U.S. State Department opens additional passport agencies

Obtaining a passport is an important step for Americans looking to travel overseas. During the COVID-19 global pandemic the process to obtain a passport drastically slowed, to the point that the U.S. Government is finally working its way to speeding things up once again. One step to do so is opening six new passport agencies in major cities in the United States.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced on June 18 that these passport agencies are being set up to handle “urgent travel needs.” These agencies will be opened in the following cities: Salt Lake City, Utah, Kansas City, Missouri, Orlando, Florida, Charlotte, North Carolina, San Antonio, Texas, and Cincinnati, Ohio.

These agencies allow customers to make appointments for urgent travel that’s planned for the next 14 days, or in need of a visa in the next 28 days. With the opening of these new agencies, the total available in the United States will hit 35.

“While we undertake steps to establish these new agencies, we are issuing more passports than ever before while maintaining our passport processing times at our pre-pandemic levels,” Blinken said in a press release. “We thank Congress for its partnership and support, and we look forward to working with our congressional partners and other stakeholders to open these new facilities.”

No opening date for these new locations was announced.

This comes right after the announcement that a trial for online passport renewal has been launched. Online renewals are available to a limited number of people each day, with full access scheduled in the coming months. This does not include expedited online passport renewals and requires at least eight weeks of time for the process to be completed. The fee is the same if you were to visit the post office at $130 per renewal.

If you have any questions about obtaining a passport, visit the State Department website for more information.