Expecting a deluge of renewals and applications state Department officials are urging Americans to renew sooner rather than later.
You're not alone: In 2008 and 2009. Is your passport expiring soon? the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative went into effect, which for the first time required passports for Americans returning by air from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. Millions of citizens applied, and the State Department is anticipating a surge in renewals of these very passports, creating a potential backlog. They're encouraging travelers to renew and apply as soon as possible. “We were overwhelmed then, and we are not going to be overwhelmed again,” Michele Bond, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, who oversees passports
