A computer glitch has forced the State Department to suspend the issuance of U.S. passports and visas at its overseas diplomatic missions. The glitch hit one of the agency's computer databases.
The Consular Consolidated Database suffered a hardware failure that left overseas embassies and consulates unable to print visas, regular passports and other travel documents, the department said in a statement on its website. Domestic passport issuance remains unaffected.
The same database was taken down in July of last year by a technical glitch, stranding thousands of travelers. But the State Department said the two issues are unrelated.
“We cannot bypass the legal requirements necessary to screen visa applicants before we issue visas for travel,” the website stated. “As a result, there is a backlog of visas waiting to be processed."
Travelers who submitted online applications for passports and visas on or after June 9 will likely experience delays in processing.
"We are working as quickly as possible to resolve the issue and to clear the backlog," the department added.