What Is Passport Turnaround Time for Processing?
January 16, 2024
2 min. read
Going on a vacation is all about preparation. First things first—do you have a passport to travel internationally? If you need to apply for a new passport or renew one, plan your vacation wisely with plenty of time in hand.
It’s only thoughtful to give yourself enough time, say, to take a new passport photo at Walmart, fill out and submit your passport application to the passport office, and allow enough processing and delivery time to receive your new passport. And without pushing it and stressing out, of course.
To do so, let’s highlight the current passport turnaround times. It’s the timing you can rely on.
A disclaimer: the good news is the average turnaround time for U.S. passports has dropped back to pre-pandemic levels. At the moment, it’s from 6 to 8 weeks as the U.S. Department of State explains on the official website.
In Focus
What is the passport turnaround time?
Typically, passport average turnaround time is the period when the application is being processed in a passport agency or center. It’s also called passport processing times.
It doesn’t include mail delivery time to the passport agency and back to your address. It usually takes up to two weeks for your paperwork to reach the passport agency. It also takes about two weeks to obtain a passport by mail when it’s ready.
So, mailing times are not taken into consideration when we imply turnaround time for passports.
It’s also possible that you apply for your passports together with a friend, your family member, or a child. We have to say, it would probably be a bit more complex to apply for a passport than, for example, for a school ID.
There is no guarantee your both passports will sync and arrive ready at the same time. That is why, be on top of things by taking into account the delivery times and the passport maximum turnaround time when you book your trip.
The average turnaround times for passports
Below, you will find the current turnaround times for U.S. passports:
- Routine service: six to eight weeks (instead of 7-10 weeks)
- Expedited service: two to three weeks (instead of 4-6 weeks)
- Expedited processing at the agency: it’s very quick but requires appointments and implies international travel within 14 calendar days.
To learn the latest information on passport current turnaround times, please visit htps://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/processing-times.html.
The State Department has announced that the passport turnaround wait times have come back to pre-pandemic levels and it is committed to reaching the March 2020 levels.
How to check your passport application turnaround time?
When in the middle of the passport application process, you can easily find out how much time you have until your passport is ready within your turnaround time. The status shows the passport times to be issued that are applicable on the day the application is logged into the system.
It also takes place when you upgrade your application to the expedited service online or by telephoning. The current average processing times will be usable for your application.
Future U.S. passport holders can check their passport applications online at https://passportstatus.state.gov/.
It can show not available, meaning your application hasn’t arrived at the passport agency yet. It can indicate in progress, approved, passport mailed, and supporting documents mailed that usually arrive in a different portion of mail.
You can learn about each system update at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/need-passport/status.html.
Please note that your supporting documents arrive in up to 8 weeks after the passport is sent. These are a previous passport, naturalization certificate, birth certificate, etc. The passport agency sends your documents via First Class Mail to the mailing address you provided on your application.
What does passport turnaround time depend on?
The passport turnaround wait time is not set in stone. It tends to change through the year for objective reasons. The period from late winter (February) to summer (August) is the high season. The State Department encourages customers to apply from October to December if possible to have faster passport processing times.
Is it possible to shorten the passport book turnaround time?
If it’s critical for you to get your passport as promptly as possible, you can shorten the passport book turnaround time. It costs an additional $60 for the expedited times.
The one-to-two-day delivery service is also an option if you want to accelerate your passport delivery time. Faster shipping will cost an additional $19.53. Please note that 1-2 day delivery is only suitable for passport turnaround time, unlike passport cards. First Class Mail delivery is the accessible option for passport cards.
To make an upgrade for your service, you can call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 (1-888-874-7793 TDD/TTY).
Wrap-up
Knowing the passport turnaround wait times allows you to ensure you have enough time before your trip. Submit your passport application paperwork to the passport office or one of the passport agencies by mail, allowing maximum time for delivery there and back and the processing time for your passport.