A passport is your ticket to travel abroad, and a record number of Americans are planning to travel abroad this year.
But record demand for passport renewals has led to historic backlogs at U.S. Department of State consular offices around the country.
Some travelers need to book a second trip separately just to renew their passport in time.
Like Meredith Adler in Chicago, she was planning a sunny vacation with friends in Mexico this month.
All she needed was a passport renewal.
“Overall, I probably called [the State Department] 70 to 80 times,” Adler explains.
Adler said he applied in January and paid for expedited processing to ensure he got a renewed passport on time. But with only two weeks left before takeoff, Adler still didn’t have it, and his fears began to subside.
She says she quickly realized that booking an in-person update was her best bet. However, there were no appointments available in Chicago. According to Adler, a State Department official told him that getting an interview in Chicago was “like winning the lottery.”
“They offered me reservations in New Orleans, Dallas, or Denver,” Adler explained.
The problems resulting from this historic backlog were highlighted by Secretary of State Antony Brinken at a House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing last month.
Brinken said the State Department is facing “unprecedented demand”, receiving an average of 500,000 passport applications per week, 30 to 40 percent more this year than last year.
For regular passports, Americans wait 10 to 13 weeks, and for expedited passports it takes seven to nine weeks, Brinken explained.
When international travel stalled during the pandemic, the State Department redeployed or fired passport staff. We are currently hiring more staff to meet that demand.
John Hoban, Customer Service Manager, Chicago Passport Agency, US Department of State, said: “We are significantly increasing our capacity to meet this demand.”
If you plan to travel outside the United States in the near future or during the year, travel experts recommend checking your passport expiration date immediately.
If you need to renew your passport, start the process early. Some experts suggest that travelers wait to book flights and hotels until they have an updated passport.
“Early rises get the worms,” says travel expert Scott Keyes. “If you think you’re likely to travel internationally in the next five, six, or seven years, it would be in your personal interest to apply for that passport now.”
If a traveler paid for expedited processing but was not processed on time by the Department of State, a spokeswoman confirmed that the additional fee may be refunded.
For more information on refund requirements and how to apply, click here.
With no plans in Chicago, Adler drove to Detroit, Michigan. It proved successful because of the promise to renew her passport.
It wasn’t an easy journey, but she and her friends made it to Mexico City.
“It was just like a moment of panic,” Adler said of the situation. “Anyway, please renew soon. Mine expired in October and I wish I had done it sooner.”
