Chaim V’Chessed: U.S. Embassy Terminates Delivery Vendor Following Widespread Complaints
On August 1, the U.S. Embassy in Israel switched vendors for the delivery of passports and other official documents. From the very first moment, the new arrangement proved unsuccessful. Deliveries failed to arrive, applicants received no timely updates, and, most troubling, the sole Jerusalem pick-up location was situated in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina – an impractical option for much of the community.
Since the transition, Chaim V’Chessed has been in ongoing discussions with embassy officials to rectify the situation. In fact, Chaim V’Chessed even offered a short-term solution; a courier service to collect passports directly from Beit Hanina for the convenience of applicants.
Just prior to Rosh Hashanah, Chaim V’Chessed CEO, Paysach Freedman, received a welcome phone call from senior embassy officials. They informed him that the U.S. State Department had terminated the contract of the current vendor and would be returning to Israel Post, which successfully held the contract in earlier years.
Israel Post will resume deliveries as of October 1. Applicants will be required to complete an Israel Post packing slip, available here, when submitting applications. Unlike the recent failed arrangement, there will be no pick-up locations under the new system. As opposed to the previous arrangement, which required applicants to pay for each passport in a family, the new delivery price will be fixed at 60 NIS, regardless of the number of passports in the delivery.
Persons who have already submitted passport applications are now being contacted directly by the embassy with instructions. If you have submitted an application and have not yet heard, you should expect to be contacted shortly. Not all details are finalized, but Chaim V’Chessed will continue to update as further information becomes available.
We applaud the embassy staff for their proactive stance in swiftly rectifying this challenging situation and restoring a reliable system for the public.
