Please be advised of the following updated information regarding securing a passport during this high travel season.

The National Passport Center (NPC) is operating 24 hours in three shifts per day; all 16 passport agencies are working overtime to get passports out as quickly as possible.  In April, the center will open a mega-processing center in Arkansas capable of producing as many as 10 million passports annually.

Because of the unprecedented demand for passports, travelers are asked to allow eight to 10 weeks for routine processing and three to four weeks for expedited processing.  This is an increase from the previous guidance of six weeks for routine and two weeks for expedited service.  Constituents should try to plan their travel accordingly. 

Additional NPC staff has been assigned and a satellite operation call center has been established in Washington, DC. Representatives are available from 7:00 a.m. to 12 midnight, ET, Monday-Friday, except federal holidays. 1-877-487-2778

Please be advised that if you are traveling or need a passport in order to get a visa within the next two weeks, call 1-877-487-2778 or go to http://www.travel.state.gov/ to check the status of your application online.  Constituents who have already applied and do not need the passport within the next two weeks are asked not to contact NPC at this time.

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