We’ve got GOOD NEWS if you’re hoping to get a new passport or renew yours soon!

If you’ve tried to get a new U.S. passport or renew your existing passport in the last couple of years, you’ve probably faced delays and other issues. The U.S. Department of State has been dealing with “unprecedented demand for passports,” causing significant delays in the process. Now, they’ve announced that those delays should be over!

The U.S. Department of State announced on Monday, December 18th, that passport “processing times have returned to [their] pre-pandemic norm.”

In the announcement, the department stated that “as of December 18, 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.” They said that this update means they have “fulfilled [their] commitment to return to benchmarks from March 2020.”

Note that the 6-8 week timeline does not include mailing times. Your passport application might take up to two weeks to reach the department and another two weeks to be mailed back to you, so be sure to factor that time into your plans

The Department of State also reminded people to double-check their passport’s expiration date before making travel plans and renew their passports well in advance of international trips.

“Unprecedented demand for passports” can be blamed for the delays in processing time over the last few years. Per the Department of State, “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.”

To get started on your passport application or renewal, visit the U.S. Department of State’s website here.

With passport processing times down, maybe now’s the time to plan our trip to see Shanghai Disney Resort’s new Zootopia land!

We’ll keep watching for more updates on all the latest travel news, so stay tuned to DFB!

Click here to see the secret way to get a second passport (and why you’ll want one).

Have you struggled with long passport processing times? Let us know in the comments!

The post NEWS: Getting Your Passport Just Got EASIER first appeared on the disney food blog.