U.S. Department Of State Says Renew Your Passport Now

U.S. State Department officials are spreading awareness, so travelers can get ahead of the avalanche of applications they’re anticipating to get throughout this year.

The New York Times reports, “Another reason to renew soon is that many countries are now enforcing a requirement for at least six months' validity on a United States passport.”

While Canada and Mexico don’t enforce the six month validity on a U.S. passport, there are other countries that do. And now the U.S. Department of State clarified the new deadline for the REAL ID Act has been pushed back to January 22, 2018 so there’s no need to panic about what documents you need to travel.

Is your passport expiring soon? Avoid the anticipated rush and renew now! #applyearly https://t.co/Zl8S72Buoo

— Travel - State Dept (@TravelGov) January 26, 2016

Also effective today, the Department of State is reporting passport processing times of approximately six weeks from the time you submit your application. And current fees are $110 dollars to renew an adult passport book.

Or you can always expedite the service to receive it within three weeks for an additional $60 dollars. You can apply by mail or in person at a passport agency. If you’d rather make an appointment call 1-877-487-2778 to reach their 24 hour national passport information center.

But for now watch 10 cool facts you never knew about U.S. passports and join our platinum passport to stay connected with more amazing travel tips.