YESTERDAY ’ S NEWS
PASSPORT PROCESSING WOES
Incredible demand has the U . S . Department of State struggling to keep up with passport requests .
WORDS / JENNA BUEGE
EVGENIA PARAJANIAN / SHUTTERSTOCK . COM
If it feels like more people are traveling internationally than ever , it ’ s because — in comparison to the last several years — they are . According to March 2023 data from the U . S . Department of State ( DOS ), the DOS receives an average of 500,000 U . S . passport applications a week — a 30 to 40 % uptick from what the department received in 2022 .
The surge is wild , and the DOS is doing its best to cope . “ Historically , the demand ’ s been cyclical , the busy season is kind of March to late summer . Basically , it ’ s full-time now ,” said U . S . Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a March 2023 Budget Hearing . “ We ’ ve hired staff to increase the adjudicative capacity … we ’ ve got the customer service , phone lines manned , we have more people in the pipeline and that ’ s also reflected in the budget .”
PROCESSING TIMES ARE UP Despite the DOS ’ best efforts , keeping up with the demand has been a struggle . And with wait times averaging 10 to 13 weeks for routine applications ( as compared to what was previously four to eight weeks ) and seven to nine weeks for expedited applications ( previously anywhere from a few days to as little as 24 hours ), travelers aren ’ t happy .
“ We encourage all Americans to check their passport expiration date before making any definitive plans for international travel , and to take action to renew their passport well in advance of international travel this year ,” said the DOS in a March 2023 statement on its website .
And don ’ t forget , processing times don ’ t start at the time of mailing . Instead , they begin after the DOS receives an application at a passport agency center , something that can take up to two additional weeks
84 / THE COMPASS / SUMMER 2023 vaxvacationaccess . com / thecompass