Are you planning to travel internationally in the next year? Have you checked your passport validity? The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented demands on the U.S. Passport Office. Routine service currently can take up to 18 weeks from the day an application is submitted to the day a new passport arrives back to the applicant. Even expedited service can take 12 weeks. As a guideline, apply six months or more before planned international travel.
Many countries require that your passport be valid for six months from the date you enter the country. Furthermore, many airlines may deny boarding at the U.S. point of departure for the same reason.
If you must travel internationally and your passport is valid for less than six months, contact your airline or travel agent to see if you can still travel on your existing passport. Most likely, you will have to apply for a new passport through an expediting service like CIBTvisas or RushMyPassport.com. These services are recommended because they can address potential pitfalls that could slow down the application. You probably will need to justify the expedited service by providing the details of imminent travel. Sometimes booking a refundable international plane ticket or hotel reservation as a “placeholder” is sufficient proof if you are still working out the actual details of your trip.
You can also apply for a passport in person if you live near a passport acceptance facility or are willing to travel to one. This option is faster because it eliminates the transit time for documents.
If you do need to send away important personal documents, make sure to snap a photo or make a photocopy of each document. Send your documents in a manner that provides a tracking number or proof of delivery.
There are many reasons to renew a passport – because the old one has expired, it’s lost or stolen, if you’ve changed your name, or if you need to correct an error. Whatever your reason, start your passport renewal process as early as possible to ensure that you can travel as planned.
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Featured image by Anete Lūsiņa
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