I need to renew my US passport, and fortunately qualify to renew by mail. However, I don't know how to pay in Swiss francs by the method posted on the consulate webpage, which is "...white postal money order (Postanweisung für das Inland/Mandat de poste interne/Vaglia postale interno)." What is this and how does it work? Do I do this at the post office and then send some sort of proof of payment with my passport application?

http://bern.usembassy.gov/renewals_mail.html

It is basically a money order. What the embassy doesn't want is for you to pay into their account. The "Zahlungsanweisung" is a way to send them cash directly. You should just be able to go to the post office and if you don't see the appropriate form, ask for it. Here is the Post Finance info link for people with an account, but it is basically the same for you: http://www.postfinance.ch/pf/content...al/outpay.html

I am glad you asked the question because it made me look at my passport: it expires in June. Guess I'll be finding all about Zahlungsanweisungen, too.

New Question:

Has anyone carried out this payment in the last 12-18 months??
Post office says (at the counter, online, and when I called them) that the payment method "Postanweisung für das Inland" stopped being available anywhere in Switzerland about 18 months ago. Of course US embassy will accept no other form of payment and just tells me "they are wrong; try other post offices". Has anyone paid this in the last 12-18 months? How? Did you perhaps try Baranweisung and was it accepted (only existing payment I can find not requiring a Konto number, but I don't know the difference)? Thanks!!

(Also, how long did it take to get the new passport? Thanks.)

Hi,

Yes, I did this in the past 18 months and it "should" still be available. Indeed, try other post offices. If you pay any other way, the embassy keeps your money and you get no passport

Once I sent it off (remember to include postage for returning the new passport to you!) I got it very quickly. Can't remember for sure -- 3 weeks or less.

If all else fails, drive to Bern and take care of it in person.

Good luck!

I don't know if you have already figured it out but in case you haven't, I was in a post office today and asked about the "Postanweisung für das Inland". The friendly postal lady pulled out a white sheet that says "Postanweisung für das Inland" at the top and explained how to fill it out and that it costs CHF 18. So it is still available. Alternatives are paying in Bern or Zürich. If you have an account at the post, you can do it online as well.

Just an update for any other US citizens who might need to renew their passport... I just finished renewing mine (that was set to expire in April). I followed (exactly) what they said here for a renewal by mail. Going to the post office to fill out the money order (still called "Postanweisung für das Inland") was the most trying part because I don't speak much German and handing over that kind of money "hoping" I had the right form was a little stressful.

But I just received my self-addressed stamped envelope back and inside was my newly minted passport (along with my old one). I sent off the paperwork on the 26 or 27 of Jan and received it back in the mail 10 or 11 of Feb (had to pick it up at the post office today with an ID). So it didn't take the minimum 20 working days they claim on the website, but I am assuming it is because I did it right after Christmas and well before summer, so I am in the height of slow season.

Good luck if you do it too, but it was pretty painless for me.

Just a friendly update here. I renewed by mail and just received my new passport. It took 6 weeks. One quirky detail that caught me off guard was about the white postal money order. When I got that, I had to fill out two copies. The postal clerk gave me one to keep as a receipt. The other copy they keep and forward it themselves to the embassy, as in separate from your own mailing of the application and old passport.

This is a great thread. I followed the wonderful instructions everyone listed -- mailed my US passport for renewal 2 weeks ago to the Bern Address and just received my postage paid envelope with new passport in it! It took less than 10 days, I was shocked but very happy!

Thanks!

I also want to say thanks to EF and threads like this one, and to also echo ZurichSwissMiss' experience. I mailed my renewal packet to Bern on August 4 and came home today (August 24) to find the new passport in my mail box!

I was expecting it to take MUCH longer. I guess the Swiss are much more efficient after the July/Aug holidays.

Just curious if anyone has renewed their US passport lately? About how long did it take? My husband's is expiring in January, and we're trying to figure out when best to renew it (lots of international trips coming up). Thanks!

Oh, ha! just noticed the most recent comments were in August. That's pretty recent. But still: anyone with wildly different experiences?

I would recommend submitting it ASAP. This is b/c the embassy is extremely busy around the holidays and thus, the turnaround time has the potential to increase significantly...by a factor of two or more.

About 2-1/2 weeks for a passport renewed in September.

Mine took somewhat longer. I filled out my form in Zurich in late June and paid cash upfront. I was notified only in late August that my passport was ready for pickup. I paid in Swiss Francs at the window.

It might be explained that it had to go from Zurich-Bern-Zurich. It wasnt an inconvenience as I merely wanted a new biometric passport that wasn't as beat up as the existing one plus a lot more pages. I wasnt required to present my old passport until i had received a new one.

I just had mine done, and it took around 3-4 weeks from the point of handing in all the documents.
I was renewing an emergency passport and had to go to the embassy to swear I was a US citizen, so perhaps that slowed it down (or sped it up... who knows).

They told me at the time I'd have to wait around 6 weeks.

Just an update since I had questions before: my husband was able to renew his US passport without giving it up or going to Bern. He made an appointment by email with the Zurich consulate, went in with his completed forms and CHFs, and it was ready about 2-3 weeks later. He picked it up without an appointment, and they just punched holes in his old one. In between applying and picking it up, he went to New York with no problems. Voila.

I was very shocked, submitted my application on January 3rd, and I got a newly minted passport on the 10th (yesterday), 4 working days!