It’s one thing for foreign countries to begin opening their borders for U.S. travelers. It’s another challenge, however, for many of us to get there, and it has nothing to do with testing or a vaccine.

It’s a passport problem. If you need a new or renewed passport or if your current passport has less than six months of validity, you need to apply soon.

Many countries will not let you enter if you have less than 180 days left on your current passport.

One problem is that U.S. Passport offices remain closed. Unlike other offices, their staff can’t work remotely and still process passport applications. But the hope is that they will all reopen on July 1, 2020. So mark that date and try to be first in line.