Why Fall is the Best Time to Renew Your Passport

As a part of its "Apply Early" campaign the

U.S. State Department of Passport Services

is celebrating National Passport Awareness Month. The stretch between September and December is the best time to renew your passport because it is the least busy time of year for the department. Last year, the State Department issued over 14 million new passports and the demand is expected to increase each year, so applying for your passport now, even if your next trip isn't until next year, will ensure faster processing of your application.

Besides getting it out of the way, there are a lot of reasons you might need to renew your passport. Some countries require U.S. passports to have at least six months of validity in order to enter and if you are living in a state affected by the

REAL ID Act

, you might even need one to fly domestically.

The State Department has also released

this

useful infographic to help travelers determine when and how they should apply for or renew their passports, as well as this helpful

list of pro-tips

.