Los Angeles CA
1-18-2024 10:11pm

Passports: About The Lengthy Turn Around

It was the 2004 WHTI mandate which inflated the number of passports required for entry into the US; soon a 2 million backlog in 2007 became 3 million by mid-June 2022.

Important Updates on Passport Processing (state.gov) Dec 19.2023

  • Passport applications will be processed within 6-8 weeks for routine service and 2-3 weeks for expedited service, which costs an additional $60.
  • Processing times begin when we receive your application at a passport agency or center, and do not include mailing times.
    • It may take up to 2 weeks for us to receive your application after you mail it to us,
    • and up to 2 weeks for you to receive your completed passport after we mail it to you. 

Check the status of your passport application and sign up for updates via email.

According to “ThriftyTraveler” the general recommendation & timeline if you contact your local congressional office for help with obtaining your passport:

  • Contact when your trip is still two weeks out. That gives them enough lead time to make inquiries on your behalf and get your passport application moving more quickly, if possible.
  • If your trip is just days away, the congressional office can make an
  • appointment for you at the nearest passport agency – but only if appointments are available.
  • Contacting multiple U.S. senators or representatives won't help you get your passport any faster.
  • There is no guarantee you'll be able to get your passport in time to take your trip, even with the help of the Congressional office

According to Forbes Magazine: You can help a Congressional caseworker help you with a federal  agency. California Democrat Representative Brad Sherman is famous among his colleagues for his caseworker savvy. Here is what his website recommends individuals have on hand when they call for assistance:

  • Your Social Security number for a case involving Social Security
  • VA claim number for a case with Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Taxpayer identification number (Social Security number, if individual) for an Internal Revenue Service problem, etc.
  • Your address, home phone number, and daytime phone number (if different than home) so that we can obtain any additional information from you that might be necessary
  • Copies of any related documents or correspondence that you may have from the agency involved

STATISTICS:

  • Between October 2022 and September 2023 (the federal fiscal year), the Department of State issued over 24 million passport books and cards - the highest amount ever in our nation’s history.
  • In 1990, only five percent of Americans had a passport. Today, that number is 48 percent.
  • There are now over 160 million valid U.S. passports in circulation (nearly double the amount from 2007).

BACKGROUND on the backlog:

A June 2007 US Senate Subcommittee meeting on Int’l Operations & Organizations, Democracy, and Human Rights, Committee on Foreign Relations cited the statistics on passport backlog: - THE PASSPORT BACKLOG AND THE STATE DEPARTMENT'S RESPONSE TO THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE TRAVEL INITIATIVE (govinfo.gov)

  • Some people have been waiting as long as 5 months for a passport.
  • It's estimated there is a backlog of upward of 2 million passport applications.
  • We have the implementation of a new, good, policy, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. *

However, it was the WHTI which by 2009 inflated the number of passports required for entry into the United States by traveling Americans! So, the 2 million backlog of 2007 became 3 million by mid-June 2022 (22 million passports were issued in 2022.

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) is the joint Department of State (DOS) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plan to implement a key 9/11 Commission recommendation and the statutory mandates of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA) Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative | U.S. Customs and Border Protection (cbp.gov)

  • The goal is to strengthen border security while facilitating entry into the United States for U.S. citizens and legitimate international travelers, making the process more efficient and convenient.
  • WHTI was mandated via the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, enacted in 2004 and implemented in phases between 2007 and 2009.

Prior to 2007, entry to the U.S. by citizens of the

  • United States, Canada, and Bermuda needed only to present any evidence of their citizenship, including an oral declaration.
  • Nationals of Mexico could present a Border Crossing Card when arriving from Mexico or Canada.

January 23, 2007 – entry by air

  • nationals of the United States, Canada, Bermuda and Mexico are required to present a passport (Exceptions being NEXUS card holders & US military)

January 31, 2008 – entry by land & sea

  • Oral declarations were no longer accepted as evidence of citizenship.
  • Citizens of United States, Canada, Bermuda required to present ID documents & proof of citizenship

June 1, 2009 - entry by land & sea now require a passport

  • US Citizens could present the smaller passport card
  • US & Canadian citizens could present an enhanced drivers license or FAST/SENTRI traveler card
  • Mexican nationals could use a “BORDER CROSSING CARD” for travel w/in 25 miles of the border (75 miles in Arizona) for up to 30 days
  • Exceptions: cruise ship passengers, children, Native Americans, and emergencies 
More News from Los Angeles
I'm interested
I disagree with this
This is unverified
Spam
Offensive