JUPITER, Fla. — A Jupiter family is speaking out after receiving passports riddled with errors — and spending more than $1,000 to get them corrected in time for an international trip.
Dr. Thomas McCain contacted WPTV to share his family's frustration after using the expedited passport system through a local U.S. Post Office and the U.S. State Department.
WATCH BELOW: Jupiter family pays $1,000+ to fix passport errors
"My (passport) specifically (had one error), and then my three children each had the same clerical error, so one, two, three on top of that, plus the middle name of my middle son was also incorrect, so a total of five errors," McCain said.
McCain said the errors were discovered a month ago and were followed by hours of phone calls, dead ends and multiple trips back to the Palm Beach Gardens post office.
"Nobody really gave a clear answer. They said, 'We've seen these mistakes to this degree and the same thing repetitively; we haven't seen this,'" McCain said.
McCain had hoped to already be in England with his family by now. Instead, the family ultimately had to travel to Miami to get the passports corrected — at a cost of more than $1,000.
"My heart goes out to anybody who is not in a financial position to deal with such or able to take off from work," McCain said.
After hearing the family's story, WPTV contacted the State Department and learned it has been going through large layoffs and reorganization.
A State Department spokesperson sent WPTV the following statement regarding the matter:
- The Department of State is committed to providing the best possible service for our passport customers while safeguarding U.S. national security.
- We strive to issue every passport accurately and have quality assurance measures in place throughout the process. Passport holders should review their passport upon receipt and promptly report any discrepancies to help avoid travel disruptions.
- If a Department error is identified, we will correct it at no charge within one year.
- For more information about correcting a passport, visit our website here: Change or Correct a Passport
Passports typically cost about $60, and waiting for a new one without paying extra to expedite can take as long as two months.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
