It’s very important to get a passport before you travel this summer

A Congressional Budget Hearing on the State Department’s Pass Application Processing and Online Visa Processing Timeline for the Pre-pandemic Period of the COVID Pilot Program

The State Department is “getting 500,000 applications a week for passports,” which is 30 to 40% more applicants this year than last year, Blinken told a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing.

“We’ve hired staff to increase the adjudicative capacity to make sure that … we’ve got the customer service, phone lines manned, we have more people in the pipeline and that’s also reflected in the budget. He said that it was hugely important.

The headquarters has opened satellite offices and is organizing somecores to assist in processing times.

Americans who already have a passport soon will be able to renew it online. The pilot program was stopped to make sure that we can fine- tune it and improve it before we roll it out in a bigger way, but the majority of customers for passport renewal will be able to do so online once the program is up and running.

“I think it’s really important that we be as clear and transparent as possible with people who are looking for passports to know what they can expect,” he said.

On visas, the delays have begun to improve. The priority is the categories “for students, for temporary workers, for business travelers, maritime crews,” he said, noting, “we’ve tried to make sure that they are served and we are at pre-pandemic levels or better in those categories.”

“For visitor visas, the median global interview appointment wait time is two months, half of what it was a year ago,” he said, but added that the wait times are lower “in most places.”

The standard processing time for a passport is 10-13 weeks, and an expedited request takes about seven to nine weeks. Mailing time can take up to two weeks each way, so that’s not included.

“Processing times fluctuate throughout the year depending on demand and we anticipate that they will rise, especially as we approach the busier travel season,” according to a State Department news release.

During the pandemic, “demand went way down,” Blinken said, and the department pulled back the number of staff dedicated to processing passport and visa requests. “Emerging from COVID, we’ve had to build back.”

Nearly 50% of Americans are planning to travel in the next six months, as travel ramps up, according to the U.S. Travel Association. Travel spending and demand are over the pre-pandemic levels.

In the first seven months of the fiscal year, the department has issued 18% more non-immigrant visas compared to the same time in the prior year, a sign that we’re getting back to normal.