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State Department seeing influx in passport appointments
According to the State Department, processing times are four weeks longer than earlier this year, now up to 9 to 13 weeks. The department says people need to plan for another 4 weeks for shipping times.
DALLAS - The State Department says the demand for passports is at record levels this year.
At some points, requests are double the number for the same time last year.
It all adds up to some stressful delays for travelers.
The State Department said there is an unprecedented demand for passports this year even surpassing last year's record-breaking numbers.
It all means processing times are taking longer than ever as the state department works to staff up.
Like the many travelers at the passport office at the Earl Cabell Federal Courthouse, 17-year-old Taylor Lister had not received her passport more than nine weeks after she applied.
"We started at the beginning of April, and I was planning on going to the Dominican Republic with my cousin for her graduation trip," she said.
According to the State Department, processing times are four weeks longer than earlier this year, now up to 9 to 13 weeks. The department says people need to plan for another 4 weeks for shipping times.
After weeks of trying to get a follow-up appointment, the Listers decided to try to go in person. They were told to come back 48 hours before their trips.
And to add to the frustration, Taylor’s mom, Adrienne Lister, says the workers were far from friendly.
"They treat you so disrespectfully there. Like I mean, you feel like you've done something wrong," she said. "They're hollering at people. People are already frustrated, stressed out and confused."
The Listers were then told to come back 24 hours before her flight.
"So we waited until 24 hours before her travel. Showed up at 5:30 in the morning," Adrienne said. "And we're told that she wasn't getting it because she did not have an appointment. And we have been trying for several weeks to get her an appointment."
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The stress caused Taylor to have a panic attack.
"The woman that was working there, she saw me. She calmed me down," she recalled. "She literally walked me over to a station and said, ‘We need to give her a passport right now.’"
Taylor was ultimately able to make her family trip to the Dominican Republic. She is speaking out in hopes that the process can be improved for others.
The State Department says their employees are working overtime, and they are bringing back retired employees to keep up with the record demand.
FOX 4 reached out to Senator John Cornyn's office about the issues. An aide said they resolved five times the amount of passport cases in March compared with last year, an indication that the backlog is continuing to persist.
We're told reaching out to more than one elected representative can actually delay the process even further.