State Dept. says passport processing times back to normal

Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of State announced passport processing times have returned to "pre-pandemic" norms, adding that the agency issued 24 million passport books and cards between October 2022 and September 2023.

Passport applications will be processed within six to eight weeks for routine service and two weeks for expedited service, which costs an additional $60, the State Department said Monday. There are over 160 million valid U.S. passports in circulation (nearly double the number from 2007).

The department said it was "aggressively recruiting and hiring across our passport agencies and centers."

Travelers can check their passport status online.

According to the U.S. Travel Association, travel spending totaled $104 billion in September with overseas arrivals making further recovery. In September, they were 16% below 2019 levels.