Not only is it difficult to get passport times – the waiting time for the printed passport is now also expected to be longer. Behind the new problems lies a shortage of materials at the manufacturer.

As SVT Nyheter previously reported, the multinational security company Thales is having problems with passport production in Europe. Among other things, there has been a shortage of paper and glue for the passport books, which has led to long waiting times in Norway.

Thales, through the company AB Svenska Pass, also manufactures Swedish passports. When the police were asked about the problems in early April, they had not yet noticed them.

– So far we have not seen that we have problems with deliveries from them, but we are monitoring the issue, Stefan Marcopoulos, press spokesman for the police, has previously told SVT.

Longer waiting times

Now the manufacturer's problems have also begun to affect Swedish manufacturing, the police write in a press release.

”"We are already seeing that the supplier is having difficulty producing passport books to the extent the Police Authority wishes, and therefore the delivery time of passports to our citizens will be longer than before," writes Per Engström, national commander for the special incident "Passport", in a statement.

However, it is not clear how long the waiting times are expected to be or how extensive the shortage is.

The manufacturer states that it is developing a plan to limit the problems, in cooperation with the police.

”"Thales regrets the temporary inconvenience caused to Swedish citizens," writes Thales Nordic spokesperson Lynne Scott Walters in an email to SVT.

Urged to obtain an ID card

The police are now urging anyone travelling within Europe to instead apply for a national ID card. They serve as a travel document within Schengen and, according to the police, you are guaranteed to receive such a document within approximately five working days.

Source: SVT