Passport wait times have halved according to Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden.
Earlier this year, 1News reported wait times for passports were estimated at about 10 weeks.
The Department of Internal Affairs apologised for the lengthy wait, and attributed it to an upgrade in the passport system, which resulted in a backup of applications.
Today, van Velden said the passport application queue has dropped by more than 57%.
She said overall, applications were down to 31,000 from a peak of 53,847 at the beginning of May, and the wait times have halved.
“In the month of July, the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] issued 50,397 passports — over 10,700 more passports than applications it received.”
Of the passports issued by the Department in July, 83% were issued within six weeks. Of the passports issued by the Department in July, 91% were applied for online and 32% were group applications.
“The upgrade to the passports system implemented in March was the most significant in over a decade. I am pleased that Kiwis can use the new options that make applying for a passport online a lot easier,” said van Velden.
“The Department officials have assured me that it continues to work hard to reduce wait times and has measures in place to meet its upcoming goals.”
Applicants can now expect a five-week wait
The Department of Internal Affairs is now advising applicants to allow up to five weeks plus delivery for a standard passport, down from the 10 weeks reported in May.
This timeframe is provided as a reference to ensure customers are aware of the time it may take to issue their passport and can plan accordingly.
However, most passports are being issued faster than that, according to a spokesperson for van Velden.
