US PASSPORTS RENEWAL

 

U.S. Passport Renewal Processing Time Now 8 to 11 Weeks❗🛂

As the calendar turns towards spring, and demand for travel increases ahead of what is typically busier travel months, passport renewal is taking longer.

Late last week, the U.S. Department of State updated its processing time for passports, pushing the time it takes to get an expedited passport renewal from three to five weeks to five to seven weeks. Standard renewal is now at eight to 11 weeks, instead of six to nine weeks previously.

For reference, processing time begins the day the State dept. receives the application at an agency or center, not the day that the passport is mailed. That means that processing time for those using the mail might have several weeks added on to the door-to-door time it takes to get a new passport.

Those who are traveling with less time to spare are able to schedule an in-person appointment at a regional passport agency in order to expedite the process. Those appointments can be scheduled only via a phone call and only within 2 weeks of the travel date. Applicants will be required to provide proof of travel when making the appointment.

FOR YOUR INFO: THE REGIONAL OFFICES ARE: LOUISIANA & ATLANTA ⬆️⬆️⬆️

During the pandemic, wait times, at certain periods, were stretching into 18 weeks. Travel advisors speaking to TMR at the time said that the wait times were a major issue for clients, many of who were forced to cancel or postpone trips because of extended turnaround time.