A line of dozens of worried travelers stretched along the wall at the State Department’s Dallas Passport Agency.
In that line stood Jerome Beaman, 39, with his wife and 2-year-old. The family had tickets booked for a vacation to the Turks and Caicos Islands. But they needed to get their daughter a passport and time was running out.
The Prosper family was told in April that their daughter’s expedited passport would be ready in seven to nine weeks. That was more than eight weeks ago. Luckily, they were able to land a last-minute appointment last Thursday after someone canceled. Beaman reached out to lawmakers as well, Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Michael Burgess.
“They gave me the idea that if we didn’t get an appointment, we could just kind of show up here early before opening and see if we get a spot in line,” Beaman said.
Front desk assistant Hilary Nguyen cuts out a photo of Anna Kern as she applies for a passport at the University of Texas at Dallas Passport Center, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Dallas. (Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)
Luckily, he was able to get the passport on time.
The Beamans are among millions heading out on an international trip this summer, already dealing with the cost of a summer of travel in high demand. Last year, almost 22 million passports were issued, according to the Department of State, as travel climbed back after pandemic restrictions. In 2020, just 11.7 million passports were issued. The Department of State is estimating 10 to 13 weeks of processing for routine passports, and seven to nine weeks for expedited passports, not accounting for mailing times.
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International testing requirements and COVID-19 vaccination requirements that limited access to global destinations are mostly gone this year. Last year, according to travel destination site Hopper, those hurdles pushed travelers to focus on domestic trips. This year, Dallas travelers are heading to Europe and Asia, among other international destinations, despite the rising costs in airfare.
In late March, the Department of State said it was expecting its busiest summer travel season on record. The department said it was “aggressively recruiting and hiring” across its passport agencies and centers,” and even opened a satellite office to help process the large number of applications.
“We encourage all Americans to check their passport expiration date before making any definitive plans for international travel, and to take action to renew their passport well in advance of international travel this year,” the statement said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in March during a House Appropriations subcommittee budget hearing that there’s an “unprecedented demand,” with 500,000 applications received a week, 30% to 40% above last year. Demand went way down during the pandemic, and the Department of State had to “build back” since then.
“In FY 2022, we issued a record number of passport books, 22 million,” Blinken told lawmakers. “We’re on track to break that in FY 2023.”
Anna Kern, 33, of Dallas was at the University of Texas at Dallas’ passport center trying to get her passport expedited for a friend’s September wedding in Mexico. She said it had taken her a few weeks to find an appointment, but luckily she was able to get one on Thursday.
“It was kind of a learning curve, but I figured it out,” Kern said.
Edgar Miranda, office coordinator at the passport center at UTD, said the passport center typically processes 30 to 40 passports a week, but this summer the office has doubled that.
The passport center opened in March 2022 and is open to the public for appointments. About 20% of the center’s clientele are students or members of the university’s community, such as faculty members.
“One of the number one concerns we hear from people is that they’re concerned about these processing times,” Miranda said. “I do know, for several people, I think it has even caused them to reconsider travel plans.”
Passport office manager Edgar Miranda (top right) helps passport applicants with their paperwork at the University of Texas at Dallas Passport Center, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Dallas. (Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)
Madan Goyal, owner of Passport and Visa Express in Plano, said the delays are “extremely long” this year. He’s had his business since 1984 and is processing 30 to 40 a week overall, he said.
It’s unclear why the times are longer, Goyal said, but the pandemic’s rules for social distancing in workspaces and different requirements made it difficult to do the same processes.
“It’s the first thing [travelers] should be thinking about when they think of international travel,” Goyal said.
Bhumika Patel, 36, plans to travel to Toronto with her 7-year-old son this summer and hopes to get their passports on time. They’d like to go to Canada in July.
When Patel looked for appointments, she checked everywhere — Plano, Frisco, Allen — to try to get an appointment. The family ended up at the University of Texas at Dallas’ passport center on Thursday.
“It’s hard to get the appointment,” she said.
Passport troubles crimping summer plans for Texas travelers
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