U.S. passport delays are months long and will worsen

Passport backlogs have increased in recent months as Americans unleash their pent-up desire to travel and go abroad they couldn’t before throughout the pandemic. The US State Department must too restaurant stands which were moved or eliminated when demand for a passport fell in 2020.

The demand for a passport was “unprecedented”, Secretary of State Antony Blinken he said Congress in March.

He said weekly applications were about 30% to 40% higher than last 12 months. While demand is often seasonal, with the busy season running from March to late summer, “it’s principally full-time right away,” he added.

The Department received 500,000 applications in a matter of weeks over the winter, a record for this time of 12 months and exceeding official State Department projections.

Since March 24, travelers have waited 10 to 13 weeks for a routine passport application to be processed, the State Department said. he said. (Traditional passport – Passport booklet – costs $130 per renewal; there may be an extra $35 acceptance fee for first time applicants.) Even the expedited application, which costs an extra $60 plus delivery fees, still takes seven to nine weeks.

For those that apply by mail, the delay will probably be longer. It may take as much as 4 additional weeks for the office to receive and send you a recent passport, According to to the Department of State – which implies the overall processing time can exceed 4 months for a routine request.

The department said processing times are prone to increase further because the busier travel season approaches.

Since applicants generally must submit their current passports, they might also not have the option to travel abroad for that long, Leocha said.

The department is hiring staff to extend computing power – for instance, to supply customer support phone lines, Blinken said. He added that he had opened satellite offices and allowed time beyond regulation pay, and there was a federal task force spearheading the trouble.

US passports are generally valid for 10 years. They are valid for five years if issued before the age of 16.

Importantly, Americans might not be allowed to travel if their passport expires inside just a few months of travel.

For example, the Schengen area requires the U.S. passport should be valid for at the very least 90 days beyond the traveler’s intended date of departure from the region. The Schengen zone covers 27 countries of the European Union.

Many Asia-Pacific and Middle East countries to require at the very least six months of validity of the entry permit. Other areas reminiscent of Hong Kong and Macau require one month.

“Even in the event you do not have a travel record yet, but your passport will expire in the primary half of 2024, I’d absolutely renew it now,” said Sally French, travel expert at NerdWallet.

You might have to use for a separate visa to enter certain countries – a process that requires additional time and planning. State Department website has details about passport and visa requirements for individual countries.

The State Department encourages Americans to use for passports “well prematurely of any planned international trip to avoid last-minute problems.”

Travelers may have the option to get faster passport for urgent travel, in the event that they have a visit abroad inside 14 days.

These appointments should be held in person at a passport agency, which is often situated near major cities and will be difficult to acquire given current demand, French said. You will need to have proof of immediate international travel, reminiscent of airline or cruise tickets.

Travelers can only receive a passport inside three working days in emergencies reminiscent of serious illness, injury or death within the immediate family.

Those frightened about not getting their passports in time for his or her upcoming trip “should go on to the passport office here within the US and see in the event that they can do it sooner,” Leocha said.

He added that eventually backlogs and delays can be alleviated.

“The problem is, it is not helping you today,” he said. – You need to plan ahead.