Five significant milestones have been reached as of today, Thursday, October 1, 2020 by the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Department of State of the United States pertaining to the backlog of processing applications for passports:
- At least three million — more specifically, 3,073,000 — passports have been processed and issued since Thursday, June 11, 2020, when passports started to be issued again
- The last remaining two passport agencies have opened and are now in operation as part of Phase One of the three separate phases of resuming the normal operations of processing passport applications, which means that routine service of processing passport applications within twelve weeks has resumed
- The first of the 25 passport agencies has entered Phase Three for the first time
- Expedited processing of passports within six weeks is once again possible for a fee of $60.00 instead of routine service in twelve weeks; so if you applied and have not yet received your passport, you may call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 and request to expedite your passport
- This is the last official regular weekly update from the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Department of State of the United States, since the federal agency can now offer routine and expedited service commitments
Five Significant Milestones to Processing of Passport Applications — October 2020
The number of passports currently awaiting issuance is still steadily decreasing compared to what the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Department of State of the United States has awaiting issuance in normal circumstances, according to the latest and last regular weekly update from the federal agency.
| Week — Thursday Through Wednesday | Applications Received | Passports Awaiting Issuance | Passports Issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 24, 2020 through September 30, 2020 | 176,000 | 923,000 | 168,000 |
| September 17, 2020 through September 23, 2020 | 179,000 | 934,000 | 165,000 |
| September 10, 2020 through September 16, 2020 | 143,000 | 931,000 | 149,000 |
| September 3, 2020 through September 9, 2020 | 110,000 | 944,000 | 129,000 |
| August 27, 2020 through September 2, 2020 | 151,000 | 919,000 | 168,000 |
| August 20, 2020 through August 26, 2020 | 165,000 | 938,000 | 156,000 |
| August 13, 2020 through August 19, 2020 | 143,000 | 923,000 | 209,000 |
| August 6, 2020 through August 12, 2020 | 151,000 | 968,000 | 235,000 |
| July 30, 2020 through August 5, 2020 | 139,000 | 1.06 million | 213,000 |
| July 23, 2020 through July 29, 2020 | 143,000 | 1.15 million | 206,000 |
| July 16, 2020 through July 22, 2020 | 143,000 | 1.23 million | 198,000 |
| July 9, 2020 through July 15, 2020 | 124,000 | 1.31 million | 274,000 |
| July 2, 2020 through July 8, 2020 | 112,000 | 1.43 million | 188,000 |
| June 25, 2020 through July 1, 2020 | 133,000 | 1.59 million | 236,000 |
| June 18, 2020 through June 24, 2020 | 134,000 | 1.61 million | 187,000 |
| June 11, 2020 through June 17, 2020 | 120,000 | 1.72 million | 154,000 |
| June 4, 2020 through June 10, 2020 | 92,000 | 1.76 million | 38,000 |
The table shown above reflects each week — from Thursdays through Wednesdays — since Phase One of the three separate phases of resuming the normal operations of processing passport applications started on Thursday, June 11, 2020.
According to the latest update from the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Department of State of the United States, if you have applied for your new passport as late as July of 2020 and have not received it yet, you are likely next:
As of September 24, we have completed processing applications received in March, April, May, and June. We are making progress on applications received in July. Due to nationwide variations in staffing and the type of applications, some of our passport agencies and centers are already working on applications received in August and September. If you applied before July and have not received your passport yet, we may have sent you a letter requesting additional information to continue processing your application. Please respond to this letter.
