The U.S. State Department says it is grappling with an unprecedented surge in passport demand as international travel resumes, prompting officials to urge Americans to check their passports and renew them in advance if they plan to travel abroad this year.
In fiscal year 2022, the State Department issued a record-breaking nearly 22 million passports, and projections indicate that this fiscal year, which ends in September, will surpass that record, a State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
The surge in demand has resulted in approximately 400,000 passport applications per week, with volumes in January through May exceeding 500,000 applications weekly. During certain weeks, the number of pending applications has doubled compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year, the spokesperson said….