U.S. passport delays may be four months long — and could get worse. Here’s what to know

The passport backlog has grown in recent months as Americans unleash pent-up wanderlust and take trips abroad that they couldn’t earlier in the pandemic. The U.S. State Department must also restaff positions that were reassigned or eliminated as passport demand cratered in 2020.

Passport demand has been “unprecedented,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Congress in March.

Weekly applications have been about 30% to 40% above last year, he said. While demand is typically seasonal, with the busy season running from March to late summer, “basically it’s full time now,” he added.

The department received 500,000 applications during some weeks over the winter — a record for that time of year and exceeding the State Department’s official projections.

As of March 24, travelers waited 10 to 13 weeks for processing of a routine passport application, the State Department said. (A traditional passport — a passport book — costs $130 to renew; there’s an additional $35 acceptance fee for first-time applicants.) Even an expedited application, which costs an extra $60 plus delivery fees, still takes seven to nine weeks.

For those who apply by mail, the delay will be longer. It might take up to four additional weeks for an office to receive and then mail back a new passport, according to the State Department — meaning the total processing time may be more than four months for a routine application.

Processing times are likely to rise further as the busier travel season approaches, the department said.

Since applicants…