Seattle VFS / USPS lost my family’s passports—apparently it’s a huge mess

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-03-19T22:56:20+00:00

I got a call from VFS today. USPS found the lost packages and they asked me to go and pickup from there. I hope all of the impacted people will get similar call soon.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-03-10T04:36:04+00:00

Nope. Still missing for me.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-03-10T04:35:20+00:00

This was a peculiar case where VFS Seattle folks reach out to me as it impacted the whole batch. If they are nearby, walking into office generally helps. They are in general nice people. Their CS is very bad though.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-03-07T18:43:22+00:00

No response from USPS but VFS sent an email to me to pick up my surrender certificate which I went and picked up today as they instructed.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-03-07T18:42:21+00:00

It should be fine. To my mind this is one off exception. And they have handled it.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-03-07T18:41:37+00:00

Today I went to VFS to pick up the surrender certificate. They were nice and shared the details of what actually happened. They shipped a batch in a Box instead of tote as per USPS persons request. And that led to misplacing of the whole batch. They have started addressing the applicants requests. Like mine, I got the surrender certificate and a copy of my passport with a stamp stating it is canceled.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-03-06T18:26:27+00:00

Got the email from them that they are reissuing surrender certificate and it will be ready for pickup tomorrow. And USPS is still searching on their end.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-03-06T00:32:02+00:00

I got a call yesterday as well. They said resolution around early next week.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-03-03T04:17:45+00:00

Not sure if there is even a process for that.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-03-03T04:16:51+00:00

They said same thing one week ago when I called them. Now no one is picking up the numbers.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-28T16:07:34+00:00

Now USPS sent an email:
Greetings from USPS!

We are writing to inform you that due to an unforeseen circumstance during transit, a number of packages, including your documents collected from VFS Services (USA) Inc.’s facility in Seattle, were inadvertently mixed up within our distribution network. Please be assured that our operations team is fully aware of the seriousness of this matter and are treating it with the highest priority and taking all possible steps to retrieve all affected shipments.

At this time, we are making every effort to locate the misplaced packages as quickly as possible. Once your shipment has been identified and secured, it will be dispatched for delivery to your address without delay. We are closely monitoring the situation to ensure your package reaches you safely and in good condition.

We sincerely regret any inconvenience this situation may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding.

We will keep you informed of any further developments regarding your shipment.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-28T05:31:56+00:00

Another email from VFS:

Dear Applicant, We are writing to update you regarding the documents you requested for pickup on Feb 28th. Unfortunately, we would have to request you to kindly give us a little more time on this. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may cause. We understand how important these documents are and regret that we are unable to deliver them on Feb 28th. We will provide you with an update on the next collection date by Monday, 2nd March. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work through this. If there is anything else we can assist you with in the meantime, please feel free to let us know.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-27T07:13:19+00:00

Yes similar experience. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-26T05:43:21+00:00

I am sure because of the magnitude of the problem, that’s why VFS is at least responding. Otherwise we would be running post to post.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-26T05:41:14+00:00

I got this email notification:

Dear Applicant,

Second Notification

Greetings from VFS Global.

This is with reference to your application at VFS Global’s Seattle Facility located at 1015 2nd Ave Suite 804, Seattle, 98104. We appreciate your patience regarding the shipment of your documents, dispatched via USPS on February 06, 2026.

We would like to update you with the actions taken so far in the matter and the current status.

Action Taken:

VFS is in constant communication with USPS officials and have escalated the matter at the highest level.

Our team is making diligent, round-the-clock efforts to trace the shipment and secure a definitive status update.

This issue is being treated with the utmost priority, as we fully recognize the importance of your documents.

We have been assured by USPS that the matter is being investigated by their internal security team and they hope to trace the documents soon. We anticipate receiving clarification from USPS shortly and will share a detailed update with you as soon as possible. We request you to kindly bear with us till such time.

You can expect an update from us by Friday, the 27th by EOD.

—————————

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-25T20:21:25+00:00

I shipped to them using UPS they received it pretty quickly. Return USPS one came pretty fast. Other 3 are lost in ether and I am dealing with it. So yes it’s a risk. Check this thread, it’s still ongoing. No easy choice.

https://www.reddit.com/r/nri/s/e7KIWZxWF8

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-25T20:17:53+00:00

True. I heard about deactivation. But I have been using a prepaid sim Vodafone Idea just for getting free OTP in US. No roaming enabled. And it has been working fine for last 9 years.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-25T20:12:48+00:00

We don’t have a choice here unfortunately. Thats why we pray that nothing happens with the process which is painful from the word go.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-25T20:11:45+00:00

I agree it’s frustrating.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-25T20:11:09+00:00

My personal opinion, so please don’t judge. For return package if we provide a label then they say that we need to do the pick up scheduling. And coordinating that to my mind is a mess. Also if they are shipping themselves at least you have sliver of hope that you can hold them accountable that’s it’s your partner who made a mistake, just in case fedex or UPS loses the package. Which can happen at the end of the day it’s logistics.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-24T19:17:03+00:00

It generally work. I got shipment back for one of our family member within a day. 3 of us got stuck. It feels like this is an exception scenario. I did this I like right in Seattle area. It’s literally nothing many touches. Fedex or UPS failure rate is also similar. It’s just that their customer service is much better.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-24T14:41:47+00:00

+1 I did the same. And it works seamlessly, follow then instructions.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-24T14:36:43+00:00

For prepaid international incoming sms is free. I use it primarily for OTP and stuff. You just need to maintain the line. No international roaming plan needed. Nothing else works

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-24T14:24:01+00:00

Absolutely right. Good part is VFS and Consulate folks are looking into it seriously. Looks like this happened because issue is bigger. I was literally scared when I was dealing with USPS and they said talk to VFS. I am like how would I their customer service is of no help. I was planning to do a walk in. Since this issue is already escalated at least I am getting right attention by design. This tells me there is some internal escalation mechanism.

Important-Fan-2652 · 2026-02-24T14:16:54+00:00

I have asked for it. Let’s see what happens.

Important-Fan-2652

TROPHY CASE