Many Destinations around the world require at least six months of validity on passport and space for new entry and exit stamps. The wait times for both new and renewal passport applications are currently longer than usual for Americans.
“Currently, our wait time for both new and renewal routine passport applications can be up to 18 weeks, and that includes our processing time, the initial internal intake of the applications, and mailing,” Deputy Assistant Secretary for Passport Services Rachel Arndt told reporters on a call. She said wait times for expedited passports — which cost a $60 fee — are up to 12 weeks.
Arndt went on to note that, “people who submit new passport applications right now will not get their new passport until well into the fall. Last-minute passport appointments are extremely limited. U.S. citizens who wish to travel overseas this summer and do not currently have a passport may need to make alternate travel plans”.
She also made clear that the backlog of passport applications “currently is somewhere in the range of a million and a half to 2 million applications.”
The current issues with passport processing were attributed to the coronavirus pandemic, noting that “the pandemic’s disruptions continue to have a ripple effect on all steps of the passport process, including the amount of time it currently takes us to process a passport application.”
Arndt warned about scams selling passport appointments online, “The department is not affiliated with any third-party appointment booking services, and we’ve seen numerous instances of falsified appointment bookings through these vendors”. The Department of State does not charge a fee to solely book an emergency appointment at their agencies or centers, so if anyone receives a request for payment for scheduling a US passport appointment, that should be considered fraudulent.”
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