Students who are planning to participate in a Fall or  Academic Year 2022 Education Abroad program should apply for a new or renewed passport this as early as possible.
 
The U.S. Department of State recently announced that because of a pandemic-fueled backlog of applications, processing a passport could take as long as 11 weeks. In addition, paying for expedited process won’t necessarily speed up that timeline.
 
Students traveling abroad must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months after the date of return to the United States. For most students going abroad in Fall 2022, that means if a passport is not valid until July 2022 it’s time to renew. An adult passport is valid for 10 years.
 
A passport may also be required to obtain necessary student visas for certain programs.
 
The Department of State is encouraging Americans needing to apply for or renew a passport to start the process at least six months in advance of departure. The State Department is currently working through a backlog of up to 2 million requests.
 
Students who need to get or renew their passport can work through the application process with Education Abroad, which is an official Passport Acceptance Facility. Passport appointments can be made by visiting https://swan.tamu.edu/educationabroad (click on the specific dates to find available appointment times), calling 979-845-0544 or emailing abroad@tamu.edu.
 
Helpful Links:
Education Abroad Passport Services
U.S. Department of State Passport Services