Renew Your Passport Now!

Renew your passport now as over 13 million Americans were denied boarding their flights last year due to passport issues and that number is expected to climb! UPDATED April 7, 2025.

Are you aware of the US governments new travel requirements?

Currently, the deadline to have a REAL ID is May 7, 2025 (one month from today!).

The deadline requiring US citizens to have a REAL ID has been extended many times since its announcement in 2005.

However, this time, the deadline hasn’t budged yet—so if you’ve been holding off, it’s probably time to go ahead and get your REAL ID so you don’t experience any delays at the airport.

There are alternatives to a REAL ID, including a passport or Global Entry card (see full list of acceptable IDs here), but you probably won’t always want to carry around important documents, like your passport, on your person. Especially if you’re just traveling domestically.

So, it’s in your best interest to get a REAL ID!

What to Bring with You for Your REAL ID

Obtaining a Real ID means a trip to your local DMV. Of course, your state may be different.

Here’s what you’ll need to bring to your appointment (make appointment in advance for less lines):

• A valid ID, passport or birth certificate
• Proof of your social security number
• Proof of your date of birth
• Two items that show state residency

Why Passports & REAL ID are needed

A decade ago, an important piece of travel legislation made American passports much more in-demand…the State Department saw an unprecedented surge in applications when a 2007 law established passports as necessary for all travel to and from:

• Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands
• Not US territories of Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands

Millions of travelers acquired passports in 2007. As a result, now they’re all about to expire!

Many of those passport holders will need to renew. Of course, this means that passport applications will again increase significantly.

Data from State Dept. website:

REAL ID Changes adding to Passport wait time

The REAL ID ACT is enforcing updates to all state-level identification. This means REAL ID will be in the form of embedded security features like machine-readable data.

Some states are lagging behind in this technology and residents are realizing that their licenses may soon be invalid for air travel—even for domestic US trips.

This will increase passport applications as well. Currently, 25 states have been granted extensions which expire on October 10, 2017.

Effective January 22, 2018, air travelers with identification that does not meet the REAL ID Act requirements and whose state does not have an extension must present an alternative form of identification in order to board a domestic flight.

From travel.state.gov

THAT MEANS A PASSPORT IS REQUIRED!

So how long does it REALLY take to get a passport or renew one?

Glad that you asked. It depends. According to the US State Department website, the average time from application to receiving your new passport in the mail is:

Average Time to Receive New Passport

We just renewed our daughter’s passport. And it only took 3 weeks. However, clients have already been waiting 6 weeks…

As always, average means just that, some will arrive earlier and some later…exactly how many days until your flight departs?

Renew your passport now and you have 10 years of international travel!

Because there’s so much to see & do! You can travel to tourist hotspot Dubai or Italy!

Passports need to be valid for 6 months after your travel dates

While knowing your passport expiration date is important, you should also know that many countries REQUIRE your passport to be valid for at least 6 months from your last travel date in order to be let in country. This is the number 1 reason that passengers are denied boarding international flights. Check the specific requirements for all countries you will be visiting and make sure that any children traveling also have a valid passport with at least 6 months’ time remaining as a child’s passport is only valid for 5 years.

State Department is holding Special Passport Acceptance Fairs

In order to alleviate passport wait times, special passport acceptance fairs are being held across the US for first time passport applications. New cities and dates are updated weekly. Take a look at their website for more details: Special Passport Acceptance Fairs

Renew Your Passport Now – 8 percent increase in foreign travel

“According to the latest World Tourism Barometer from UN Tourism, an estimated 1.4 billion tourists travelled internationally in 2024.

Indicating a virtual recovery (99%) of pre-pandemic levels.

This represents an increase of 11% over 2023, or 140 million more international tourist arrivals, with results driven by strong post-pandemic demand– all requiring a passport.”

So, between an increase in foreign travel and the REAL ID act, more American’s are in need of a passport!

So now that you are in the know, go now…the added stress of “will my passport arrive in time” is just no fun for anyone!

Renew your passport now, so vacation can be stress free.

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