The 25 passport agencies and passport centers have all reopened effective as of Monday, September 14, 2020 as part of the first phase — with 14 of them now part of the second of three phases and one in the third phase of resuming the normal operations of processing passport applications:
- Arkansas Passport Center
- Atlanta Passport Agency
- Boston Passport Agency Phase Two
- Buffalo Passport Agency Phase Two
- Charleston Passport Agency Phase Two — closed to the public
- Chicago Passport Agency
- Colorado Passport Agency Phase Two
- Connecticut Passport Agency Phase Two
- Dallas Passport Agency
- Detroit Passport Agency Phase Two
- El Paso Passport Agency
- Honolulu Passport Agency Phase Two
- Houston Passport Agency
- Los Angeles Passport Agency
- Miami Passport Agency Phase Two
- Minneapolis Passport Agency
- National Passport Center Phase Two
- New Orleans Passport Center Phase Two
- New York Passport Agency Phase Two
- Philadelphia Passport Agency Phase Two
- San Diego Passport Agency Phase Two
- San Francisco Passport Agency
- San Juan Passport Agency
- Seattle Passport Agency
- Vermont Passport Agency Phase Three
- Washington Passport Agency Phase Two
- Western Passport Center
3 Phases of Passport Processing Operations
As first reported in this article at The Gate, the three phases of resuming the normal operations of processing passport applications at official facilities, passport agencies, and passport centers include:
- Phase 1:
- Limited staff return to work, allowing the resumption of limited processing of applications which have already been received
- Applications will be processed on a first in, first out basis
- Services for customers with life-or-death emergencies will continue to be prioritized
- Customers must wear cloth face coverings in all common areas — including in the lobbies of passport agencies and passport centers — and observe strict distancing from each other
- Customers are still advised to wait to submit new or renewal applications during phase one, as delays will continue.
- Phase 2:
- Additional staff will return to work
- Applications will be processed on a first in, first out basis — beginning with the oldest applications
- Only customers with life-or-death emergencies can book appointments for having their passport applications processed
- Staff and customers should wear cloth face coverings in all common areas — including in the lobbies of passport agencies and passport centers — and continue to observe strict distancing from each other.
- Phase 3:
- All remaining staff return to work
- Applications will continue to be addressed on a first in, first out basis — focusing on the oldest applications
- Staff and customers may wear cloth face coverings in common areas; and distancing from each other will be encouraged
- Expedited processing of passports will resume, with limited appointments for customers traveling within two weeks
Other Information
Currently, passport agencies and passport centers are only open to assist customers who need a passport within the next 72 hours and must have an appointment for a life-or-death emergency which requires international travel. For the health and safety of employees and customers, the amount of time employees and customers spend together is being minimized in official facilities, passport agencies, and passport centers. Passports are only being issued for emergency situations. Customers with appointments must wear cloth face coverings in all common areas — including in the lobbies of passport agencies and passport centers — and observe strict distancing from each other.
If you need to apply for a passport in person — especially for all children under age 16 and first-time applicants — you can apply at acceptance facilities which include post offices, clerk of courts, and libraries; but you should expect significant delays in receiving your passport and important documents. Please contact your local acceptance facility to confirm if it is open or closed. If you want to apply at a post office, you will need to book an appointment directly on the official Internet web site of the United States Postal Service. Customers are still advised to wait to submit new or renewal applications during phase one, as significant delays will continue.
What Qualifies as a Life-or-Death Emergency?
Life-or-death emergencies are serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family — for example, parent, child, spouse, sibling, aunt, uncle, etcetera — which require you to travel outside the United States within 72 hours or 3 days. You must provide:
- A passport application with supporting documents
- Proof of the life-or-death emergency — such as a death certificate, a statement from a mortuary, or a signed letter from a hospital or medical professional; and documents must be translated to English or already in English
- Proof of international travel — for example, reservation, ticket, itinerary — specific to the emergency
To make an appointment at a passport agency or passport center for a life-or-death emergency, you must call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 — 1-888-874-7793 TDD/TTY — on Monday through Friday, 8:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the afternoon Eastern Time, except federal holidays or on Saturdays, 10:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon Eastern Time. Call 202-647-4000 outside of these hours to arrange for an appointment.
How Long Before You Receive Your Passport? Status Updates?
The Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Department of State of the United States continues to face significant delays in processing passports. As additional employees return to the official facilities, passport agencies, and passport centers, the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Department of State of the United States will work aggressively to address a high volume of pending applications from customers who applied before and after passport operations were limited in March. See the current wait times to receive your passport here. Your patience is requested as employees safely get back to work on your passport application — starting with phase one of the aforementioned reopening plan.
If your application for a passport is still pending processing, your documents are being stored in secure facilities.
