INDIANA – The State Department says it is not expecting to reduce passport processing times to pre-pandemic levels until the end of the year.
This comes as many frustrated travelers have had their summer plans disrupted by having to factor in months of waiting to get a new passport before going abroad.
In March, the agency increased the processing time for new passports to 10 to 13 weeks for routine processing, and seven to nine weeks for expedited processing, which costs an additional $60.
The wait time before the pandemic was two to three weeks for expedited cases and six to eight weeks for routine passport applications.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress earlier this year that the department is “getting 500,000 applications a week for passports,” which is around 40% more applicants this year than last year.
