Need a passport? You can now get one faster

(The Hill) -- U.S. passport processing time has been reduced by two weeks at most, the State Department announced Thursday.

The Bureau of Consular Affairs said wait times for both online and paper applications have been reduced to four to six weeks, which is down from the previous processing time of six to eight weeks.

Expedited processing times still remain at two to three weeks, the announcement reads.

Last month, the department made passport renewal fully available online.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the online passport renewal system “a significant step forward in ensuring that Americans can more easily access passport services.”

Most adults aged 25 and older can apply online if their passport has been valid for 10 years, their passport book is in their possession and they are within the U.S. or one of its territories. 

The news comes a year after a duo of Democrat lawmakers introduced legislation that would implement new measures to clear passport application backlogs and reduce processing delays. 

The proposed legislation, called the PASSPORT Act, would streamline the process by improving communication with current passport holders by notifying them one year in advance of the expiration of their passports. It would also ensure customers are aware of passport requirements at the time of booking international travel. 

Passport processing times took a major hit during the pandemic, with the State Department announcing just last December that wait times were finally back to the pre-pandemic norms.