People are waiting up to six weeks for new passports amid a 400% increase in demand following the reopening of the New Zealand border.
The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) says standard passports usually take one month to process, but with the increase in demand since the borders reopened, passports can now take up to six weeks.
The DIA also attributes the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak to the delays, which has seen up to 30% of staff being absent at a time.
"Teams are working additional hours, we have brought in extra staff from across the department and have been recruiting and training new staff to meet the demand."
DIA spokesperson Julia Wootton says processing times do vary, and some passports are issued faster depending on how many checks can be made automatically.
"Our team is dedicated to making sure Kiwis get their passports so they can reconnect with loved ones."
Wootton says although there are delays, the DIA is still processing urgent applications within three working days.
On Wednesday, RNZ reported that there are 48,000 passport applications that are still waiting to be processed.
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