Now is the perfect time to check all of your family’s passports! There is heavy demand for travel and for passport services. The passport office is telling us that it can take 10-12 weeks for a new application or renewal and 4-6 weeks for an expedited application when processing by mail or at local acceptance facilities. You can also check the status of your passport application online 7-10 days after applying. Because of increases in COVID-19 cases and local health conditions, the passport office has an extremely limited number of appointments for in-person service if you are traveling in the next 72 hours (with at 3 business days). Remember that passports for children under age 16 are only valid for 5 years. Adult passports are valid for 10 years.