Dear friend,
Are you planning to travel outside the U.S. in the next six months? If yes, make sure a passport is part of your travel plans. Waiting too long to apply for or renew your passport could result in your travel plans not taking off on time.
With most travel restrictions lifted worldwide, Americans are traveling outside the U.S. at an increased rate. For example, the U.S. passport system is intended to handle 1.2 million passport applications monthly; however, three million were submitted during June 2023. This application surge has led to longer processing times and delays in receiving passports.
Currently, the routine processing time for a passport can take up to 13 weeks. The U.S. Department of State also notes that it may take up to two weeks for applications to arrive by mail at a passport center and up to two weeks for you to receive your new passport in the mail after it has been printed. For this reason, your passport may take four months from when you mail your application to when you receive it. If you need your passport sooner, you should opt for expedited processing, cutting the timeframe to three months and costing an additional $60. If your application has an issue, these times will likely increase.
Whether you select routine or expedited processing, all applicants are encouraged to pay an additional $19.53 for expedited delivery. This option gets your passport to you sooner once printed and provides you with tracking information for the shipment. Please remember that passport application documents will be sent back to you separately from your passport.
