The U.S. Department of State cut down the time it takes to process passports after facing criticism last year for delays.
“Today, the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs is reducing processing times for passports to 4–6 weeks, down from our prior commitment of 6–8 weeks,” the agency said in an Oct. 3 press release. It is applicable for paper and online applications. Citizens who require expedited services will continue to experience processing times of 2–3 weeks.
“This announcement comes after months of issuing passports well under the 6–8 week commitment and showcases our progress to continuously improve the efficiency, equity, and accessibility of the U.S. passport application process,” the department stated.
Last year, the agency’s processing times experienced delays after Americans started traveling in large numbers in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In August 2023, the department said it was taking 10–13 weeks for routine approvals and 7–9 weeks for expedited services, and the delays attracted criticism from lawmakers. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) wrote to the department at the time, urging the agency to address the issue.
During the January to July period last year, the senator’s office worked on more than 1,600 passport-related cases, up from just 43 cases during the same period in 2019 prior to the pandemic.
By Dec. 18, 2023, the agency had returned to its traditional 6–8 week processing times.
The same month, a group of lawmakers introduced the Passport System Reform and Backlog Prevention Act to address the issue of passport backlogs.
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