WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of State set new records in March and April, issuing more than three million passports to Americans planning international travel.
With passport demand at record levels, passport production time averages 10-12 weeks. Americans should apply at least twelve weeks before they plan to travel.
Passport Production: For the first seven months (October through April) of Fiscal Year 2007, the Department issued 8.6 million passports. This is a 33 percent increase from the same period last year and is more passports than were issued in any single full year before 2003.
Arkansas Passport Center
The newest passport mega-processing center, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, began pilot operations on March 27 and ramped up production in April. When the Center reaches full capacity by the end of 2007, the Center will be able to produce more than 10 million passports per year. The Center has already printed more than 80,000 passports for American citizen travelers.
This center represents a dynamic, new approach to the production of passports for Americans. Other domestic passport agencies will electronically transmit approved applications to the Arkansas Passport Center, which is dedicated solely to printing and mailing out large quantities of passports. By centralizing passport printing the Department will focus resources at other
agencies on processing and adjudicating more passport applications.
Increased Staffing
Aggressive recruitment brought 170 new government and contract employees onboard during March and April, and retirees with passport adjudication experience are returning to help our efforts. The Department continues to recruit qualified personnel to meet America’s demands for
passports.
Regional Agencies Working Overtime
Employees at the 18 Passport Agencies nationwide continue to work overtime daily and on weekends to process applications to meet Americans’ travel plans.
Expanded Call Center for Information and Appointments
In addition to its regular business hours, 6 a.m. until midnight, Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, the National Passport Information Center (1-877-487-2778) is open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for customer inquiries and information. The Center has more than doubled its staff in order to meet public demand and continues to recruit and train new customer service representatives.
Increased Phone Staff
On top of their regular duties, State Department employees are volunteering on special telephone task forces to answer questions and help Americans get their passports. The Department has installed high-capacity telephone lines to increase the volume of telephone calls it can receive, with plans to further expand capacity as needed.
Increased Desk Staff
Qualified State Department employees are working on daytime, evening and weekend task forces at the Washington Passport Agency and the National Passport Center in New Hampshire. These staffers, who supplement the Department’s expanding corps of passport specialists, have approved more than 55,000 applications since mid-March.
