ALLEGAN, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Aug. 17, 2023) –Allegan County residents are gearing up to travel more than ever before , according to Bob Genetski. The County’s Register of Deeds is reporting that his office has processed 394 Passport Applications through Tuesday of this week – an all-time record. “The previous record was set last year when we accepted 392 applications for the entire year,” Genetski indicated.
The Register of Deeds stated that his office noticed the trend right at the beginning of the year. “From January through March, we had seen a record-breaking number of customers that I thought might drop off after spring break,” the Saugatuck Republican said. “Instead, applications went up.”
Genetski traced some of the increase to government restrictions on travel during COVID. The Register’s Office processed 349 applications in 2019 and then only 129 in 2020. That was the lowest number since the office began the service in 2013. “Following COVID, we helped 263 people obtain Passports in 2021, which increased to 392 last year, but the quantity of requests this year is off the charts,” the second term Register explained, “if the numbers continue, we’ll beat last year’s record by 65%.”
The increased interest in Passports this year is not unique to Allegan County. The U.S. Passport Office in Detroit reports that currently an applicant should expect to receive his or her Passport within 10 to 13 weeks of filing the application and 7 to 9 weeks if it is expedited. As recently as January of this year, Genetski remarked a standard application was taking 7 – 9 weeks and an expedited one 3 – 5 weeks. Time estimates do not include mailing of the
application to the State Department and the mailing of the Passport to the recipient.
With the record-breaking number of applicants at the County Courthouse, the Office now requests that customers make an appointment by calling 269-673-0390. “By making an appointment over the phone with one of our deputy registers, we can help speed up the process and answer any questions that might delay an application or that might result in two trips to 113 Chestnut Street in Allegan,” the Register stated.
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