Between increased travel demand, delays with the postal service and a shortage of appointments, the wait time for a new or renewed passport may be up to 18 weeks.
For an extra $60 the wait time can be brought down to 12 weeks for expedited processing.
Due to the backlog being 1.5 to 2 million passport requests, any applications someone submits now likely won’t be processed until the fall.
Senator Chuck Schumer is demanding the state increases staffing as well as coming up with a plan to fix the backlog issues.
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