If you are in the market to renew your passport in the coming weeks or months, the U.S. Department of State currently estimates six to eight weeks for both new passports and renewals, down from nine to 11 weeks. Expedited service is currently expected within two to three weeks, decreased from five to seven weeks.
“The Department of State is committed to providing the best possible service for our passport customers while upholding strict national security standards,” a State Department spokesperson said via email. “While we are issuing more passports than ever before, we are also lowering passport processing times.”
Not only does the State Department advise travelers to renew their passports a minimum of six months before planned travel, but most countries require visitors’ passports to be valid for six months at the time of travel. Be sure to check the requirements of each specific country since some require validity to be six months from the date of entry while others state six months of validity from the date of intended departure.
Current processing times
“As of December 18, 2023, passport processing times are 6-8 weeks for routine service and 2-3 weeks for expedited service,” the State Department spokesperson said. “With this update, we have returned to our pre-pandemic processing times from March 2020.”
Quoted wait times do not include mailing times, which may contribute an additional few weeks to the door-to-door time it takes to receive your passport.
Remember that you can also pay an additional $60 to expedite your application for slightly faster service within five to seven weeks.
During the coronavirus pandemic, passport demand soared, leading to a backlog of applications and longer-than-average wait times across the board for some U.S. government agency services, including passport services. The four Trusted Traveler programs run by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, Nexus and Sentri) were also affected, though to a lesser degree.
As of late 2023, the agency has closed the pandemic backlog.
“This past year, the Department experienced unprecedented demand for passports,” the State Department spokesperson said. “Between October 2022 and September 2023, the Department of State issued over 24 million passport books and cards – the highest amount ever in our nation’s history. There are now over 160 million valid U.S. passports in circulation (nearly double the amount from 2007). In 1990, only 5% of Americans had a passport; today, that number is 48%.”
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Other things to know
For urgent international travel, you can attempt to make an in-person appointment for two circumstances:
- For emergency circumstances — such as a death — requiring travel within 72 hours or three business days. You must provide proof of a qualifying incident.
- For non-emergency travel within 14 days or if you need a foreign visa within 28 calendar days. You must provide proof of travel.
Life-or-Death Emergency and Urgent Travel appointments can only be made via phone.
Online passport renewal remains unavailable as the agency implements customer feedback to improve the process.
“Since the conclusion of the Online Passport Renewal pilot last year, we have been working to incorporate user feedback and apply lessons learned from the pilot to improve the overall online renewal process,” the State Department spokesperson said. “We expect to re-launch in a limited capacity later this year.”
Once launched, the agency expects 5 million customers to renew their passports online, roughly 25% of all applications received.
Our recent passport renewal experiences
Several TPG staff members who recently renewed their passports have reported quicker-than-anticipated turnaround times.
“I renewed mine in January, and it took 10 days total,” said TPG credit cards editor Daisy Hernandez.
Not only did TPG senior video editor Jon Maxwell renew his passport, he also applied for a first-time passport for his baby in November, both of which arrived in roughly a month.
Similarly, TPG vice president of marketing Becca Manheimer said her baby’s new passport came in less than two weeks via expedited service.
“Similar experience as Becca — I renewed my daughter’s passport in January using expedited processing,” recalled TPG director Nick Ewen. “Appointment at the office was on Jan. 18, and I got the new one back in the mail on Jan. 29.”
Bottom line
Regardless of your travel plans, submit your passport as early as possible for processing — six to nine months in advance of expiration and/or travel plans.
The State Department regularly updates its website with the latest passport processing times for travelers.
“We continue to advise travelers to carefully review the current passport processing times … before making any definite or nonrefundable travel plans,” the State Department official said.
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