Passport Processing Times Have Returned to Normal: State Department

After years of long waits, Americans can expect their passports to arrive in a more timely fashion from now on. “Passport processing times have returned to our pre-pandemic norm. As of December 18, 2023, passport applications will be processed within 6-8 weeks for routine service and 2-3 weeks for expedited service,” the State Department said in a statement. Historic numbers of passport applications have been filed in the last year. “Between October 2022 and September 2023 (the federal fiscal year), the Department of State issued over 24 million passport books and cards,” the department stated. Americans have experienced long waiting times for their passport applications and renewals since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rachel Arndt, deputy assistant secretary for passport services at the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, admitted in July 2021 during a briefing on passport processing times that it took up to 18 weeks to get a new passport or renew one....