Is your passport expiring soon? You're not alone: In 2006 and 2007, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative went into effect, which for the first time required passports for Americans returning by air from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. Millions of citizens applied, and the State Department is anticipating a surge in renewals of these very passports, creating a potential backlog. They're encouraging travelers to renew and apply as soon as possible. “We were overwhelmed then, and we are not going to be overwhelmed again,” Michele Bond, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, who oversees passports, told The New York Times . 
 
 Another reason to renew is that many countries are now enacting—or more firmly enforcing—requirements for six months' validity on a U.S. passport. Yet another? The hubbub surrounding the Real ID Act, which has led to confusion over when certain driver’s licenses and other identity cards may not be suitable forms of identification at TSA, has also led to an increase in passport applications. 
 
 Officials also told the Times they expect to issue more than 17 million new passports and renewals this year, which is 1.5 million more than issued in 2015. As of today, the State Department website is reporting passport processing times of approximately six weeks—an increase of some four weeks over last year's return time. Expedited passports take about three weeks door-to-door, though they cost an extra $60 to process . The fee for a new adult passport is $135, and a renewal costs $110. 

 If you have a United States passport expiring any time in 2016, the State Department has a message for you: Renew it now. 
 
 The department anticipates a surge in passport demand throughout this year, and officials hope to avoid a crush that could leave some Americans fuming in frustration with no passport in hand on the day they planned to travel outside the country. 
 
 Officials are expecting a flood of renewals of 10-year passports issued in 2006 and 2007. The latter was the year when the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative went into effect, for the first time requiring passports for Americans returning by air from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda. As millions of citizens scrambled to apply for their first passports, backlogs swelled and many were stranded. 
 
 “We were overwhelmed then, and we are not going to be overwhelmed again,” said Michele Bond, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, who oversees passports. She has been on a campaign to cajole Americans into renewing early. 
 
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 There has also been an uptick, officials said, in first-time applications from Americans in states that have not yet complied with the Real ID Act, which sets stricter standards for driver’s licenses and other identity cards. Many people seem to have a mistaken belief that a deadline is imminent after which they will not be able to present licenses from those states for flights within the United States. 
 
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 The Department of Homeland Security recently clarified the deadline: Jan. 22, 2018. As of that date, residents of states that still have not complied with Real ID will have to show an alternative, approved form of identification, such as a passport. 
 
 For now there is no hurry for travelers in the five states and a territory that have not complied so far — Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Washington and American Samoa — if they are not planning to go abroad. But some are rushing to get passports anyway (travel.state.gov), adding to congestion in the system. 
 
 State Department officials say another reason to renew soon is that many countries are now enforcing a requirement for at least six months’ validity on a United States passport. The department has experienced an increase in frantic calls from Americans who were denied entry at foreign airports and borders because their passports had less than six months to go. 
 
 Officials said they expected to issue more than 17 million new passports and renewals this year, about 1.5 million more than in 2015. Those seeking a passport for the first time must submit the application in person at a designated post office, court or other agency, and the fee is $135. Renewals will take about six weeks in 2016, up from four weeks last year. Most Americans can renew passports by mail, for a fee of $110. 

 Traveling internationally this year? Make sure your passport is up to date. 
 
 The U.S. State Department is advising travelers to renew passports expiring in 2016 earlier rather than later. 
 
 In 2006 and 2007, millions of people applied for passports because new rules required the document for travel to Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. Now, those 10-year passports are up for renewal, and officials expect a surge in applications. 
 
 Travelers with state driver's licenses that do not meet REAL ID requirements have also contributed to an increase in applications — even though airports will continue to accept those state IDs until 2018. 
 
 The State Department has been encouraging travelers to apply early since last summer. 
 
 “We were overwhelmed then, and we are not going to be overwhelmed again,” Michele Bond, the assistant secretary of state for consular affairs, told The New York Times. 
 
 The fee is $135 for a new passport, and $110 for a renewal. A passport card — useful for land crossings or domestic air travel — is an extra $30 (and well worth it, according to this travel editor). 
 
 Increased demand for passport processing is expected to continue through 2018, according to the State Department. 
 
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– If your US passport is set to expire in the next year or two, you might want to jump the gun and send your forms in now. The State Department warns 17 million new passports and renewals will be issued in 2016—up 1.5 million from last year—and delays are expected. There was a surge in new passports issued in 2006 and 2007—when Americans started needing a passport to fly to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Bermuda—and those 10-year passports will soon expire. Officials tell the New York Times people should renew their passports as soon as possible, especially since some countries won't accept passports due to expire within six months. Renewals, at $110 a pop, will take about six weeks, two weeks longer than they did in 2015. Expedited passports can arrive in three weeks, but there's an extra $60 fee, per Conde Nast Traveler. The six-week waiting period also applies to first-time applicants—who will pay $135—thanks to an increase in applications from Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Washington, and American Samoa, where residents will need to show an approved form of identification, like a passport, when boarding domestic flights in 2018. State Department officials expect the increased demand to continue until that year, reports Mashable.