MENG HELPS TO IMPROVE APPLICATION AND RENEWAL PROCESS FOR PASSPORTS

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) announced today that she helped to improve the U.S. passport application and renewal process, including reduced wait times and greater transparency.

In 2023, the State Department fielded half a million passport applications a week and issued a record 24 million passports. Standard processing times for a passport ranged from 10-13 weeks and expedited requests took about 7-9 weeks. In calling for the passport backlog to be addressed, Congresswoman Meng pushed the State Department to decrease the long wait times, and that included questioning Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the problem during a congressional hearing on the State Department's budget in May 2023. According to the State Department, standard processing times have since been reduced to 6-8 weeks and expedited processing is down to just 2-3 weeks.

"Peak travel season is here and families in Queens are preparing to take trips abroad," said Congresswoman Meng. "Travelers who apply for a new or renewed passport on time or pay for expedited services shouldn't be forced to alter their plans due to bureaucratic backlogs. Last year I called on Secretary Blinken to address passport backlogs and I am happy to see that action has been taken to better facilitate travel and reduce these lengthy wait times."

Meng's office routinely helps constituents fulfill passport requests, especially for those with emergency and last-minute travel plans. Last year, her constituent services team assisted with more than 400 passports requests from constituents who were seeking help booking limited appointments at U.S. Passport Agency locations throughout New York.

Meng has also helped to improve transparency in the way passports are processed. In August 2023, the Congresswoman facilitated expediated passport applications for two constituents. However, they followed up in September when important citizenship documents had not been returned by the agency with the rest of the passport application documents they had submitted. After months of outreach, the passport agency replied stating that the documents were lost, and the constituents could not be reimbursed. This is not a one-time issue. Several constituents have reached out in the past regarding documents lost by the passport agency.

In March Congresswoman Meng wrote to Secretary Blinken urging him to address the lack of transparency and ability to track the status of personal documents submitted as part of the application process. In response, the State Department has begun providing applicants with more detailed information on the status of their application and when they can expect personal documents to be returned. Additionally, the agency is prepared to reimburse applicants for any fees they may incur when obtaining replacement documents, in the event they are lost by the passport agency.

If any Queens constituents need assistance with a new or renewed passport, Rep. Meng's team is available to help. For emergency requests, constituents should reach out within 14 days of their date of travel. Please call (718) 358-MENG with any questions.