Americans will need to wait more than four months to renew passports as backlogs grow due to ‘pent-up wanderlust’
- The State Department has set waiting time between 10 and 13 weeks
- Those who apply by mail can wait an additional four weeks
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the request “unprecedented.”
Americans hoping to travel after the pandemic would do well to prepare their passports, because they may have to wait up to four months to renew them.
The US State Department has been dealing with a backlog of passports in recent months due to pent-up demand after years of travel restrictions and pandemic uncertainty that kept people at home.
The State Department has set a waiting time of between 10 and 13 weeks to process a routine application.
Things are even worse for those who apply by mail, which can take an additional four weeks. This means that if you apply on April 1st, you may not see them until mid-August or later.
Even an expedited order, which is offered at $60 more than a regular order, will likely take seven to nine weeks.
Americans hoping to travel after the pandemic would do well to prepare their passports, because they may have to wait up to four months to renew them. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called it an ‘unprecedented’ demand
Even Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified before Congress in March on the issue, calling the demand for new passports “unprecedented.” WHJG mentioned.
His department, which has opened a federal task force on the issue, is trying to hire more staff, pay overtime and open satellite offices, but delays remain.
In fact, American experts warn that if they want to travel in 2024, they need to work on renewal now.
“The only way you can really deal with this is to move past the problem,” said Charles Leucha, president of the nonprofit Travelers United. CNBC.
While the State Department swells, they still have a ways to go before they get back to where they were from a pre-pandemic employment perspective.
Blinken said weekly passport applications are up 30 to 40 percent from year to year.
He added that the ministry received half a million requests per week at times during the winter season, breaking records and exceeding the expectations of the State Department.
The problem is compounded because applicants have to send in their expired passports. Even if it had not expired, it would obviously not be possible to use it.
As the State Department ramps up, they still have a ways to go before they get back to where they were from a pre-pandemic employment perspective to meet passport applications.
The State Department has set a waiting time of between 10 and 13 weeks to process a routine application
The problem is compounded because applicants have to send in their expired passports. Even if it had not expired, it would obviously not be possible to use it
It is more difficult if you are traveling to different countries in Europe and you need a US passport to be valid for at least 90 days after the end of your trip. In some Asian and Middle Eastern countries, it is up to six months.
Even if you don’t have a trip on the books yet, but your passport is going to expire sometime in the first half of 2024, I would absolutely renew it now, said Sally French, NerdWallet travel expert.
Experts like French and Leocha urge Americans to be prepared in advance.
Americans worried about wait times, Leocha said, “should go straight to the passport office here in the United States and see if they can do it ahead of time.”
However, you may have to wait.
“The problem is that it doesn’t help you today,” Leocha added. “You have to plan ahead.”
