When you apply for a passport, it is important that you do it as far
in advance as possible. After all, you don't want to still be waiting on
it to show up in the mail when it's time to leave, do you?
Waiting until the last minute to submit your passport application can
greatly increase your stress level, and if you don't have it when you
need to leave, you could end up losing hundreds of dollars in fees for
having to change your flight or rebook your hotel.
The Department of State lists its current passport processing times on its web site. You can check them here.
Usually, it takes about 6 weeks to process an application for a
passport if you request regular processing. The government's expedited
processing option costs an additional $60 and takes about 3 weeks,
door-to-door, assuming you have the application overnighted to the
passport processing facility and that you also include an additional
$14.96 for overnight delivery from the facility to your house. However,
you should double-check the Department of State's web site, as passport
processing times get longer during periods of increased demand.
But what do you do if 3 weeks won't cut it? If you are leaving in 2
weeks or less, you can make an appointment at a Regional Passport Agency
office. These offices can issue same day passports to travelers who have an itinerary showing that they will be leaving the country in the next 14 days.
Unfortunately, for many people this is not a viable option. There are
only 18 of these offices located in major cities across the country,
and they tend to have limited office hours, similar to those of a bank.
So, if you work during the day, you will have to get additional time
off. Depending on where you live, you may have to drive for hours or
even take a plane to reach a passport office that can issue same day
passports.
So, for many people, it is easier and worth the extra expense to use a
private passport expediting company. An expediting company takes your
passport application and delivers it to the US Department of State for
immediate processing, and then sends back to you as quickly as possible.
Author,
Alison Kroulek
