Travel Tip: Passport Updates
Based on the U.S. State Department’s most recent update on May 1, passport operations are extremely limited. If you apply or renew (or if you applied prior to March 19, 2020), you will likely experience significant delays of several months before you receive your passport and have your citizenship evidence documents returned (even if you requested expedited processing). It is not even possible to check on the status of your previously filed application as that information is not being updated until regular passport services resume. The passport service is asking that you wait to apply for passports until normal operations are resumed unless there is a life-or-death emergency. If that is the case, below are the steps to take:
- You must need to travel within 72 hours due to
a life-or-death emergency which is a serious illness, injury, or death in your immediate
family, including parents, children, spouses, siblings, aunts, uncles, etc. - You must provide a passport application with supporting
documents including proof of the life-or-death emergency such as a death
certificate, mortuary statement, or signed letter from a medical facility. - Proof of life-or-death emergency documents
must be in English or translated into English. - Proof of international travel for the
emergency is also required. This includes documentation such as a
reservation, ticket or itinerary. - To make an appointment for an emergency passport,
you must call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778
(1-888-874-7793 TDD/TTY), Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time.
Outside of those hours, call 202-647-4000. At this time, some passport
agencies are completely closed to the public.
If you are considering international
travel, keep in mind that some countries require that you have a passport that
is valid for six months beyond your travel dates and may also require that you
have several blank pages left in your passport. It is also recommended to
check the Department of State and Center for Disease Control websites for travel
advisories. You should also plan to check on travel restrictions that may
have been instituted in the country or countries you are hoping to visit.