Earlier this month, the US State Department entered Phase One of their reopening of passport facilities. They are starting to ramp up with their passport issuance and, just now, they have released the numbers on how many they have issued this week and how many still remain.
How Many US Passports Have Been Issued
Last week, I wrote about the current stats for the passports being issued and wanted to give an update on how the US State Department is doing keeping up with the passport applications.
There are currently 14 passport facilities open and processing. This does not mean you can go to apply for one at those facilities, expedited passports are still only for life-and-death situations.
But, it does mean they are getting the job done slowly but surely. However, keep in mind that Phase Two could take a little longer than originally thought since some states are seeing the virus numbers go up again.
| Week (Thursday-Wednesday) | Applications Received | Passports Awaiting Issuance | Passports Issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| This Week (June 18-24) | 134,000 | 1.61 million | 187,000 |
| Last Week (June 11-17) | 120,000 | 1.72 million | 154,000 |
| 2 Weeks Ago (June 4-10) | 92,000 | 1.79 million | 38,000 |
There you have it – in one week with just 14 facilities operating, the US issued 187,00 passports. That is a net positive of 53,000 passports last week since the number of applications they received are climbing as well.
But, keep in mind that the passports are being issued on a first-in, first-out basis. This means that they have processed a total of 379,000 passports so far. This should have worked through most of the backlog from right after they shut down in mid-March.
Even better is that they have increased their production by 33,000 in one week. That is great news as they keep working on getting the passports out!
Not that it looks like Americans will have many places to go for a while, but at least those Americans should have their documents back before too long!
My passport need to renewed this year or next year. I don’t have any cash to provide for getting it renew. Can I wait a little longer until I get my financial situation under control? Will there be an expensive fee?
There will not be any extra fee for renewing closer to – or even after – expiration. It would be the same renewal fee so you should be fine waiting until before it expires!