NDo you need a new passport? Now is the time to act. The average wait time to renew a U.S. passport hasn’t been this short in decades.

On Thursday, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs said the average processing time for passports has dropped to four to six weeks.

“This announcement comes after months of issuing passports well below the 6-8 week commitment and demonstrates our progress in continually improving the efficiency, equity and accessibility of the U.S. passport application process,” the agency said in a statement.

The prices do not change. Purchasing a new or renewed passport book costs $130. For an additional $60, expedited processing can reduce the wait time by a few weeks.

Obtaining a passport now takes a third as long as it did in 2021, when a pandemic-related backlog reduced processing times to 12 to 18 weeks. And it now takes half as long as it did in July 2023, when 10 to 13 weeks was typical for routine processing.

Historically, an average of four to six weeks is remarkably fast. The previous turnaround time of six to eight weeks was the norm not only before the Covid-19 pandemic, but also decades before.

The updated processing time of four to six weeks applies to applications submitted on paper or online. The average time for expedited service remains two to three weeks. These processing times begin when an application is received by the Department of State and do not include shipping times.

The online option

Just two weeks ago, tThe State Department brought it with them Online renewal system fully online after many months of testing in pilot programs. Online renewal is available to adult passport holders whose passport has expired within the last five years or will expire in the coming year. Children’s passports cannot be renewed online.

“By offering this online alternative to the traditional paper application process, the department is leveraging digital transformation to provide the most efficient and convenient passport renewal possible,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Online passport renewal has been in the works for years, emerging from an executive order signed by President Joe Biden Transforming federal customer experience and service delivery to restore trust in government.

“Once fully rolled out, we expect that five million customers will be eligible to use this platform to renew their passports each year,” the State Department said at the time. “We estimate this would represent two-thirds of all extensions and approximately 25% of all applications received.”

In fiscal year 2023, the State Department issued over 24 million passports, the most in a single year in 50 years of available data. The total includes 20.5 million passport books and 3.6 million passport cards.