Travel Expert Shayla Northcutt says, "People are wanting to get their passport because travel is hot! Travel is back with a vengeance!" She says she has been affected by the long wait times and got her passport renewal only 3 days before her recent international trip. "If you do not have a passport - you want to get one RIGHT NOW. You never know when the opportunity to travel out of the country will pop up! If you need to renew your passport, make sure you're doing it at least 4 months before you need to travel."
State Department Trying to get a Handle on the Unprecedented Demand for Passports
The Covid Lockdown is over and people want to travel outside the country. Northcutt (who owns Northcutt Travel Agency) says to plan WAY ahead because new and renewed passports are taking months to process! "You need to get it renewed at least 6 months before you travel. I was going to Thailand in February, 2023, and renewed mine on the first days of December, 2022. I got mine expedited (professional courtesy) and still didn't get my new passport until 3 days before I left!"
Northcutt has some good "just in case" advice: "I tell everybody to make sure they have travel insurance before you travel so if your passport doesn't come in in time, and we have to move the date of your trip - you don't lose a ton of money!"
Click here for the ins and outs of getting and renewing a U.S. passport in Texas
photo:Getty
It could take 4 months to get a passport in the U.S.Photo: Getty Images