This browser does not support the Video element.
Passport delays leave travelers waiting
Thousands of Americans looking to travel internationally this summer have been left grounded thanks to a massive backup of passport applications, leaving people waiting months to get their passport.
NEW YORK - The passport backlog in the U.S. has become enormous, with the State Department saying it is dealing with hundreds of thousands of applications weekly, and it can't keep up.
In our area, people are flocking to the passport service office on Hudson Street, desperately waiting to get inside to be able to expedite their passports.
"I’m supposed to be leaving tomorrow for my nephew's wedding," said Nicholas Loretta of Long Island who was outside the Lower Manhattan office.
But Loretta will most likely have to miss that wedding in the Dominican Republic because he has no passport. He submitted an application for a new passport on January 11th and was told he would be receiving it in 8 weeks, but as of July 5, there is no sign it's even in transit.
"I spoke to someone in the middle of June, gave them my credit card information, was told they would put a rush on it and have it expedited, nothing has happened since," he said.
He drove all the way to the passport service agency Wednesday, hoping to be able to get inside and have it expedited within a few hours, but he had no appointment and passport offices are not taking any walk-ins.
Loretta spent days on the phone, trying to get an appointment at another agency in the tri-state area, only to be told there was one available in Honolulu, Hawaii,
Other would-be trawlers shared similar stories with FOX 5 NY of passports that have been delayed for weeks or months, even after paying to have it expedited.
The State Department says it is experiencing an unprecedented surge in demand for passports, receiving approximately 400,000 applications each week.
"We are focused on hiring, training, and retaining staff to address the current surge in demand. we have increased staffing levels and have hundreds of additional staff in the hiring pipeline," a spokesperson told FOX 5 NY. "During some weeks, we are seeing twice as many applications pending compared to the same point in FY 2022. However, given the fluctuations, we are unable to provide an overall backlog number. Our staff is working tens of thousands of hours of overtime a month. In fact, from January through June, we authorized 30,000 – 40,000 overtime hours each month."
"We also have volunteers from across the Department of State working on surge teams, including retirees and new hires adjudicating passports before reporting to other assignments," they continued. "Currently, the only way to schedule an appointment is to call the National Passport Information Center. These appointments are extremely limited, and we prioritize life-or-death emergencies. Passport agencies do not allow walk-in appointments."
"We tripled the number of lines available at the National Passport Information Center and are aggressively hiring and training additional staff to handle the influx of calls we continue to receive. The National Passport Information Center also now offers weekend service on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern. Individuals with urgent travel needs should consult the information available on our website," the spokesperson finished.