What is the passport backlog?
Extra-long waits for a new or renewed passport are getting shorter. The State Department said Friday that routine processing of a passport application is now taking eight to 11 weeks. For expedited passports, the wait was up to 10 weeks. In July, the wait time was estimated at 12 to 18 weeks because of a giant backlog.
How long are passports taking to come back at the moment?
Gov.Uk website state that it takes 3 weeks to get a UK passport and also advise not to book any travel until your passport arrives which is good advice. As you can see from the average waiting times below the actual passport processing time is quite a bit quicker.
Why are passports delayed?
U.S. passport agencies maintained extremely limited operations as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were significant delays, application status could not even be checked online and people were encouraged to wait to apply until normal operations resumed absent life or death emergencies.
How long is the passport backlog?
The State Department says the backlog has now been whittled to about 800,000. Passport applications dropped during the pandemic, from 21 million in 2019, to just 11 million last year, then surged to about 15 million this year.
Why does US passport take so long?
As of September 16, 2021, routine passport processing times can take up to 18 weeks if you try and obtain your passport through the government. This is due to the number of passports that are backlogged. We can help you get a new passport in 7-10 business days and a passport renewal in as little as 7-10 business days.
Are passports being processed at the moment?
Nearly all Irish citizens can apply for first time passports and renewals online….Passport Online.
| Online application type | Current average turnaround times |
|---|---|
| Simple renewals | 10 Working Days |
| Complex renewals | 15 Working Days |
| First time applicants | 40 Working Days |
Why are passport processing times getting harder?
Passport processors are now chipping away at applications that have arrived since then. The slowdown caused by the pandemic hit passport operations particularly hard. Most State Department employees in the United States and overseas have been teleworking, but passports cannot be processed at home for security reasons.
What happened to the passport backlog during lockdown?
ArrowRight A large backlog of passport applications that was waiting to be processed when the Bureau of Consular Affairs, which also handles visas, went into lockdown in mid-March has been tackled. Passport processors are now chipping away at applications that have arrived since then.
When will passport processing resume in the US?
At long last, the U.S. Department of State finally announced that the processing of passports will gradually resume this summer. Since the shutdown in March, they’ve approached a backlog of nearly two million passports, both new applications and renewals, that need to be processed. On top of that, they receive another 9,000 applications every day.
What happens if your passport is lost in transit?
In the event an applicant’s passport does not reach him/her due to it being lost in transit, the applicant can apply for a Short Validity Passport. The passport would later be extended to a full term passport (10 year passport) on completion of certain formalities.