There is little worse than buying the tickets for a long-awaited trip abroad, starting to pack one's suitcase and then realizing that your passport has expired with the trip in just a few days.
One study done by the YouGov and TheEconomist found that only 37% of Americans have a valid U.S. passport while another 20% have one that is expired or otherwise invalid.
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While those numbers can make it seem like only a small percentage of Americans travel abroad at all, there has been a massive uptick in post-pandemic travel.
Long Passport Wait Times
Even two years after most nations have opened up their borders to international visitors, many are still taking trips put off for years amid covid-19 as well as simply taking advantage of the historically popular summer period — flight bookings and airfare to most major European cities are now at a five-year high while unparalleled crowds are testing the infrastructure of everything from airports to popular tourist spots.
Those needing a new passport in the U.S. will also have to deal with longer processing times. Back in March, the State Department released a note saying that those applying for a passport can expect to wait 10 to 13 weeks for regular processing or seven to nine weeks for expedited service for an additional $60.
"Processing times are cyclical and rise and fall based on seasonal demand," the State Department's office said in a statement. "However, the volume of applications we have received during periods this year has outpaced records set by last year’s volume by more than 30%."
The situation has not improved by July, as per an update provided by the government agency. Those applying for a passport now can still expect to wait 10 to 13 or seven to nine weeks depending on whether one pays to expedite — during less busy periods in the past, travelers could expect to get a passport within six weeks.
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According to numbers from the State Department, the government agency processed a record number of 21,995,760 passports in 2022. Even Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a House of Representatives subcommittee that this type of demand was "unprecedented" earlier this year.
Another important thing to consider is that the countdown does not begin when one sends in the application but when it is received by the passport office — those planning a trip soon also need to take potential delays into consideration if sending it in the mail instead of applying in person (this is only an option when renewing rather than applying for a new passport.)
"We are working hard to get back to our pre-pandemic processing times by the end of calendar year 2023," the State Department said. "We will update our website with the current processing times as we make progress towards this goal."
For those who want to be safe against needing to cancel any travel reservations, the State Department advises those who need a new passport to apply at least six months before planned travel.
There is the option of requesting an "emergency appointment" at the passport office — to qualify, one would need to have both a purchased travel ticket within 14 days and an urgent travel need (often related to health emergencies or compassionate situations).
For everybody else, one other option could be calling the local passport office to see if there are any last-minute appointment cancellations — some desperate travelers reported squeezing in a last-minute spot this way.
