2007 was a big year for passport renewals: it was the year that the law requiring all US citizens to use a passport when traveling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda came into effect. Because of that, nearly 18 million passports were issued in 2007 alone, compared with 12 million US passports issued in 2006. With US passports valid for 10 years, that means 18 million passports will be expiring in 2017. It is anticipated that the State Department will be flooded with passport renewal applications heading into 2017.

The State Department also stopped issuing additional visa pages to passports on 31 December 2015. This means that if you run out of visa pages in your passport (needed for travel visas and immigration stamps), you must apply for a new passport. This will cause a general increase in passport renewal applications.

So, if you have the time, renew your passport as early as possible to avoid the rush.

If you need assistance renewing your passport please contact Sarah, our Visa and Passport Manager, or call 617-266-7646.