Need a passport? How long will it take to receive new passport, renewal?
If you are planning to travel and need a passport, be prepared to wait.
The current processing time for passports is 10-13 weeks for routine processing, according to the U.S. Department of State website. Expedited processing, which costs an extra $60, takes 7-9 weeks.
Those estimates don’t include the time it takes for the department to receive your application.
So how early should you apply? A State Department official told NBC News travelers should submit their passport applications at least six months before their scheduled departure date.
Adding to the planning issues is that some countries require passports be valid at least six months beyond the person’s trip. To find out what your destination requires, you should check the country-specific information pages here.
According to NBC News, the state department is receiving about 400,000 passport applications every week following higher-than-normal volumes in January through May that saw some 500,000 applications per week being submitted. Those figures are more than double the same point in fiscal 2022 when many countries were limited travel due to the COVID pandemic.
People with urgent travel needs are advised to contact the State Department directly.