Unprecedented demand for passports causing delays, derailing travelers
MINNEAPOLIS -- Passport agencies across the country are overwhelmed by an unprecedented amount of applications.
But there are a few ways you can set yourself up for success. The main thing is to plan ahead.
There's no line outside the Minneapolis Passport Agency, but getting in is tough.
"Quite awful, honestly," Isa Uribe of Winona said. "We expedited it thinking we would get it by maybe end of June, middle of June, and clearly still don't have it because we're here."
The Department of State is expected to surpass a record of 22 million passports issued this year.
"We were getting over 500,000 applications per week and that is simply extraordinary in terms of what we are used to," Andres Rodriguez, lead community relations officer for passport services with the Department of State, said.
Right now, it could take 10 to 13 weeks to get your passport., and if you pay an extra $60 to expedite it, seven to nine weeks. Still, it's not a guarantee.
READ MORE: Where can you travel without a passport? Places to visit as passport backlog continues
"We started the process in April and we're still going and I'm supposed to leave Saturday," Uribe said.
"Your hope is diminishing every second. Should we cancel?" Danielle Bresky of North Dakota said.
Bresky has spent countless hours on hold with the National Passport Agency in hopes to snag anyy open appointment. But time is running out -- her flight to Italy takes off in a matter of days.
"We would go anywhere, do anything," she said.
In the midst of this backlog, the Department of State recommends checking your passport now. Some countries require the document to be valid up to six month beyond the arrival date.
Avoid heartbreak and buy tickets after you get your passport. And if you're traveling within a year, renew now.
"We don't want to see missed trips, we don't like stressed travelers or applicants. We are trying our hardest to meet demand but this demand is unprecedented," Rodriguez said.
Shortly after Bresky spoke with WCCO, she got an appointment in Denver and got a passport in time for her trip.
