Going through a family tragedy is tough enough without it
happening and not having a way to get to that family member. Having a
child get hurt abroad can be a horrifying experience, especially if you
don't have a valid passport and no way to get over to be with them.
Luckily, the State Department does have provision for emergency passport
services.
When an emergency situation arises, the other family
members can contact the Department of State Passport Information Center
and they will get guidance on exactly what to do in order to get their
passport pushed through. As long as the situation meets their criteria
for emergency care, they will usually have a passport in hand in less
than 48 hours.
The National Passport Information Center can be
accessed via the phone 24/7 and an appointment can be made. If the
appointments that are available do not work for the family that needs
the emergency services, they can also reach a live person from 6am to
midnight EST during weekdays.
This operator will be able to answer any
and all questions that the person might have.
Because the
government options do not always fit into our plan, there are also
plenty of private passport expediting companies that offer services to
issue emergency passports. These agencies are approved by the State
Department to help cut some of the hassle out of getting a passport.
They will of course charge a fee for their services, but when people are
dealing with an emergency the fee is nothing compared to the
aggravation that it saves.
If the family is in a position where
they are going to need their passports in 24 hours, these services are
excellent and being able to make this happen. As a matter of fact,
people that arrive early in the day can sometimes get their passports
before the end of the business day. This is a great relief to those that
know that they need to be on a plane as soon as possible.
For the
most part, these agencies can be found online and all business can be
conducted that way.
However, there are also plenty of brick and mortar
offices if that is preferred. These services are invaluable to someone
that simply cannot deal with all of the forms that are required. They
can supply the agency with their information and pretty much be done
with it at that point.
It should go without saying, but while
these agencies are very helpful, they are there to make a profit.
That
being the case, the fees that they charge can be substantial, depending
upon the turnaround time that is needed. In many cases the overall costs
can be five or six times what it would cost to get a passport via
normal channels.
While nobody ever wants to pay the fees that are associated with rush service, sometimes there is no other choice but to use emergency passport
services. It is for this very reason that everyone should always have a
valid passport on hand. However, it is nice to know that should we
neglect to get our passport in time, there are passport expediting services out there that can make this happen and allow us to get with our loved ones in an emergency.
