Why an Estimated 100,000 Americans Abroad Face Passport Problems
Consular appointments for U.S. citizens overseas are nearly impossible to come by as many embassies, plagued by Covid restrictions and staff reductions, remain all but closed.
Yona Shemesh, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who lives in Israel, ended up paying $450 to a broker for a booked appointment to renew his American passport. He tried for eight months to do so himself at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.Credit.Tanya Habjouqa for The New York Times
By Debra Kamin
May 6, 2021, 5:00 a.m. ET
Yona Shemesh, 24, was born in Los Angeles, but he moved to Israel with his family at age 9. In July 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic was raging, he booked a ticket to Los Angeles to visit his grandparents in June 2021, knowing that he would have nearly an entire year to renew his American passport, which had long since expired.