It’s a total shitshow.
Photo: Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Wall Street veteran Peter Schiff knew well ahead of time that he’d need to renew his 7-year-old son’s passport for their June trip to Switzerland. Passports for minors must be renewed in person, at the passport office, but on their first attempt, the Schiffs were told it was too early. With service still limited due to the pandemic, the Stamford, Connecticut, office would only process emergency passport applications — which require appointments within 72 hours of the trip. But when Schiff, the CEO of Euro Pacific Capital, a billion-dollar money manager, tried to make an appointment, there was no longer any availability in that window at all. It wasn’t just the Stamford location that was booked up: “The only state where we could get an appointment was Hawaii,” says Schiff.

The investor began contemplating his options: Cancel