The States Being Hit Hardest by Passport Delays

Travelers in California are experiencing the most frustration and concern related to passport processing delays this summer, according to new research from MarketWatch.

The MarketWatch Guides Team recently analyzed Google Trends and search engine data to find where travelers are most affected by passport delays in 2023. Experts analyzed as many as 10 terms relating to passport delays, including “passport renewal status,” "check passport status" and "get passport fast," among others.

After California, travelers in North Carolina, Georgia, Texas and Pennsylvania are having the hardest time procuring a valid travel document.

New York, Tennessee, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia round out the top 10 states conducting the most passport-related searches right now.

On the other end of the spectrum, people in Wyoming and the Dakotas are the least concerned about passport hangups, producing the lowest number of passport-related searches.

According to MarketWatch, 2023 has seen an above-average spike in passport search interest, with the number of passport-related searches increasing by 19 percent between January 2023 and July 2023.

The U.S. State Department issued a record 22 million passports last year and was receiving as many as 500,000 passport applications per week over the first half of 2023. The result has been delayed passport processing times up to 10 to 13 weeks and seven to nine weeks for travelers paying for expedited service.

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