When you’re planning a trip abroad, there are so many elements to consider — Where is the dollar strong? How will you get around once you’re there? Is travel insurance worth it? Do you need to know any basic phrases in another language to get by? — that sometimes, it’s easy to forget you need to consider one key point: how long it takes to renew your passport.
The Department of State said in a press release in December that processing times are back to pre-pandemic levels. Keep in mind, though, that it's still a handful of weeks to get a renewed passport, as we'll get into the details below. This is a big change from last year, when the Department of State warned there were higher than average wait times to renew your passport.
Additionally, as of June, you can renew your passport online, which can eliminate a good amount of hassle.
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"Our dedicated staff have worked countless hours to reduce passport processing times," the State Department said in October. "We are investing in supporting and modernizing our technology, increased staffing levels by ten percent, and have hundreds of additional staff in the hiring pipeline. We remain focused on lowering processing times, and this reduction is an important first step."
You don’t want to waste dollars and miss out on the cost of your entire trip just because you were unable to get your passport back in time, so here’s what you need to consider when renewing a passport for your trip.
When you need to renew your passport
Passports expire after 10 years, so it’s not a process you’ll need to do particularly often. You should keep in mind, however, that there are some countries that will not let you enter them if your passport is expiring within six months of your travel dates — so it’s good practice to renew beforehand. This is a requirement for many countries in Asia or South America, for example.
If you are traveling with someone who got their passport before they turned 16, keep in mind their passport will only last five years before it expires.
How long it will take to renew your passport
Typical passport applications are processing in six to eight weeks for routine services per the State Department. If you opt to spend the money to expedite your passport (an additional $60 on top of the usual application costs), you will get it earlier, but it’s still a wait: two to three weeks.
Keep in mind, the State Department does not include mailing times in that estimate. It can take up to two weeks for it to receive an application in the mail, as well as up to two weeks for you to receive your finalized passport back in the mail.
The State Department also noted in its December statement that they are seeing "unprecedented demand" for passports, but they are taking efforts to tackle that demand.
If you want to avoid the stress of waiting or the extra fees associated with expediting your passport, we recommend applying for your passport as early as you can if it’s near expiration date, or if it has been lost or damaged.
Can you renew your passport online?
In June, the State Department announced it was allowing "eligible" Americans to renew their passports online, eschewing the time and effort of mailing in your documents.
To be eligible for an online renewal, you must be 25 years or older and have a passport that was valid for 10 years and was issued generally between 2009 and 2015. You also must be able to pay with a credit or debit card and upload a digital passport photo. There are other requirements for eligibility, which you can see here. Eligibility also requires that you are not traveling internationally for at least eight weeks.
This is a "beta release" of online renewals, which means the State Department is testing out this method. Along with that, they are limiting the number of people who can apply for renewal online each day. The State Department notes: "You may not be able to start your application on the day of your choice. The system will open for a limited midday eastern time window each day, and will close once we reach our limit for the day."
Additionally, this may not save a whole lot of time quite yet. The State Department says "the time it takes to get a passport will be the same as renewing by mail," so keep that in mind.
What to do if you need a new passport and you’re traveling soon
Sometimes, life just happens and you’re unable to get a passport in time for your trip. Don’t worry — you do have options.
If you don’t have a viable passport and you’re traveling abroad within two weeks, you can try to make an emergency appointment at a passport center. You’ll have to call 1-877-487-2778 to schedule this appointment and bring proof of your imminent travel with you. Then, you’ll be able to get a passport in time for your trip.
You can also use this service if a life-or-death emergency comes up and you need to travel internationally within 72 hours.
Passport processing times can be daunting, so your best move to avoid anxiety or extra costs is to handle any passport needs while planning your travel. Still, it is possible to get a last-minute emergency passport, so don’t worry too much if that ends up being your situation — you’ll be relaxing on your vacation abroad soon enough!
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