Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
  • News
  • Tours & Packages
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Niche & Luxury
  • Well-Being Travel
  • Training & Events
  • Who We Are
    • Anne Marie Moebes
    • Brian Israel
    • Dan McCarthy
    • Denise Caiazzo
    • Dori Saltzman
    • Kelly Fontenelle

U.S. Passport Services Start to Resume After ‘Unprecedented Challenge’

by Daine Taylor
U.S. Passport Services Start to Resume After ‘Unprecedented Challenge’

Since last week, 11 passport agencies have entered Phase One of the reopening process. Photo: Shutterstock.com. 


The U.S. Department of State announced last week it is preparing to gradually resume providing passport services in phases this week, continuing services which have been effectively suspended since March.

In order to help people understand what changes they can expect when the services resumes, Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Carl Risch, held a conference call on Friday detailing the phased resumption of passport services throughout the country. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic posed an unprecedented challenge to our operations,” said Risch.

“To keep our employees and customers safe, and to reduce the spread of COVID-19 we significantly reduced our passport operations in March, leaving only enough staff at our passport agencies to process cases involving life and death emergencies.”

Passport services couldn’t resume normally during the lockdown period because important documentation could not be securely obtained and verified over the phone. “This means only reviewing them in government facilities,” said Risch. “It must be written and manufactured in secure government facilities to protect national security.”

The State Department has been monitoring the situation, both nationally and on a state and local level to see if conditions were right to resume service.

“Now, as many states are safely reopening, it’s only prudent for us to follow suit. More and more of our employees are returning to our passport facilities to immediately work on finalizing sent applications,” said Risch.

“In line with the State Department’s broader framework, the bureau of Consular Affairs has put into action our plan to return to normal passport operations. This is a phased plan to gradually bring back more staff to our agencies, to tackle the applications we’ve received since March.”

Since last week, 11 passport agencies have entered Phase One of the reopening process, with facilities gradually ramping up operations, based on local conditions and state and CDC guidelines.

Phase Two of the process will have most of the staff returning to work and applications will then be processed on a “first in, first out” basis starting with the oldest applications.

And Phase Three will have all the rest of Passport Service staff will return to work to continue processing applications on a first in, first out basis, though it will start offering expedited processing during this phase.

“The health and safety of our workforce and customers will always remain our top priority,” said Risch. “As a result we will be able to balance our commitment to facilitating American’s travel abroad, with our duty to safeguard our employees and customers.”

In the facilities, they are facilitating social distancing and supplying customer-facing employees with Personal Protective Equipment to help keep people safe and healthy while they prepare to travel.

The department is also preparing for a potential resurgence of the pandemic, as destinations begin reporting increased infection rates again. “We’re all going to have to be vigilant of this situation in the future, but we believe we are in a much better position now going forward to weather such storms, should it come back,” said Risch.

Normally, over 18 million passports are processed each year by the Dept., and once services do come back online the backlog of applications will force some significant delays for applicants. “We are committed to working as hard as we can to process applications as quickly as possible, as soon as it is safe for us to do so,” the State Department said in a statement.

  82
  4
Related Articles
Americans Can Still Renew Their Passport Online in 2023
The U.S. State Department’s Online Passport Renewal Service Is Now Open
Americans Will Be Able to Renew their Passports Online By Early 2023
U.S. Passport Wait Time Is Now 8 to 11 Weeks for ‘Routine Service’
U.S. Passport Holders Will Soon Be Able to Mark “X” As Gender Identity
TSA Threatens Unruly Passengers with Loss of PreCheck Credentials
AAA Recommends Travelers Get International Driving Permit
Headquarter Happenings: Nexion Focuses on Building Connections and Expanding Education Services
FedEx Can Now Get You a Passport in as Little as 24 Hours
Could Mobile Passport Renewal Be Coming to Canada?
PREVIOUS THIS WEEK ARTICLES
Title Sponsor Visit
{{article.Title}}
View
PREVIOUS Sponsored Content Articles
Title Sponsor Visit
{{article.Title}}
View
TRAVEL INDUSTRY EDUCATION, CERTIFICATION & WEBINAR PROGRAMS
This is the most up to date aggregated list of supplier and destination educational program. Please enter the destination or product name in the search box that you are searching for.
Training Program Name Sponsor Visit
{{training.Subject}}
View

