When it absolutely, positively has to be there, you’re out of luck with the U.S. State Department.

Last week the Passport Services Office announced it’s slowing down its expedited application service, which still costs an extra $60, but now takes three times longer.

Expedited passports once took a week to receive and now take three. Regular passport applications now take from 10 to 12 weeks.

The folks at FedEx would watch their business plummet after an announcement like that. But the State Department will only continue to be deluged with applications from Americans eager to comply with the government’s new rules. These regulations now require U.S. citizens flying home from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda to carry passports.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, passport applications have steadily climbed. The State Department produced 12 million passports last year. It expects to produce 18 million this year, and over the next four years, 100 million.

In the past only one of every five Americans possessed a passport; the State Department predicts in just a few years, half of all of us will.

As security rules continue to evolve, eventually every tea-drinker ferrying to Victoria and every skier driving to Whistler may be required to carry these precious blue folders. In addition, as the global economy continues to grow, business travelers have all the more reason to apply.

What’s more, many applicants will discover to their chagrin that just gathering the required documentation can involve separate delays that stall the process at the front end.

Fortunately, the State Department relaxed its requirements somewhat this summer to account for the delay in processing passport applications.

But Americans still must get used to yet another source of anxiety.

Wedding planners traditionally fret over whether the best man will remember to pick up the rented tuxes. Now they need to add delays at the Passport Services Office to their list of honeymoon worries.

It’s long past time for the State Department to ramp up its ability to process these requests. As the federal government requires more Americans than ever to carry valid passports, it should take its cue from the guys in the brown trucks.

The State Department absolutely, positively must come through.