jews and Israelis a hard time. This is information you can bank on. I recently had an Israeli friend apply for a work visa at the East Jerusalem Consulate. She already had the job in the US with a national Jewish organization. An associate in Tel Aviv applied for the exact same visa with less experience and qualifications and got it that same day. My friend however was forced to wait three weeks only to be rejected. I told her to apply again in Tel Aviv and she get the visa. Why did this work? Because the East Jerusalem Consulate and the Tel Aviv Consulate do not talk to each other. They are in fact often at each other’s throats.

    So what did we learn today? Avoid the East Jerusalem US Consulate, especially if you are Jewish and a non-US Citizen.

  4. Posted by: Harry - 09/15/2008

    Don’t you mean the EMBASSY in Tel Aviv CK?

    I wonder what will happen once the new branch of the consulate opens in Arnona. The compounds looks pretty much complete.

  5. Posted by: Jameel @ The Muqata - 09/15/2008

    Since I live in the West Bank, I’m officially not even allowed to use the embassy services in Tel Aviv.

    Though Israel’s misrad hapnim is better than the US Embassy in Tel-Aviv

    We’ve come a long way :)

  6. Posted by: ck - 09/15/2008

    Embassies are only located in the capital cities of their host countries. Tel Aviv is not the capital of Israel. Don’t get me started…

    :)

  7. Posted by: Harry - 09/15/2008

    Oh, so that was intentional. Tell that to Bush who promised to move the embassy to Jerusalem twice! Oh wait, you are Canadian.

  8. Posted by: ck - 09/15/2008

    We had the same shit in Canada. Candidates promised to move the Canadian “Embassy” to Jerusalem to get Jew votes and Jew support and then once elected reneged on that promise (hello Joe Clark!). Why are Jews so dumb sometimes?

  9. Posted by: aliyah06 - 09/17/2008

    What did I do wrong?

    I’m a citizen. I went to the East Jerusalem consulate and was whisked in quickly (SS issue), had lovely service, and left again relatively quickly…??

    If you’re driving from the south (Baka, Arnona etc.), go past Novotel and turn right, drive to the kikar, then go right on Nablus. The consulate is the place where the road narrows and all the people are milling around in a huge line outside.

  10. Posted by: Getting Hit on - 09/20/2008

    Haha, I like the last one. Some stuff I wouldn’t even believe people would say, but since I’ve heard some crazy ones myself, I’m a believer. hehe

  11. Posted by: sameach - 11/03/2008

    I must be extremely lucky…I have lived in Jerusalem for over 40 years.

    Every 10 years I renew my passport at the Jerusalem Consulate.

    I never made an appointment. I have never had any problems. I arrive, wait in line, fill out the forms, wait in line, eventually get my turn at the window and that’s it.

    The passports (both the new and the old) arrive registered mail within a reasonable amount of time.

    Don’t understand what the problem is!

Leave a Reply of Your Own