If you need a new passport, the State Department recommends applying 6 months in advance

Passport processing times have been a prominent topic of conversation leading up to and during the hectic travel season this summer. Demand for international travel doesn’t seem to be waning anytime soon, and the State Department, unfortunately, has been having a difficult time keeping up.

In a recent update from the State Department, travelers are being advised to submit their passport applications at least six months in advance of their departure dates. In an email obtained by NBC News, a State Department official said that routine processing times for passports range from 10 to 13 weeks. Expedited processing – which costs an extra $60 – takes seven to nine weeks.

These estimated times do not account for the time it takes an application to travel through the mail, but rather when the State Department receives that application, notes the official.

Some countries do require that passports be valid for at least six months, so the State Departments implores travelers to look into the country-specific information on its website to learn more about the entry and exit requirements for the specific country they are traveling to, as well as other pertinent information.

The agency does assure that in the “vast majority of cases” it is adhering to those processing times and, at times, getting customers their passports even earlier. Despite this, the demand for passports is still high and travelers are recommended to review processing times on travel.state.gov prior to making travel plans, specifically non-refundable ones.

Nearly 400,000 passport applications make their way to the State Department every week, a decline from the 500,000 the agency received from January through May. In some weeks, twice as many applications are denoted as pending compared to the same time in fiscal year 2022. Because of those irregularities, the State Department cannot give an overall backlog number. There are hopes to return to pre-pandemic processing times by the time 2023 comes to a close, said the official.

Approximately two million applications are projected to be processed this fiscal year compared to the previous period, which was one year before the pandemic.

“Revenge travel” is still prominent in 2023, which has caused an increased volume in air travelers. The Transportation Security Administration reported that 2,884,683 travelers flew on the Friday of Fourth of July weekend, which trumped the former record of 2,882,915 on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend in 2019. Travel insurance company Allianz Partners USA predicts that Americans will spend $214 billion on vacations this summer.

The State Department official advises that people who have not applied for a passport should refrain from calling the agency for urgent travel appointments more than 14 days prior to their travel dates. Travelers who need visas for urgent travel are an exception to this rule, however, and should call within 28 days of travel to schedule an appointment.

Travelers who have to travel within 14 days are advised to call the National Passport information Center. Appointments are limited and availability is not guaranteed, notes the official.

People who still have pending applications and travel within five days should call 1-877-487-2778 to check appointment availability.

Roshae Hemmings is an arts and culture magazine journalist from St. Louis, MO. A graduate from the Missouri School of Journalism, Roshae has bylines in the Columbia Missourian, Vox Magazine and 5280 Magazine discussing topics ranging from pop culture, social justice and eat and drink. She is a foodie at heart and enjoys eating food as much as learning about the story behind it. You can reach Roshae via email at roshaehemmings@detourxp.com.

This story was originally published July 10, 2023 at 7:50 PM.