Wages says that in researching how to get appointments online in their attempt to continue with their Costa Rica trip, they discovered users on Reddit who would post appointments for sale-starting around $200-as soon as someone canceled or more spots opened up. This summer, appointments at these centers were so scarce, and in such high demand, that some who were able to secure one began selling them illegally to other travelers. The only way to schedule an appointment currently is to call the National Passport Information Center. According to an official, the State Department is working to increase the number of available appointments at public passport agencies and centers. Or, the agent may ask you to return at a specific time to receive it, depending on the agency, their workload, and the date of anticipated travel. If you are able to get an in-person appointment at one of the government’s 29 passport agencies or centers in the country, a passport agent will review your application and potentially issue a passport on the spot, if you’re eligible for one. “However, we wouldn’t count on this unless it’s a last resort,” Spence says. Any travelers who can provide proof of necessary urgent travel, such as life-or-death emergencies, or can show that their trip is within 72 hours, are given the chance to score an in-person appointment to renew their passport quickly. While that’s not exactly fast, “ may well be worth if you have impending travel plans,” says Spence. What about the government’s expedited service?Įxpedited passport processing ($60) is currently taking around five to seven weeks. Reasonably, it makes sense to factor in at least one more week to passport processing times when considering door-to-door timeframe for passport renewal. While USPS states that standard delivery for Priority Mail is one to three business days, it’s not guaranteed. Therefore, processing times do not take mailing times to and from passport offices into account. Processing times begin the day your passport is received at a passport agency or center, not the day you apply for a passport, according to the official. It’s important to note the Department is no longer using door-to-door timeframes to describe routine or expedited service. Staff capacity at 29 domestic agencies and centers returned to pre-pandemic levels in late August, enabling faster processing. The same official asserts that staff is working “extensive overtime” at all passport locations, hiring additional contractors, and temporarily assigning additional staff to passport adjudication to help reduce processing times. “Nevertheless, with the recent resurgence in international travel and borders opening across the globe, we still suggest don’t wait, even if you’re planning to travel next year,” he adds.Īlthough spring and summer are typically peak seasons for passport renewals, a State Department official says they’re seeing “unusual volumes of applications” for this time of year, due to pent-up demand for travel as COVID restrictions ease. “We are hearing that with summer travel over, passport renewals are not taking as long as 18 weeks, as was the case back in July,” says John Spence, USA president for luxury tour operator Scott Dunn.
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