“Apply Early” Initiative Urges Travelers to Beat the Rush

The US State Department has launched a new “Apply Early” passport initiative to encourage travelers to apply for passport service well in advance of any travel. Every year, the State Department’s Passport Agencies are inundated with more and more passport applications, and the number of applications is expected to rise rapidly in the next two years. Why? The answer lies in recent history.

In 2007, the US government implemented the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which required that US citizens carry a passport for all travel outside of the country, even to countries like Canada, Mexico, and Caribbean nations which would previously allow travelers to enter without a passport. Because of this, the State Department saw an unprecedented flood of passport applications. The surge was particularly intense in late winter and spring of 2007, as travelers scrambled to get their passports in time for spring break and summer travel to Mexico and the Caribbean. Unfortunately, many travelers who waited until the last minute were not able to get their passports in time, as the overloaded Passport Agencies struggled through their backlog and processing times slowed down.