Dear Tammy: I recently heard that it's more difficult for travelers to renew or get a new passport during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Is this true?
Tammy: Yes, it's true. Starting back in March, Travel.State.Gov announced they would be significantly reducing their passport operations in order to help protect people from getting the virus. I'm thinking this is going to be another hurdle that we'll have to overcome post-COVID-19, as this can definitely be a problem for travelers who are planning on traveling in 2021 and 2022!
Recently, one of my clients wanted to travel for her and her husband's upcoming anniversary, yet she didn't realize that her husband's passport expired in June. Because there's a temporary suspension on the expedited processing of passports right now, they weren't able to travel to their international destination.
Passport agencies and centers are currently resuming their normal operations in stages, of which there are three different parts. As of the first week of September, 15 passport agencies and centers were in stage one, and another 11 were in phase two.
Phase one means that only people who need a passport for emergency reasons are prioritized, and you must make an appointment to be seen. Stage two is a time when employees will start to return. Stage three is when everyone returns to work, and once all agencies and centers are in this stage, expedited passport services will return. Everyone must wear a mask and abide by social distancing guidelines when walking into an agency or center to renew or get a new passport.
This makes it essential for all travelers to know exactly when their passport will be expiring, as well as to realize whether or not they're going to need a passport during their travels over the next few years. My passport is expiring in 2022, and I'm going to attempt to renew it in the middle of next year.
I'm advising every traveler who needs a passport when traveling to look into their renewing options at least one year in advance. This way, travelers don't have to worry about whether or not they need to renew their passport when getting ready to travel outside of the country.
Agents are encouraged to keep current on passport renewal information in order to keep their clients well informed. And understand that dealing with any refunds due to an expired passport is something to avoid!
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