In 2007, the went into effect, requiring U.S. citizens to have passports for travel to and from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. As a result, 18 million new passports were issued that year. That鈥檚 than聽in 2004. And they will聽all expire聽next year.聽That influx to ten or more weeks, up from an average of six, throughout 2017.聽
IndefinitelyWild
IndefinitelyWild聽is a lifestyle column telling the story of adventure travel in the outdoors, the vehicles and gear that get us there, and the people we meet along the way. Follow us on聽,听, and聽.In addition聽to avoiding the聽extra processing time, there are a few other good reasons to renew your passport now. An increasing number of countries聽now require that you have at least six months left before your passport expiration date聽to grant聽entry. If it鈥檚 less than that, you could be denied boarding or even turned around at customs.聽
To make things even more of a pain, with the , meaning those ID聽cards聽may not be accepted for air travel in 2018. Residents of those states may need to use passport to fly, which could also lead to increased demand next year.聽
Finally, as if all that wasn鈥檛 challenging enough, passports are now being issued with just 28 pages as standard, down from the 52 pages we used to get. While that鈥檚 happened, some countries have . And you can no longer add pages聽to your passport; you have to get a new one.
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So if your passport is due for renewal next year, even if it鈥檚 toward the end of next year, renew it now.聽Luckily, that process is聽both straightforward and affordable.聽
If you have the time, renewing by mail is just $110. , print it, attach a to-spec photo, throw your old passport in the envelope, send it off, and you鈥檒l have a new one within聽six weeks.聽
In a rush or not comfortable going sans passport for that long? Expediting the process adds $60. You can do it either by mail (two to three weeks) or in person at an agency (five days). Requesting a 52-page passport is free, so it鈥檚 a good idea to go ahead and do that up front, regardless of how often you think you might travel.聽
Never had a passport before? 聽It鈥檒l open up a literal world of possibilities聽and聽costs the same $110 renewal fee.