After pushing the State Department to address the long wait times associated with passport applications and renewals, Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng says the process is now significantly shorter.
In 2023, the State Department issued a record 24 million passports after receiving an average of half a million applications each week. The standard processing time was 10-13 weeks, but for those who pay an additional fee for the expedited option, the requests took about 7-9 weeks.
