Online booking system for urgent U.S. passport services disabled - The Dallas Morning News

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The State Department has temporarily disabled its online booking system for urgent travel U.S. passport services.

For now, the only way to schedule an appointment is by calling the National Passport Information Center at 877-487-2778. Customers with hearing difficulties can call 888-874-7793.

These phone lines are available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT.

The booking system was disabled Wednesday at 9 p.m.

According to the State Department website, the change was needed because third parties had booked all available appointments in the system only minutes after they were posted online.

Third parties would then reportedly sell appointments to customers. This makes it difficult to determine whether an appointment was “legitimate or fraudulent,” according to the website.

“We are not affiliated with any third-party appointment booking services, and we do not charge a fee to make an appointment,” officials said.

To verify that an appointment is legitimate, people who call the agency will receive a unique confirmation number that they will need to provide the day of their in-person appointment.

Appointments are still valid for applicants who used the online booking system on or before Wednesday, July 21.

The temporary disabling of this system impacts the 26 passport agencies and centers across the country managed by the State Department, including the Dallas office at Earle Cabell Federal Building.

The change will not impact the U.S. passport booking process in post offices, libraries and local government facilities. Clients can look for these passport acceptance centers nearby using the agency search tool on the State Department website.

A list of other passport service centers in North Texas is also included in the Dallas agencies section at travel.state.gov.

Current wait times to get a passport are up to 18 weeks due to the pandemic, and most appointments are limited to urgent situations and emergencies.

Cases are currently considered urgent when an applicant must travel internationally within the next 72 hours, and life-or-death when there is an emergency such as a close family member’s death, accident or serious illness.

The State Department website offers a list of requirements for their different services and their respective wait times.

Applicants who don’t have an urgent need for a passport but want to get it in less than 18 weeks can pay a $60 fee for expedited service in 12 weeks.

They can also pay an additional $17.56 for mail delivery in one or two days.

Officials recommend applicants start their passport application or renewal process six months before their travel date to avoid complications due to delays.

Imelda García contributed to this report.

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