Do you need a new or renewed US passport? Prepare to wait

A Bay Area family of six had everything prepared for their trip to France at the end of June, except renewing one of their children's passports. They booked their flights and accommodation in April and got a passport appointment in May, paying for expedited service. But a week before the trip, her son's passport had still not arrived.

They began making daily calls to the U.S. State Department, which issues and renews passports, but could not reach anyone.

It wasn't until they saw posts on local Facebook groups that they realized there was a delay in domestic passport appointments. And it wasn't until four days before their trip that they learned of a potentially risky way to fix the delay.

Why is there a delay in passports?

Andrés Rodríguez, senior community relations officer for the State Department's passport services, said the delay in passports is a result of the pandemic's effect on travel.

During the pandemic, the usual number of expired passport renewals and new applications decreased significantly due to travel restrictions. As restrictions eased and travel resumed, requests increased. Many people whose passports had expired applied for renewal, and a considerable number of people who had never before obtained a passport also applied for the first time.

As of March 24, 2023, the latest data available, passport processing times were 10 to 13 weeks and expedited service was taking seven to nine weeks.

Processing times include the time a person's application spends at passport agencies or centers, excluding any additional time required for mailing.

The department receives approximately 400,000 passport applications per week, up from 500,000 at the beginning of the year. More than 22 million passports were issued last year and the department is on track to surpass that number this year.

According to the State Department, limited appointments are available at passport agencies and the department prioritizes life-or-death emergencies.

What is the State Department doing to reduce the backlog?

They are increasing overtime for all network employees, hiring more passport specialists to handle the manual paper process and using a satellite agency in Washington, DC, to help with renewal applications.

Rodriguez said the key to long-term improvement is to modernize the system, rather than relying on more overtime, which is why the State Department piloted an online passport renewal system in February 2022. The system offered applicants an easy-to-use portal to create profiles. , upload documents and photos, make payments and renew your passports without the need for paper submissions.

This pilot version processed around 500,000 applications before being temporarily withdrawn for system improvements in March 2023. The plan is to reintroduce the system by the end of the year, giving the public a more efficient and convenient option to renew passports online.

Congressional representatives are trying to help with the passport delay

Congressional staff are also fighting to help their constituents receive their passports on time.

The office of Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles) has handled more than 250 passport cases since June. Gomez staff has helped more than 400 people receive passports, both through the office and at two passport fairs, one in April and one in July.

The passport fairs, held over a four-hour period, provided people with passport renewal services and new applications. The events featured representatives from Gómez's office and the United States Postal Service, who offered assistance in Korean, Spanish and English.

At the April fair, 120 appointment slots were available and a total of 209 passport applications were submitted. The July 23 event, held at the Eagle Rock Post Office, had about 210 spaces and helped more than 250 people with their passport needs. There is now a waiting list with more than 100 people hoping to participate in the next fair, which Gómez plans to organize in September.

“I wanted to do this as a service to my district and as a means to reach constituents, because it has been a number one issue in my office for constituents for at least the last year or more,” Gomez said.

Gomez said that since the backlog has built up over a two-year period, it will likely take a couple more years to fully catch up.

How the passport backlog has affected people

Feeling increasingly desperate, the Bay Area family planning a trip to France tried contacting local politicians to get a passport appointment and they were able to get one, but it was six days after their scheduled flight. And it was in Denver.

They also visited a local passport office several times, but faced constant rejection. They could only receive help if they had previously made an appointment by phone.

Four days before their trip, the parents of the Bay Area family took the day off to return to the local passport office. They say a security guard informed them that they could not be allowed in unless they forged a letter from the hospital in their destination country, pretending they had a medical emergency.

They tried, but were caught.

But in line, Andrea, the mother of the Bay Area family who agreed to speak to The Times if we didn't use her last name, fearing legal repercussions, met someone who managed to get a passport appointment at another state, through which Rodríguez, of the State Department, called an external expeditor.

Jokingly, Andrea told the person in line that she should probably get the appointment seller's number and scribbled it on an old receipt.

Faced with the prospect of having to cancel the family trip, the next day, Andrea paid $400 through Zelle to someone she had never met for a date in Tucson. The couple and Andrea's son traveled back and forth from the Bay Area to Tucson the day before their vacation and were able to renew their passports.

“We tried every trick up and down the book to make this happen,” Andrea said. “Ultimately, the cost of whoever this person was who was able to get us an appointment was much cheaper than all the costs we were going to incur to have to cancel or change all of our reservations, because no one would help us.”

Rodríguez said no one should have to pay for a service that the government provides for free.

“We advise people to first visit our website to learn about the processes we have in place, so that they are better informed about whether or not to pay a third party for passport services,” he said.

And give yourself plenty of extra time if you need a new or renewed passport.

Where can you make an appointment for your passport?

• Contact (877) 487-2778 to schedule a passport appointment with the Department of State. Remember that wait times can be long, so it is best to call right when the department opens or a little before to be in the call queue. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, 5 am to 7 pm Pacific Time, and Saturday and Sunday from 7 am to noon. The department is closed on federal holidays.
• Several post offices, libraries, and local government offices across the United States are hosting passport fairs. Most of these fairs are aimed at new customers and children who use the DS-11 form to submit their passport applications.
• More than 8,000 U.S. passport acceptance facilities, including post offices, libraries, and local government offices, submit applications for passport documents to the State Department. Don't confuse that with the 26 regional passport agencies where you can make an appointment only if you have booked travel within 14 calendar days or need a foreign visa within 28 calendar days.
• Find your district and congressional representative to request help with your passport application.
• Use a passport issuing service, such as PassportsandVisas.com, which has an office in Los Angeles. Courier or expediter services charge between $150 and $300 to handle and ship your passport application on your behalf. The services also have access to government-booked appointments to help care for disabled clients, those who cannot leave work or those who have children.

Is there a way to speed up the passport process?

• Make sure your passport is not expired before booking travel. Once you realize that your passport may expire soon, try to schedule an appointment.
• You can check the status of your application online. You can also sign up to receive email updates. Status updates may not be available in the first two weeks after you submit your application.
• If you have travel within two weeks, contact your local congressional representative to see if you can get expedited processing.
• Fee waivers for a replacement passport are available through the Disaster Recovery Reform Act if you lost your passport in a major disaster.