by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:45 AM ET, Tue August 1, 2023
The U.S. State Department’s passport wait times are ballooning to thirteen weeks’ wait as Americans continue in a surge of passport applications and renewals that have numbers on average 430,000 per week.
According to CBS News, the country already issued 22 million passports in 2022 alone. That surge is only growing in 2023.
Those who expedite renewals and applications aren’t receiving them in a timely manner, either, despite the $60 expediting fee. It may take anywhere between seven and nine weeks to have an expedited passport shipped out to the applicant’s home, but the State Department also notes that it may take up to two weeks for the passport to arrive at the applicant’s home, leaving the total wait time up to eleven weeks.
Combine these difficulties with a still-strong last-minute travel demand and record-breaking demand for international travel and it’s understandable to see why the issue is growing.
According to the State Department, the difficulties began during the end of the pandemic, when staffing shortages that are still an epidemic in the Passport Office were unable to keep up with a new surge in passport renewals and applications as travelers began regaining confidence.
While there are some options for travelers who haven’t received their passports in a timely manner, it’s likely too late to apply for a passport for travel in 2023. It’s also not recommended to wait on a passport application or renewal for travel in 2024.
While traveling abroad, a passport should have an expiration date at least six months from the return date of a trip: travelers should be aware of this before traveling.
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