Whether you’re planning to spend Christmas in jolly old England, scope out Germany’s festive holiday markets or you just want to get away from it all and go somewhere warm, if you’re leaving the country for the holidays you need a valid passport.
If you have a passport already, you should take it out of its safe storage space now and check the expiration date. 10 years is a long time, but it can go by much faster than you’d think!
If your passport is nearing its expiration date, you may need to apply for a US passport renewal before you can travel. Keep in mind, some countries won’t let you in if your passport expires within the next 6 months, even though it may technically still be valid.
Unfortunately, much like Christmas shopping, applying for your US passport renewal is not a chore that you should leave until the last minute. In fact, it takes about 6 weeks for you to get your passport if you apply for normal processing time. Expediting your passport processing is possible, but it will cost you an additional $ 60 and it will still take 3 weeks.
If you need your passport sooner than that, here are two ways to get it in time to save Christmas: make an appointment at the closest regional passport agency office or use a private passport expediting company. To find the nearest passport agency office and make an appointment, call 1-877-487-2778. Look online to find an expediting company, remembering to research carefully before making a purchase. An expeditor is often the most convenient of the two choices simply because you don’t have to make an appointment or spend time and money traveling to a passport agency location.
Either way, you can often get your US passport renewal processed within 24 hours.
Alison Kroulek is a freelance writer and blogger with a focus on the travel industry.
