![]() But my favorite strategy is one almost no one has mentioned in the voluminous coverage of America's passport crisis. I'll also tell you how Park got his wife's passport. Turns out there are a lot of ways to get around the passport logjam, from using a courier service to expediting your passport to contacting your elected representative. ![]() ![]() "We've also increased the number of lines and people available at the National Passport Information Center and will continue to increase capacity and hours to handle the influx of calls we are receiving."īut you can still get a passport for this summer. "Our staff is working thousands of hours of overtime," said Rachel Arndt, deputy assistant secretary for passport services. But travelers and passport experts say it can drag on for 15 to 18 weeks once you take mailing times into account. It takes 10 to 13 weeks to process a passport application, according to the State Department. The government also has paused its pilot online renewal system to fine-tune it, which some observers say has created a bigger passport backlog. The State Department is on track to break that record this fiscal year. In 2022, the government issued nearly 22 million passports. But the COVID-19 pandemic, plus an unprecedented demand for passports, has extended those waiting times. Usually, processing a passport application or renewal takes only a few weeks. But don't tell anyone! Why does it take so long to get a passport? Each issue is filled with breaking news, deep insights, and exclusive strategies for becoming a better traveler. So they joined thousands of Americans scrambling to get passports during a time of record delays.Ĭheck out Elliott Confidential, the newsletter the travel industry doesn't want you to read. With just two months before they were supposed to leave for Canada, the Parks didn't have enough time to renew the expired passport by mail. ![]() "But then I realized that my wife's passport had expired," said Park, a human resources manager from Washington. Richard's passport had another year on it. You can pay for these additional services in your account up until the time that your application is approved.Richard and Stephanie Park waited too long to get their passports.Īfter booking airline tickets from Washington, D.C., to Montreal, they checked their travel documents. If you renewed online, you can login to your MyTravelGov account and upgrade to expedited service or pay for 1-2 delivery service of your completed passport book. The National Passport Information Center will email you additional information about how to upgrade your application to expedited service or 1-2 day delivery. You’ll need either your application number or your last name and date of birth. If you applied in person or renewed by mail, call the National Passport Information Center at 1-87 ( 1-88 TDD/TTY) and ask to upgrade your application service type. One-to-two day delivery is not available for passport cards. You can upgrade your application from routine processing to expedited processing for an additional $60. You may also choose to add a 1-2 delivery service of your completed passport book for an additional $19.53.
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