Passport Backlog Has Travelers Jittery

Eased Rules Haven't Shortened Lines

Paul Meehan hasn't spent any quality time with his son in two weeks. The 2-year-old is still sleeping when Meehan leaves for work in the morning and already in bed when he returns at night.

Workdays lasting 13 to 15 hours are now common for the owner of International Visa Service, which expedites applications for passports and visas. Private companies helping travelers have been swamped this year. He used to obtain five to six passports a week; today, he gets 16 a day -- and would do even more if the government didn't impose a limit.

"I'm not getting enough sleep," said Meehan, his voice tinged with weariness. "This year, I've done more passports than I did in the past two years combined."

The State Department has announced several rule changes designed to alleviate lengthy backlogs caused by a new requirement that citizens returning from most North American locations have passports. This month, it temporarily lifted the requirement for travelers who have a printed receipt showing they applied for a passport and offered $60 refunds to applicants who paid to have their requests processed faster.

But the streamlining effort hit a snag when some airlines refused to board passengers who did not have their birth certificates.

"We are encouraging Americans to contact the embassies of those countries before they leave," said Edgar Vasquez, a State Department spokesman.

With all the uncertainty, the changes have had little impact so far. Passport agency offices are still overflowing with travelers who applied weeks or even months ago. And private companies that can arrange passports within days are so overwhelmed that many now have waiting lists.

Owners of the private services say that people believe they'll eventually need a passport to travel anywhere and figure they might as well get one now.

"I shuffle people around" to accommodate the requests, said Nathan Maenle, an owner of Visas & Passports 2 Go. Customers with imminent departures get priority, he said.

The problem was created when the State and Homeland Security departments implemented a rule requiring citizens returning from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean, as well as South America and Central America, to present valid passports. The law, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, took effect Jan. 23.

Demand for passports surged. In March alone, 2 million people received passports. The State Department issued more than 12 million passports last year and is on course to issue 18 million this year.

Instead of a wait of four to six weeks, 10 to 12 weeks has become routine.

"The demand has exceeded our capacity," said Leslie Philips of the State Department.

At offices of the U.S. Passport Agency, long waits are the norm.

On a day this week at the agency's Northwest Washington office, one of a dozen nationwide that help travelers with last-minute problems, the line snaked three rows long. Some people brought books to read, others watched their children play and others fumed over the wait.

"They clearly have an inefficient process," said Joyce Martin, 42. She was at the office with her husband, Neil, who six weeks ago mailed his application for an expedited passport but hadn't yet received it.

Since March, they have been planning a trip to Paris for the "largest vacation we've ever taken." They left their home in Charlotte in the middle of the night to drive to the passport office in Washington with only four days remaining before their scheduled departure.

"My dream trip is turning out to be not so dreamy," Joyce Martin said with a sigh.

Kathy Brogan, 40, of Alexandria applied in March to renew her two sons' passports. This week, she took them out of school to go to the office in person, hoping they can make a flight to Ireland on Monday.

"I'd rather be in school than sitting here," said 7-year-old Brendan, declaring the line the longest he had waited in in his entire life.

"It's a waste of money and everybody's time," Kathy Brogan said.

The State Department has added employees to process applications and expects to hire 400 more by fall. Private expediting companies say their workload has doubled or tripled since the new law was enacted.

A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors has worked to get clients about 12,000 passports just since January, said its company president, Porter Briggs. He has been working 12 hours a day to keep up.

"It's been busier than it's ever been in history," he said.