Why do passports take so long to come even when expidited?

Question

Why do passports take so long to come even when expidited?

Answer 1

depends on when you order the passport too. many people order passports ahead of busy travel seasons. that floods the office which is already understaffed like the rest of gov't. i ordered mine in early november 2003 and got it less than 3 weeks later on expedited service.

it also depends on your background. non-citizens, naturalized citizens, and permanent residents go through more extensive checks than citizens.

Answer 2

there are so many to process and not enough people to process them (welcome to government work).

Answer 3

"Tuscondude" has the right answer!        There are just a few employees processing the applications, but probably hundreds of thousands of applicants.     This has NOTHING to do with the efficiency of the workers, but with the A--HOLE managers.

Answer 4

more detailed background checks take more time...

Answer 5

Probably since 2001, the US has increased the amount of checks that are run for passport applicants.

It used to be possible in large cities to get a passport on the same day if you had an airline ticket to prove that you needed immediate service,but I'm not sure if that is still an option.

Answer 6

because the government is slow in what it does