The State Department is dropping its anticipated processing wait times for the first time since related travel restrictions were lifted.books and cards hit an all-time record high with more than 24 million issued over the last 12 months, the State Department
The State Department also advised that new applicants can expect processing times to be two weeks faster than prior: Eight to 11 weeks for routine service and five to seven weeks for expedited service, which does not include mailing time. "Our dedicated staff have worked countless hours to reduce passport processing times. We are continuously reassessing our operations to maximize efficiencies and are introducing innovations to our customer service and processing models," the State Department announcement. "We are investing in supporting and modernizing our technology, increased staffing levels by ten percent, and have hundreds of additional staff in the hiring pipeline.