Need to renew your passport? You may want to act sometime in the next few months. The LA Times recently reported that September through December is the passport renewal slow season. That’s according to the US State Department. Apparently demand always heats up in January and stays strong through the summer months, but in fall and winter, people are less likely to take international trips, so the demand for renewed passports slows down.
So, if you need a new passport, you’re likely to experience the shortest wait times right now. In fact, the State Department declared September “Passport Month” to try to drum up more applications. Even so, the shortest waits are now.
The article pointed out another good reason for renewing passports or applying for new passports before January. Next year, the Real ID Act goes into effect.
The law, which was passed in 2005, gave each of the fifty states more than a decade to upgrade the security features of their state-issued driver’s licenses. Licenses need to be secure enough to serve as a valid form of identification at airport security checkpoints. Starting in January, residents of states that have not met the new standard will need to travel with two forms of ID for both domestic and international flights. That means a driver’s license and a passport. Only a few states are noncompliant, several other have been given extensions, and a few have met the new standard.
Fortunately, getting your passport isn’t all that complicated. There’s an application fee, a form to fill out, and you’ll need to provide some documentation proving your identity. If you’re in a real rush, we can expedite your passport application or your renewal and get a new passport into your hands in as little as one business day. Call us to learn more about that.
If you get a new passport, you’ll be joining one of the best trends in America. In 2016, 18 million passports were issued to Americans, which was a record. This year, the State Department expects that record to be crushed with as many as 20 million new passports issued.
Again, if you have any questions about how to apply for your passport or need some help with the application, we’re always here to help. Contact our team and we’ll help you get all of your passport and visa needs taken care of quickly and affordably.
