COLUMBIA, S.C. — Passports, which usually take six to eight weeks to receive, are now taking up to 18 weeks due to the pandemic.
One Columbia couple told News19 it took them over three months to renew their passports and it was a major headache.
“It just was a nightmare process,” Trey McDaniel said.
Ready to celebrate 10 years with his wife on an island in August, McDaniel started prepping in May.
"It was time for us to renew our passports so from my research from looking at information online, it said it was about an eight-week process,” he said.
However, eight weeks went by after submitting their applications and the McDaniels had no update.
Eventually, one of their applications was returned to them just to say they forgot to sign it.
"In the meantime, [for] mine, I called the 800 number, after 20 times I got through then I waited on hold for one hour and 46 minutes before a representative answered the phone,” McDaniel said.
Once he spoke with the representative, he said they had no update for him regarding his other application.
"The lady also told me on the phone, I said, 'Ma’am, it said eight weeks when I applied.' She said, 'Well when you applied it was eight weeks but now it’s 18 to 20 weeks,'" McDaniel continued.
Nearing his trip, McDaniel worried he had to cancel. He called a lawmaker for help and a week before their trip, they got two very important pieces of mail.
“If I would not have stayed on this constantly through the House, Joe Wilson’s office etcetera, to put pressure to get this thing, I have my doubts if it ever would’ve showed up,” said McDaniel.
News19 reached out to the U.S. Department of State's Passport Office spokesperson Andres Rodriguez.
"We have been doing our best to meet demand. But again, it's been a very difficult year,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez blames the pandemic for applications taking up to 18 weeks.
“We did over the pandemic limit the amount of bodies in some of our offices because of social distancing and health guidelines. Now, you mix those precautions with an uptick in workload, and we have a bit of a processing delay,” he said.
The office recommends planning to renew or apply for a passport six months before a trip.
“If you're traveling over the next year: If you have a passport, look for it. Check that expiration date, especially for families, passports for kids under 16 are only valid for five years,” Rodriguez said.
Some applicants can get in-person appointments to get a passport in emergency situations. The closest facility to Columbia is Atlanta, Georgia.
For McDaniel, he was frustrated with the process but said the trouble will make his anniversary trip that much sweeter.