By many accounts, a meltdown in processing that held up passports for thousands of Americans earlier this year has eased. But new delays may be on the horizon.
It's all because of a law that took effect in January mandating that travelers flying in from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean have passports. That led to incredible demand for the travel documents.
An exception granted in June allowed passport applicants to fly back into the U.S. with a government-issued photo ID plus proof that they had applied for a passport. But that waiver expires today. So, air travelers will now need a passport to enter the U.S. from those destinations.
The end of that waiver may cause a "small surge" in applications, said Betsy Anderson, the State Department's new managing director for passport services. Of more concern, she said in an interview last week, is meeting demand next year, when the U.S. expects to begin requiring land and sea travelers to carry passports or other high-security identification to enter from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean.
By the end of the 2007 fiscal year today, the agency estimates it will have issued more than 18 million passports, about 6 million more than the previous year. In fiscal year 2008, it expects to issue up to 26 million passport documents, or 44% more than this year.
Anderson's advice: Apply now, even if you don't plan to travel soon.
She said her agency is trying to cope with the expected surge by expanding passport staff and facilities.
"They are hiring like crazy," said Colin Walle, president of Local 1998 of the National Federation of Federal Employees.
However, like many observers, he worries that it may be too little, too late to handle the load when the new rules take effect.
"At the pace we're going now," Walle said, "it's questionable whether we're going to be ready by next year."
The stricter passport requirements stem from an effort, begun after the Sept. 11 attacks, to strengthen security at U.S. borders. The rules are being gradually phased in.
The backlog became apparent shortly after Jan. 23, when the U.S. began requiring passports from fliers re-entering the United States from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. At its peak, applicants waited 12 weeks or more to get their passports.
Since the State Department has added staff, the typical wait has fallen back to the normal six or eight weeks, Anderson and Walle said.
