From Congressman Tom Cole
As more people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and summer approaches, the desire to travel and vacation outside of the United States will continue to grow.
If you are hoping or planning to travel abroad soon, please find out some important information and instructions on passport applications and renewals, as well as certain requirements abroad.
First, if you are planning to apply for a passport or renew an expired one, there may be significant delays due to application backlogs caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
As a result, routine passport applications can take up to 12 weeks or more to process, and even expedited passport processing can take anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks.
To ensure you have your passport in time for any planned vacation or travel, the U.S. Department of State recommends that you apply early in the event of delays. You can learn more about the process and start your own application at travel.state.gov.
While visiting the Foreign Ministry travel agency website, I recommend that you also refer to the Useful Traveler’s Checklist, including confirming that you have the correct travel information, documentation and insurance.
Second, when considering your desired travel destination, you should know that some countries around the world currently require at least six months of passport validity before allowing entry. This means that travelers leaving the United States may be required to hold passports that are valid for six months beyond their intended stay.
Third, I strongly recommend that you sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) if you are about to go abroad and want security updates, and someone from the State Department can be reached in an emergency step.state.gov.
If you have a passport problem and need assistance, my office is here to assist the Oklahoma Fourth Ward residents.
Although we cannot guarantee the outcome of an inquiry, we can certainly help you get answers. However, in order to help you with passport or casework issues, federal law requires my office to have an inked privacy notice signed by you to open a request.
For links to additional passport and travel resources, or to download a privacy release form, please visit cole.house.gov/services/passport-assistance. If you have any questions please call my Norman office at (405) 329-6500.
