Americans will need to wait more than FOUR MONTHS for passport renewals as backlog grows due to ‘pent up wanderlust’
- The State Department has put the wait time between 10 and 13 weeks
- Those who apply by mail could wait an additional four weeks
- Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called the demand ‘unprecedented’
Americans hoping to get in some post-pandemic travel had better have their passport set up, because they may have to wait up to four months to have it renewed.
The US State Department has been dealing with a backlog of passports in recent months caused by pent-up demand after years in which travel restrictions and pandemic uncertainty kept folks at home.
The State Department has put the wait time between 10 and 13 weeks to process a routine application.
Things are worse for those who apply by mail, which could go an additional four weeks. That means if you applied on April 1, you might not see it until mid-August or later.
Even an expedited application, which is offered at $60 more than a regular one, is likely to take seven to nine weeks.
Americans hoping to get in some post-pandemic travel had better have their passport set up, because they may have to wait up to four months to have it renewed. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called he demand ‘unprecedented’
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken even testified before Congress in March about the issue, calling the demand for new passports ‘unprecedented,’ WHJG reported.
His department – which has opened a federal task force on the matter – has been trying to make more hires, pay overtime and open satellite offices but delays remain.
In fact, experts are warning Americans that if they want to travel in 2024, they need to get working on renewal now.
‘The only way you can really deal with this is to get ahead of the problem,’ said Charles Leocha, chairman of non-profit Travelers United, told CNBC.
While the State Department is bulking up, they still have a ways to go before they get back to where they were at from a staffing perspective prior to the pandemic.
Blinken said that weekly applications for passports have gone up 30 to 40 percent from year-to-year.
He added that the department got a half million applications per week at times over the winter, smashing records and outpacing the State Department’s own projections.
The problem is exasperated because applicants have to send in their expiring passports. Even if they haven’t expired, they obviously would not be able to use them.
While the State Department is bulking up, they still have a ways to go before they get back to where they were at from a staffing perspective prior to the pandemic to fulfill passport requests
The State Department has put the wait time between 10 and 13 weeks to process a routine application
The problem is exasperated because applicants have to send in their expiring passports. Even if they haven’t expired, they obviously would not be able to use them
It’s more difficult if you’re traveling to various countries in Europe that 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’s as much as 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’d absolutely just renew it now,’ said Sally French, a travel expert at NerdWallet.
Experts like French and Leocha are imploring Americans to be prepared in advance.
Leocha said that Americans worried about wait times ‘should go directly to a passport office here in the U.S. and see if they can get it done earlier.’
That said, you still may have to wait.
‘The problem is, that doesn’t help you today,’ Leocha added. ‘You’ve got to plan ahead.’
