This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Emily Crider . It has been edited for length and clarity.
Current passport processing times reach pre-pandemic estimates
15.02.2024 - 16:15 / thepointsguy.com
If you are in the market to renew your passport in the coming weeks or months, the U.S. Department of State currently estimates six to eight weeks for both new passports and renewals, down from nine to 11 weeks. Expedited service is currently expected within two to three weeks, decreased from five to seven weeks.
"The Department of State is committed to providing the best possible service for our passport customers while upholding strict national security standards," a State Department spokesperson said via email. "While we are issuing more passports than ever before, we are also lowering passport processing times."
Not only does the State Department advise travelers to renew their passports a minimum of six months before planned travel, but most countries require visitors' passports to be valid for six months at the time of travel. Be sure to check the requirements of each specific country since some require validity to be six months from the date of entry while others state six months of validity from the date of intended departure.
"As of December 18, 2023, passport processing times are 6-8 weeks for routine service and 2-3 weeks for expedited service," the State Department spokesperson said. "With this update, we have returned to our pre-pandemic processing times from March 2020."
Quoted wait times do not include mailing times, which may contribute an additional few weeks to the door-to-door time it takes to receive your passport.
Remember that you can also pay an additional $60 to expedite your application for slightly faster service within five to seven weeks.
During the coronavirus pandemic, passport demand soared, leading to a backlog of applications and longer-than-average wait times across the board for some U.S. government agency services, including passport services. The four Trusted Traveler programs run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, Nexus and Sentri) were also affected, though to a lesser degree.
As of late 2023, the agency has closed the pandemic backlog.
"This past year, the Department experienced unprecedented demand for passports," the State Department spokesperson said. "Between October 2022 and September 2023, the Department of State issued over 24 million passport books and cards - the highest amount ever in our nation's history. There are now over 160 million valid U.S. passports in circulation (nearly double the amount from 2007). In 1990, only 5% of Americans had a passport; today, that number is 48%."
For urgent international travel, you can attempt to make an in-person appointment for two circumstances:
Life-or-Death Emergency and Urgent Travel appointments can only be made via phone.
Online passport renewal remains unavailable as the
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