High demand leading to lengthy delays for passports

The U.S. State Department advised, because of "unprecedented demand", it is taking an estimated to 10 to 13 weeks to process routine passport applications.

Per the department's website, www.travel.state.gov, all Americans are encouraged to check their passport expiration date before making any definitive plans for international travel and to take action to renew their passport well in advance of planned departure dates.

The site also stated expedited applications may take up to seven to nine weeks to process, and neither estimate includes mailing times.

Jeff Seyer, the main passport agent at Cape Girardeau post office, said after a customer's application materials are compiled, they are sent to a central office in Philadelphia and can take another five to 10 business days added on top of the processing times.

When COVID-19 international travel restrictions were lifted, the number of applications for passports increased, and the department's website stated demand is on track to set the highest record, "far surpassing volumes seen during previous surges."

Seyer said, before COVID-19, the typical processing time was four to six weeks.

He said his office has already mailed out 529 applications since January. By comparison, they sent off a total of 691 in all of 2022.

Linda Bailiff, lead passport agent at the Cape Girardeau Public Library, said staff members have also seen an increase in passport applications. She said, in 2018, before COVID-19, the library sent off 715 applications for both new and renewal requests, but they have sent off 2,049 this year, as of June 12.

The U.S. State Department's website states the increased demand in turn increased workload resulting in passport team members "contributing tens of thousands of hours of overtime a month." The department is addressing the increased workload by "aggressively" recruiting and hiring.

Both Seyer and Bailiff noted January through April are typically the busiest time of year for passport applications. They said the demand has now begun to slow.

"I think a lot of people know now that there is no way they could get a passport in time to travel this summer," Seyer said. "It has kind of trickled down to maybe, at the most, three to four on most days, and then there's some days that we don't even have any people coming in."

Bailiff said people need to be patient, and while there's not much they can do to speed up the process, they can do things to avoid adding delays. She advised paying fees by money order rather than a personal check.

"Because, in my mind, they won't start production until they get their money," Bailiff said. "They don't have to wait for a money order to clear the bank like they do with a check, which can add another week or so to the process."

Bailiff also advised people making plans for international travel to apply as soon as possible and wait to receive their passport before they spend a lot of money on a trip.

"The government is the government, and they're gonna do what they're gonna do," Bailiff said. "So, if you can avoid waiting till the last minute, you may save yourself from losing money on an expensive vacation because your passport came too late."