If you need to renew or even get a first-time passport, it pays to plan ahead, very much ahead.
The U.S. Department of State, which is the exclusive issuer of U.S. passports, is currently processing over 500,000 such travel document per week and the backlog is mounting.
“We’ve had an unprecedented demand for renewed travel,” said U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken at a Congressional hearing on Thursday, who added that the current volume is 30% to 40% higher than last year’s when the State Department processed over 22 million passports.
Blinken told Congress that there have been behind-the-scenes efforts underway to shorten the turnaround time including what he termed an “intense effort” and full-time operation to bring passport and visa workflow back up to speed.
In addition, the State Department has formed a task force to further improve turnaround times, opened several satellite offices, and hired additional staff.
According to the State Department’s website, the current turnaround time for a passport is ten to 13 weeks, and seven to nine weeks for expedited service, which costs an additional $60. “Mailing times are not included in processing time,” the website advises, adding that “[P]rocessing times only include the time your application is at one of our passport agencies or centers.”
The Passport Office launched an online renewal pilot program last year to further speed up processing time, but the portal is currently closed as the agency studies data from the pilot in order to bring it up to scale in the future.
Blinken said that he doesn’t see why more people shouldn’t be able to renew their passports online without having to go into a passport center, and added that he believes, in the future, 65% of passports could eventually be processed online.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
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