U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday (23) that the State Department is facing an “unprecedented demand” for passports.
As a result, he reported that the current wait time for a passport is about ten to thirteen weeks, and for passports requested with an expedited fee, “about seven to nine weeks.”
The State Department is “receiving 500,000 passport applications per week,” which represents a 30 to 40% increase in applications this year compared to last year, Blinken said during a budget hearing in the House.
“Historically, demand has been cyclical, with the peak season running from March to the end of summer,” he explained.
“We have hired staff to increase capacity and ensure customer service… We are authorizing overtime, opening satellite offices, and organizing hubs at headquarters to assist with processing,” he added.
He emphasized that the Department has launched a pilot platform for online passport renewal. However, the tool is currently suspended to allow for implementation and a large-scale launch in the future.
“We expect that 65% of citizens will be able to renew their passports online once this program is fully installed and operational,” Blinken said.
And what about American visas?
Regarding American visas, Blinken said that delays have begun to improve. The priority categories are “for students, for temporary workers, for business travelers, and for maritime crews,” he stated, highlighting: “we are trying to ensure they are served and we are at pre-pandemic levels or even better in these categories.”
“For visitor visas, the average wait time for a global interview is two months, half of what it was a year ago,” he said, but added that wait times are shorter than that “in most places.”
Brazil is not part of this group. The current wait time to schedule an interview for an American visa at U.S. consulates in Brazil can exceed one year.
Source: CNN