In the first half of 2021, the United States State Department had an epic backlog of 2 million passport applications.
As the Biden Administration began, the wait time for a new passport—18 weeks, or more than 4 months—was so crazy that the U.S. government had to warn that “U.S. citizens who wish to travel overseas this summer and do not currently have a passport may need to make alternate travel plans.” Even if you paid for expedited service, the wait time was still as much as 11 weeks.
By 2023, the backlog had simmered to a still-outlandish 8 to 11 weeks.
Now it’s the autumn of 2024. How things have changed!
A series of internal changes at the State Department have streamlined the passport application and renewal processes so well that this week, the government revised its estimated turnaround time. We can’t remember seeing a passport application wait time this fast in all our years of covering travel—and we’ve been doing this for decades.
Today, the wait time for a first-time passport has shrunk to just 4 to 6 weeks, and if you spring for the extra $60 to expedite your application, you’ll now receive your booklet in just 2–3 weeks.
We have to think that one of the biggest factors responsible for this remarkable recovery, which hasn’t just eliminated the backlog but improved upon the old numbers, was the introduction of digital passport renewal, which the White House ordered in late 2021 and was fully implemented in September 2024.
Passport wait times tend to rise ahead of the summer months as people with kids begin to prepare for their vacations. Since summer 2024 has just passed, this moment might be the best one on the calendar to put your paperwork plans in motion and update or obtain your passport.
If you need a new passport or a renewal soon, now’s the best time.
