Most travel experts recommend that you apply for a passport months before you actually plan to leave the country. However, life can be unpredictable, and there are a variety of circumstances that can leave you scrambling at the last minute to get a passport, fast. When you apply for a passport, it normally takes the State Department at least six weeks to receive your application, evaluate it, process it and send the new passport back to you. If you can’t wait that long, follow one of the procedures outlined below to get your passport more quickly.
Expedited Passport Processing
If you still have more than two weeks before you’re scheduled to leave the country, applying for expedited passport processing through the Department of State is an option. On top of the normal application fees, you’ll pay an additional $ 60 expedite fee to the State Department. To ensure you get your passport in time, the State Department recommends that you spring for overnight service to and from the passport office. The cost for overnight service to the passport office will depend on whether you use the post office or another carrier, and the cost from the passport office is $ 12.72.
If you apply for expedited service with overnight shipping, you should get your passport within 3 weeks, though the actual processing time may be shorter or longer depending on how many applications the Department of State has to go through at any given moment.
Applying at a Passport Agency
If you plan to leave the country within two weeks and you don’t have a passport, you can make an appointment at a regional Passport Agency office by calling 1-877-487-2778.
You are also eligible to make an appointment if you are traveling within 3 weeks to a country that requires American citizens to apply for a visa in advance. As long as you have all of your paperwork in order, you should be able to get your passport fast, usually within 24 hours of your appointment. Along with the other required fees, the $ 60 expedite fee will apply.
However, there’s a catch: there are only 24 of these passport offices in the entire US, mostly in major metropolitan areas. So, visiting a passport agency may require a long drive or even a plane trip.
Using a Private Passport Expediting Company
If traveling to a passport agency isn’t feasible or seems like too much of a hassle, you can pay a company to do it for you. If you need to apply for your new passport in person, all you have to do is go to the post office (or another passport acceptance facility), fill out the application and get your documents “sealed” by the passport agent. Then, send them to the expediting company and the company will dispatch an employee to take them to the Department of State for you. Convenience will cost you, though – in addition to the standard government fees and the $ 60 expedite fee, you’ll have to pay the expediting company, too.
Alison Kroulek is a freelance writer and blogger with a focus on the travel industry.
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