Getting a passport is not the rare occurrence that it used to be. Today, more and more people are using them on a regular basis because of the different law changes that went into effect. Anyone asking “How long to get a passport?” would do well to educate themselves on the whole process to make sure that they don’t get caught without the proper documents during travel.
People are now getting passports like never before. Ever since the rumors of the new laws started to get circulated, the general public started to wise up a little bit in regards to getting a passport just for the sake of having one. It is never a bad thing to have the documentation and because of the long wait, it was safer to have it sitting in the drawer.
Before the process even starts, the applicant needs to make sure that they have what they can in order to expedite the process. A current passport photo is a must as well as a valid, government issued ID and proof of citizenship. If all of these items are together, it can make the early part of the process that much quicker.
After obtaining these pre-application items, the applicant must apply in person at a pasport office. These centers are often in a local post office. Depending on the time of day, the actual application can take minutes or hours. It is best to go at odd hours to avoid the rush.
Once the application is filled out and accepted at the processing office, it is just a matter of waiting out the processing time. There are plenty of horror stories about how long this takes and they are all justified as the wait time in the old days was horrific. Travelers were known to miss trips because they couldn’t get their passport in time for the travel dates.
Currently, the average wait time to receive a passport once it has been accepted is about 4-6 weeks. When vacation seasons are coming around, this time frame can be a bit longer as there will be many more applications coming into the offices. The law changes that went into effect actually helped this cause as people would wait close to a year at times to get their passport.
The government also offers a quicker service, but it has to be paid for by the applicant. If there is a trip coming up and they don’t want to risk not getting their passport in time, they can pay the extra fees and be guaranteed that their passport will be returned within a certain period of time. The fee is $60 and can be avoided by simply not waiting until the last minute to get everything processed.
Clearly, there is no one answer to the question, “How long does it take to get a passport?” It depends on the time of year and the type of year. A fair average is one to two months, but it is impossible to be sure. The best method to ensure that your passport arrives on time is to apply at your local U S passport office long before you think you will need one.