Fix Passport Mess Immediately, Monmouth Clerk Tells Blinken

MONMOUTH COUNTY, NJ — Anyone who's tried to get a passport recently knows the process is a mess, and this week, Monmouth County Clerk Christine Hanlon sent an urgent letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, urging him make fixing the passport system his top priority.

Also, on Thursday Monmouth County Congressman Rep. Chris Smith (R) introduced the Passport Emergency Extension Act of 2021 (H.R. 4615) with Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ). The bill asks the Dept. of State to extend the period of validity for all U.S. passports that expired during the COVID-19 crisis, or before March 31, 2022.

It means that if your passport expired during COVID, the U.S. government would still accept it, should President Biden sign Smith's bill. The congressman said his Freehold office has successfully expedited passport renewals for 375 constituents — including 125 since the beginning of June —who otherwise would not have received their updated passport in time to travel.

As the county clerk, Hanlon's office processes passport applications and renewals in Monmouth County. She said her office has been flooded with calls from residents who've had to miss business trips abroad, vacations, weddings, funerals and other family events.

According to the U.S. State Department, the current processing time for routine passport issuance is almost five months.

The U.S. State Department actually warns Americans should plan to wait six months for passport turnaround time. For expedited service, the processing time is 12 weeks.

A five-month passport delay wait time is "unprecedented," said Hanlon.

“The delays have reached crisis proportions," she said "We have received countless phone calls and messages from frantic residents who are scheduled to leave the country to travel abroad and who have not received their passports in time. My staff and I hear the concerns of frustrated residents who are missing important work trips, vacations and family events due to the U.S. State Department’s unprecedented processing delays."

On a practical matter, Clerk Hanlon also requested that the State Department consider an extension of the expiration date for all U.S. passports that have recently expired or are scheduled to expire within the next six months.

This would at least allow Americans to travel abroad while the problem is addressed.

And when Monmouth County residents have passport problems, they often cannot reach anyone by phone or email for answers. Hanlon said all she can do is refer residents to complain to their local Congress rep, usually Rep. Smith.

Hanlon said she shared her letter with the two New Jersey Senators and all the New Jersey members of the House of Representatives.

Clerk Hanlon is urging that Blinken and the State Department consider a variety of creative ways to ease the backlog, including:

• Hiring and training of full-time and temporary staff
• Moving employees from other areas of the State Department to assist with phone calls and emails
• Setting up a call center

If you are a Monmouth County resident and need urgent passport help, contact:

Monmouth County Constituent Services Center (Congressman Chris Smith's office)

112 Village Center Drive, Second Floor

Raintree Shopping Center Freehold, NJ 07728

Call for hours of operation, an appointment or for more information: phone (732) 780-3035 fax (732) 780-3079

This is Smith's main office. NJ Fourth District residents should use this Freehold address to send mail.

For more information about the current federal passport processing times, please visit the U.S. State Department, Bureau of Consular Affairs website at travel.state.gov. For more information about the passport application process and the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office passport office locations, please visit the Monmouth County Clerk’s website at MonmouthCountyClerk.com

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