Due to the unprecedented impacts of the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic, a specific update on when you will receive your passport and supporting documents cannot be provided at this time. The capacity to provide status updates will be regained during phase three of the plan to return to normal.
If you call the National Passport Information Center or check the Online Passport Status System after you apply or renew, your application status may be “Not Found” or “In Process.” If you applied or renewed after Thursday, March 19, 2020, your application status may be “Not Found.” This status cannot be updated until employees return to work at the official facilities, passport agencies, and passport centers across the country.
While applications continue to be accepted, your payments continue to be processed, and your forms and supporting documents continue to be safeguarded, the “Not Found” and “In Process” status messages will not be able to be updated until additional employees return to work at the official facilities, passport agencies, and passport centers across the country.
One of the first steps in the process is handling passport fees. Although fees can be processed remotely, secure documents — such as birth certificates — cannot be handled at home. Your applications and documents with personally identifiable information are secure. These applications cannot be processed further until when employees return to work at the official facilities, passport agencies, and passport centers across the country.
Expedited passport service was suspended in March; and you cannot upgrade your application to expedite service at this time. Expedited service will not be offered until phase three of the reopening plan is in effect.
Renewal by Postal Mail
You can still apply for a passport by postal mail — but unless you have a life-or-death emergency, you will experience delays. A processing time commitment will not be offered until the commencement of phase three of the reopening plan.
You do not need to renew your passport before it expires unless you are planning to travel internationally. Customers eligible to renew their passport have up to five years to renew their document after it expires. After five years from the expiration date, you must apply in person. Most countries require that your United States passport has at least six months of validity beyond the dates of your trip.
REAL ID Will NOT Be Enforced at Airports Later This Year
Due to the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security extended the deadline for REAL ID by one year until Friday, October 1, 2021. Beginning in October 2021, the Department of Homeland Security will require customers to use a REAL ID to fly domestically. The most common REAL ID is a state-issued driver’s license. A United States passport book and passport card are two of many alternative documents that customers can use to fly domestically if they do not have a state-issued REAL ID. For more information on REAL ID, go to this official web site of the the Department of Homeland Security.
How the Customer Experience Is Different
Customers who are 16 years of age or older are encouraged to apply for passport services by postal mail where there is no need to be physically present at a passport office. Services by mail include passport renewals for customers who meet certain criteria, name and data changes, and applying for a passport card or passport book if the customer is already in possession of one or the other document.
The health and safety of customers and employees will remain the highest priority during the three phases of reopening. Customers will notice measures to ensure distancing from others in waiting rooms — with fewer chairs and appointments — at the official facilities, passport agencies, and passport centers across the country. Hours of operation may be different. Some of the acceptance facility partners may also stop offering walk-in services and may require appointments to ensure distancing from others.
Customers Overseas Who Need a Passport
Embassies and consulates of the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Department of State of the United States are currently providing emergency passport services to customers overseas. For emergency passport services for citizens of the United States who are abroad, please contact the United States embassy or consulate closest to your current location. Customers should expect delays when applying for non-emergency passport or citizenship services. The Bureau of Consular Affairs of the Department of State of the United States hopes to return to normal passport processing, as soon as doing so is safe.
Summary
A Level 4 advisory to restrict travel — which is the highest level that warns Do Not Travel — was initially issued on Thursday, March 19, 2020 by the Department of State of the United States, which introduced an improved travel advisory system of sharing information on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 for travelers who are citizens of the United States. This system is designed to provide clear, timely, and reliable safety and security information worldwide. The Level 4 advisory to restrict travel is still in effect, which advises that citizens of the United States avoid all international travel because of the impact of the current 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic. If you are considering international travel at this time, you should read the advisory and familiarize yourself with the risks.
Even if you were to travel, numerous countries had either strengthened restrictions for entry to foreigners and visitors — or the borders are simply closed off altogether — which has led to airlines substantially diminishing their route networks by reducing or eliminating flight schedules. The good news is that some countries have announced the opening of their borders to visitors again — either with restricted access or full access — but no guarantees are given that changes in those announcements will not occur.
Either way, the system of processing passport applications is even closer to some semblance of normalcy — and reports of people receiving passports faster than expected is certainly encouraging…
All photographs ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
