The processing time for a new passport application will be extended from four working days to six working days from Jan. 3, 2023, amid record-high demand ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday.

Chen Shang-yu (???), deputy head of MOFA’s Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA), said passport applications at the bureau’s Taipei office had exceeded 110,000 in December alone, compared to around a total of 200,000 from January through August.

He attributed the “record-high” demand to Taiwan’s recent lifting of the mandatory arrivals quarantine, which has made it easier for people to schedule trips abroad.

However, due to the high volume of applications, Chen said the bureau had decided to lengthen the standard processing time for a new passport from four working days to six working days, with effect from Jan. 3 of next year.

People who need to use their passport urgently can still pay an expedited processing service fee to receive it sooner, he added.

Even with the longer wait times, Chen said Taiwan is still “at the head of the pack” internationally in terms of efficiency in processing passport applications.

In comparison, the routine processing time in the U.S. was recently extended from 4-6 weeks to 6-9 weeks, while in Asia, applications take 7-10 days in Korea and 6-7 days in Japan, according to Chen.

To help reduce crowding at BOCA offices, Chen encouraged people who are not planning to travel in the near term to hold off on renewing their passports for now, or to do so through a travel agency.

Meanwhile, people who are applying for their first passport can do so at their local household registration office, he said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel