Most people know that applying for a passport is something that's
best done well in advance. However, as a wise man once said, "Stuff
happens." No matter how careful or conscientious you are, you might find
yourself needing emergency passport services in order to travel.
In most cases, the Department of State processes passport
applications within 6 weeks of receiving them if you apply for regular
processing, and about three weeks if you pay the extra $60 to expedite
the application. If you're leaving within two weeks and you don't have a
passport already, you need emergency passport services. Here's how to
get them.
Apply at a Passport Agency Office
Unfortunately, you can't get an emergency passport at your local post
office or library. They don't have the capacity to issue passports
immediately, and will instead send your application to the Department of
State. To get an emergency passport, you must apply at a special,
stand-alone passport office called a Regional Passport Agency. There are
currently only 25 of these offices serving the entire US, though the
Department of State has been making an effort to open more of them as of
late.
Regional passport agency offices operate by appointment only. You are
eligible to apply for emergency passport services at one of these
offices if you have a ticket to leave the country within the next 14
days and need a passport, or if you're traveling within 4 weeks to a
country that requires you to apply for an entry visa in advance. To find
the nearest location and make an appointment, call 1-877-487-2778. In
addition to the other standard documents needed to get a passport,
you'll also need to bring a paper copy of your travel itinerary to the
appointment.
Use an Expediting Company
Another unfortunate fact is that many Americans are simply not able to apply for emergency passport services
at a regional passport agency office. The office may be too far away to
make travel feasible, or the operating hours available for appointments
may be too restrictive. Either way, if you can't make it to a passport
agency office or just don't want to deal with the inconvenience, using a
passport expediting service can be a valuable alternative.
Here's how it works: an expediting company takes your paperwork
directly to the Department of State, putting your application on the
"top of the stack" so that it can be processed immediately. Then, once
it's issued, they send back to you using an express mail service. You
can get your passport issued quickly, often within 24 hours, without
having to go to a passport agency office. Unless you're eligible to
renew your passport by mail, you will need to apply in person, but that
just means a trip to the local post office. There, you'll get your
documents "sealed" so that you can send them to the expediting company
for processing.
If you are a US citizen in need of an Emergency Passport, a passport
expediting service is a good way to get a new passport fast. Emergency
passports for renewals, lost replacements, name changes, children and
extra pages are easy and secure.
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