The State Department declared on Monday that the processing times for US passport applications have reverted to pre-pandemic norms. Regular passport applications are presently being handled within 6 to 8 weeks, while expedited services, incurring an extra cost of $60, are completed in 2 to 3 weeks, as per the department’s announcement.
In a statement, the department expressed satisfaction in meeting their commitment to returning to the processing benchmarks set in March 2020, attributing this achievement to the hard work of dedicated employees serving the American people.
Earlier this year, a combination of lingering pandemic-related factors and a surge in overseas travel had disrupted passport processing times, causing disruptions for many applicants. As of July, routine processing times had extended to 10 to 13 weeks, with expedited processing taking 7 to 9 weeks. During some weeks in the summer, the department received as many as 400,000 applications.
A spokesperson for the department revealed that staffing levels had increased by 12% since December 2022, with hundreds of additional staff in the hiring process. Department employees have contributed tens of thousands of overtime hours each month, with 30,000 to 40,000 overtime hours authorized monthly from January 2023 through October 2023. To address the surge in applications, the department also mobilized volunteers from various teams, including retirees and new hires, who assisted in passport adjudication before being assigned to other duties.
Currently, nearly 48% of Americans possess a valid US passport, a significant increase from the 5% in 1990. The total number of valid U.S. passports in circulation has exceeded 160 million, almost double the amount recorded in 2007.
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