The US State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has announced that passport processing times have been reduced by two weeks.

The ministry previously committed to a processing time of six to eight weeks, but now it is just four to six weeks.

A spokesperson for the department told Fox News Digital that the reduced passport processing times went into effect on October 3.

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“In September 2024, we fully launched our online passport renewal system, which now allows millions of Americans to renew their passports online from the comfort of their own homes,” the spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement. “We assume that almost half of all passport renewal applications will be made online in 2025.”

The State Department announced that travelers can now receive their passports two weeks earlier. (iStock)

“By moving away from the traditional paper application process, we are leveraging digital transformation to provide Americans a more efficient and convenient passport renewal experience.”

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The change “demonstrates our progress in continually improving the efficiency, equity and accessibility of the U.S. passport application process,” the department said in a news release.

“For Americans requiring expedited delivery of U.S. passports, our processing time 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 release said.

According to the State Department, about 48% of Americans hold a U.S. passport, with 160 million valid U.S. passports in circulation.

According to the State Department, about 48% of Americans hold a U.S. passport. (iStock)

In September, Secretary Blinken announced that passport holders would be able to submit an online form to renew their passport, no longer requiring an application by mail.

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The process was introduced to speed up the processing of passports and is available to citizens who wish to renew their travel documents up to one year before expiry or within five years of expiry.

“We have fundamentally redesigned Passport Services. From bringing in change management and customer experience strategists to hiring hundreds of passport assessors (more than ever before) and focusing on modernization, we’ve made it more efficient and convenient for all Americans to pass passports. to receive services. ” the ministry spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

The State Department announced that travelers can now receive their passports two weeks earlier. Previously, passport processing took between six and eight weeks. (iStock)

According to the International Trade Administration, 80.7 million Americans traveled abroad in 2022, including 18.7 million in the second quarter of 2023.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for comment.