Upgrades coming to York County Passport Facility aimed at combating long wait times
Planning an international getaway? You may have to set aside extra time for your most important carry-on: your passport, according to our partners at CN2 News.
Recent delays have caused a spike in processing times, making customers wait longer to get their passports. Angie Bryant, Chief Deputy Clerk of Court, told CN2 that York County’s Passport Acceptance Facility has been consistently busy since pandemic restrictions were lifted.
“There was a surge; people decided that once COVID was over, we were going to travel again. And people that didn’t travel are traveling now,” Bryant said. “It caused a lot of delays and a lot of not having as many people employed to process the applications once they’re sent to the federal government. So I think that was part of the problem.”
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Officials at York County’s Passport Acceptance Facility gave out a reminder that requests for expedited passports can only be made 14 days before leaving the U.S. or 28 days if the country you’re traveling to requires a visa, CN2 reports.
According to CN2, the facility is working to use a brand new, live electronic waiting system in an effort to lower wait times.
“We’re actually getting ready to go to a live electronic queuing system. It’s going to have a QR Code that you will scan, and it will take them directly to the queuing system. Ask them several pertinent questions,” Bryant told CN2. “It will put them in the queue and tell them when they need to appear in our office.”
According to the staff at the facility, expedited passports can be requested through your elected congress member, CN2 reports.
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