Exclusive: Sen. Menendez urges State Department to speed up passport processing times

New Jersey's senior U.S. senator wants the State Department to speed up the process to get a passport.

Sen. Bob Menendez, in a letter sent to the State Department on Monday morning, provided exclusively to The Record and NorthJersey.com, encouraged the agency to find additional ways to shorten the time for processing passport applications.

NorthJersey.com reported last week that routine processing times for passports are 10 to 13 weeks and expedited processing take seven to nine weeks and costs an additional $60. That doesn't include the estimated two weeks for applications to arrive by mail at a passport agency or center and two more weeks to receive a completed passport in the mail.

Menendez said in the letter, "While I understand the State Department is seeing between a 30 to 40 percent increase in the number of weekly applications when compared to the same time last year, this is not a new issue. Americans should not be experiencing such extended wait times, especially with the upcoming busy summer travel season."

The senator said his office has been inundated with calls from his New Jersey constituents worried about not getting their passports before they travel.

Menendez is scheduled to hold a news conference in Westfield on Monday at 11 a.m. and will be joined by local officials and residents who are having problems getting their passports.

In the letter, he commended the State Department for hiring additional staff and Secretary of State Antony Blinken for establishing a task force to figure out how to speed up the application processing time. But he pointed out that the agency had a successful online passport renewal program established last year that allowed over 500,000 people to apply, and said it needs to be reestablished.

"While the online renewal system was not perfect, as many users voiced difficulties using the site, an improved version of this initiative could offer an avenue to alleviate the excessive wait times," Menendez said.

Passports Passport delays are mounting. Head to these North Jersey fairs to speed up the process

NJ news Prison company takes top NJ officials to court to continue detaining immigrants

Menendez in response to questions from NorthJersey.com said it's a "combination of several factors" that has resulted in the longer passport processing times, including increased travel plans this summer after COVID-19 restrictions have loosened worldwide. He then said he is working with the Biden administration to put the "necessary fixes in place so that a year from now, when we see a surge again next summer, the State Department will be better prepared to handle the demand."

The State Department recommends that U.S. citizens should check their passport expiration date before making any travel plans and be aware that some countries require that a passport be valid at least six months beyond the dates of their trip. The agency, which issued nearly 22 million passports in fiscal year 2022 (Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022), has a passport section on its website where people can find more information.

Ricardo Kaulessar is a culture reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Atlantic Region How We Live team. For unlimited access to the most important news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com

Twitter: @ricardokaul

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: US passport delays: NJ Sen. Bob Menendez wants change