Originally Posted by
EC_Nomad
The 12 weeks of processing time actually begins once the status has changed to 'In Process.' In your case, the 12 weeks of processing began on 5/7. The 12 weeks doesn't include the 4 weeks of mailing time between 4/7 and 5/7. For those who are just now submitting their applications, the mailing time is expected to be 6 weeks instead of the estimated 4 weeks a couple weeks ago.
When I applied on April 19th, they exceeded the then-4-week window. When I called, they told me to call them back after five weeks, but finally on May 19, it showed up in passportstatus.state.gov as having been received on May 18 (just a couple days past the 4-week deadline.) Curious that it didn't actually show that ON the 18th, which was the day I called them. But at least I know my documents aren't lost in transit.
As of now, it's still "in process", and given the increased timelines, I expect they will take the full twelve weeks plus mailing time on the tail end. I did not pay for expedited processing because I have no international travel planned currently, but 18 weeks+ is starting to feel a little silly.