Volant World Travel

06/07/2024

Getting married? How about Jamaica!

03/26/2024

12/06/2023

DID YOU KNOW!

The U.S. State Department has announced that passport processing times are now decreasing. The following article from AFAR.com provides an overview:
You Can Now Get Your U.S. Passport Faster, the State Department Says

by Michelle Baran



Michelle Baran is the senior travel news editor at AFAR where she oversees breaking news, travel intel, pandemic coverage, airline, cruise, and consumer travel news. Baran joined AFAR in August 2018 after an 11-year run as a senior editor and reporter at leading travel industry newspaper Travel Weekly.

Between October 2022 and September 2023, the U.S. State Department issued more passports in a single year than ever before in the history of the country—some 24 million. And getting all those passports into the hands of travelers has, at times, been a challenge.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, a surge in demand for international travel coupled with short-staffed passport processing centers meant that the time it took to get a new or renewed passport got stretched out. Earlier in 2023, the standard processing time had crept up to between 10 and 13 weeks.

But now, for the second time in two months, the processing times have come down again, bringing them almost back to the prepandemic norms of 6 to 8 weeks. Last month, the wait times came down to between 8 to 11 weeks for routine service and 5 to 7 weeks for expedited service.

As of November 6, any passport applications submitted for new or renewed booklets or cards will be processed within 7 to 10 weeks for routine service and within 3 to 5 weeks for expedited service, according to the latest update from the State Department.

The agency reminds applicants that processing times begin when the application is received at a passport agency or processing center and that wait times do not include mailing periods, which can add up to two weeks on either end of the process. The standard passport application fee is $130, plus a $35 ex*****on fee for first-time applicants. The fee for expedited service is an additional $60, not including the extra cost of rushed shipping.

09/28/2023

Time to travel to Italy. Look at that sun!

09/28/2023

Come go we me to Italy.

06/15/2023

Who is willing to try this in Jamaica?

04/02/2023

Did you know? Please check your passports now. Do you need to renew?

Processing Times
Routine: 10-13 weeks*

Expedited: 7-9 weeks and an extra $60*

*Mailing times are not included in processing times. Processing times only include the time your application is at one of our passport agencies or centers. The total time to get your passport includes both processing and mailing times. It may take up to 2 weeks for applications to arrive by mail at a passport agency or center, and up to 2 weeks for you to receive a completed passport in the mail after we print it. Consider the total time it will take to receive your passport when you are booking travel.

07/23/2022

Do you need a vacation? Volant World Travel can help you!

06/02/2022

Welcome to Agentpalooza

04/17/2022

The blue water is calling you. Join us on July 31 as we set sail from Baltimore. Give us a call we have some spaces for you.