'Surge in requests,' U.S. passport delays a huge challenge for lawmakers, travel agents
BOSTON - The demand for international travel has hit an all-time high in 2023. One of the most obvious signs can be found in the ever-growing delays for U.S. passports.
The State Department said the processing time for a routine passport is 10 to 13 weeks. That time drops to 7 to 9 weeks if you pay to expedite it. Those times do not account for the shipping of applications or finalized passports.
Chloe Smith is a mother of two. She wanted to get her newborn, Hannah, a passport for a trip this fall.
"I was surprised how long the actual processing time was," Smith told WBZ-TV. The State Department requires an in-person application for newborn passports and Smith struggled to get an appointment.
"The appointments were so many weeks out that we ended up making an appointment in Warren, Rhode Island, when we were visiting my husband's family," she said.
Smith said she ultimately got her daughter's passport after more than three months.
For travel agents like Krissy Concannon, this backup is impacting day-to-day operations for clients.
"It has been a huge challenge over the last six months," said Concannon. "A lot of clients are applying or renewing their passports on time but are just running into significant delays. We have had so many scenarios of people who have almost missed their trip."
Concannon said she recommends clients apply for passports no later than four months before their trip. Even that timeline has proven not to be a guarantee.
Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss said his office has processed a "surge in requests."
He told WBZ they've had three times as many passport applications so far this year compared to all of 2022. Auchincloss said the problem lies in increased traveler demand and a State Department that finds itself overworked and underfunded.
"I also recognize that constituents don't want to have to call their member of Congress to get routine government work done," said Auchincloss. "In the near term, my office is here to help. In the long term, we need to properly fund the State Department so that they can process these routinely and expeditiously."