MOST VIEWED

  1. All U.S. Flights Grounded Due to FAA Computer Outage
  2. Delta Air Lines Will Offer Free Wi-Fi Starting on Feb. 1
  3. Norwegian Cruise Line Brings Back COVID-19 Requirements
  4. Here Are the Best Airlines for Flight Delays in North America in 2022
  5. Cruise Lines Return to Traditional Muster Drills
  6. Cruise Ducks: A Cruising Tradition Travel Advisors Should Know About

MOST EMAILED

  1. Forbes Says ‘You Need a Travel Advisor in 2023’
  2. Here Are the Automatic & Suggested Gratuity Policies for Each Major Cruise Line
  3. All U.S. Flights Grounded Due to FAA Computer Outage
  4. Delta Air Lines Will Offer Free Wi-Fi Starting on Feb. 1
  5. Americans Can Still Renew Their Passport Online in 2023
  6. Why Travel Agents Matter More than Ever in 2023
TMR THIS WEEK
//services.travelsavers.com/AMGService.svc/REST/GetImage?ImageID=b033a3da-f598-ed11-9b4d-005056a855ed&Width=350&Height&250

Travel - It’s All About the Experience in 2023

With the pandemic behind us, we’re seeing more travelers going to great lengths and making significant investments to curate once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Read More...
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage, analysis of industry news, trends and issues that affect how you do business. Subscribe now for free.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
Video: Has the Post-Pandemic Travel Boom Run Out?
Video: Has the Post-Pandemic Travel Boom Run Out?

Has the post-COVID boom come to an end? 

Read...
January 26th at 1pm TMR MasterAdvisor Session: How to Best Deal with a Client's Travel Disruptions
January 26th at 1pm TMR MasterAdvisor Session: How to Best Deal with a Client's Travel Disruptions

Disaster strikes—a flight is canceled and a traveler is stuck at the airport with no way to get home, or no way to make it to their destination. 

Read...
MasterAdvsior 64: The New Definition of Luxury Travel
MasterAdvsior 64: The New Definition of Luxury Travel

Luxury doesn’t always mean what you think it means. 

Read...
Travelport and Air France-KLM Launch NDC Content
Travelport and Air France-KLM Launch NDC Content

Air France-KLM's NDC content is now live on Sabre. 

Read...
Princess Cruises Travel Agent Resources
Princess Cruises Travel Agent Resources

Everything you need to know about working with Princess Cruises. 

Read...
Déjà Vu All Over Again: What Is an Airline’s Obligation for Canceled Flights?
Déjà Vu All Over Again: What Is an Airline’s Obligation for Canceled Flights?

Yogi Berra’s famous malapropism well describes the situation that has unfolded in the nation’s air travel system over the past week.

Read...
TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
river cruise 2022
group outlook 2022
lux cruise outlook
CP White Paper
Multi-Gen Outlook
River Cruise Outlook 2019
View All
Advertiser's Voice
https://img.youtube.com/vi/TzY5jkL3wnI/0.jpg
MasterAdvisor 65: How to Deal with a Client's Travel Disruptions
About Travel Market Report Mission Staff Advisory Board Advertise
TMR Resources Webinars Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
News |Tours & Packages |Cruise |Hotels & Resorts |Destinations |Retail Strategies |Niche & Luxury |Well-Being Travel |Training & Events |Who We Are
© 2005 - 2023 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | 243 South Street, Oyster Bay, NY, 11771 USA | Telephone (516) 730-3097| Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy