New government regulations requiring a passport for US citizens to re-enter the country by plane from Canada, the Caribbean, and other countries have resulted in a surge of passport applications. Though predictable, the State Department’s passport offices are now overloaded with work. The result? Long wait times and long lines for people needing a passport. In fact wait times have nearly doubled. The expected wait time on an “expedited” application is nearly one month!

You can still get a passport on the same day, but you have to go to one of these passport offices in person. Additionally, you can only get a same day passport if you are expecting to travel internationally within the next two weeks.

The State Department has this advice to offer worried travelers:

February-April is the busiest time of year for Passport Services, with Americans planning spring break and summer trips. The best advice is, “Apply Early!” Or even “now’” if you might be checking out deals on airfare or hotels outside the U.S.

If you are traveling or need your passport in order to get a visa within the next 10 days, please call us at the National Passport Information Center or use the link below to check the status of your application online.

If you have already applied but will not need your passport within the next two weeks:

Don’t worry, please!!! There should be no need to contact us at this time. Our goal is to make sure that no one misses a trip. We have added staff and are working overtime across the country. [read more State Department advice...]

US passport offices aren’t the only places reeling from the new regulations. Since passports are now also required for Canadian citizens traveling to the US, Canadian Passport offices have also been swamped with applications from Canadian citizens. Lines are so long there that in some cities homeless people are being hired to hold spots in passport office lines.