Summertime travel is starting to heat up, but if you haven’t received your passport to travel outside the United States yet, you may be out of luck. For some, it could be a four-month wait. Recently, Kansas Representative Sharice Davids and Missouri Representative, Emanuel Clever wrote a letter to the U. S. Department of Consular Affairs asking for answers. Davids says the issue has been around since the pandemic, but was supposed to be solved with a new online portal, but, that portal has been shut down due to systemic issues. Davids says it’s time for the portal to go back up and staffing issues need to be addressed, as well as more passport office locations.
Both Davids and Cleaver agree that the pandemic shouldn’t be an excuse for delayed passports. They hope their letter is a wake-up call to the State Department. They say delays are costing folks money because they’re trying to get a more expensive passport. In the meantime, plan ahead. If you plan to travel, apply for your passport as soon as possible.
