Expedited Passports

Your US passport is one of your most valuable possessions, and you are probably very careful with it. However, no matter how careful we try to be, accidents happen. When it comes to passports, the most common causes of accidental damage are pets, toddlers, washing machines and for frequent travelers, normal wear and tear.

Whether your dog chewed it or you accidentally sent it through the spin cycle, you should never try to travel with a damaged passport. Any damage to the passport book makes airport authorities and border officials start thinking about potential fraud, and there is a very real possibility that you will not be allowed to travel.

To replace a damaged US passport, treat it just like you would a lost or stolen passport. Fill out Form DS-64, Statement Regarding a Lost or Stolen Passport, and describe how it was damaged.  Then, you can either send your old passport in to be canceled and leave it at that or you can go ahead and apply for a new passport in person at a passport acceptance facility (see How To Apply for a New Passport for details.)

If you currently have a damaged passport, however, there’s a good reason to apply for a replacement now-the Department of State is planning to raise passport fees later this year.

Expect it to take at least 6 weeks to replace your damaged passport if you request regular processing, and at least  weeks if you request the government’s expedited processing.  If you need a passport sooner than that, the easiest way to get one is to use a private passport expediting company like RushMyPassport.com.  We’ll walk you through the paperwork to help you avoid common mistakes that could cause delays, then personally walk your US passport application directly to the Department of State for super-fast processing-often as quick as 24 hours!

Apply for your US passport today!

A Wisconsin high school student going on a school trip to Peru was not allowed to leave the US after his dog damaged his passport. The dog, a 1-year-old golden retriever named Sunshine, found the passport in a waistband the student had borrowed to keep his valuables secure in Peru.  She only nibbled off the top corner, but the damage was done.

Chicago airport officials let the boy fly to Miami with his class despite the chewed-up passport. However, once he was in Miami, officials there refused to allow him on the plane to Peru because of the damage. He flew back to Chicago, where his parents picked him and tried to arrange getting an emergency passport from the passport office in Miami. However, the passport office said that due a backlog of applications, there was no way for them to process an emergency passport application that quickly.

The moral of this story? If your passport is damaged, you need to replace it before the trip-even if it’s still mostly intact! Also, you should be aware that applying for an emergency passport is often easier if you use a private passport expediting company. RushMyPassport.com offers processing times as short as 24 hours, and we have walk-in service available at our West Palm Beach office.

To replace a damaged passport, you’ll need to use passport application form DS-11 and Form D-64, an affidavit that describes how the damage occurred. Basically, a damaged passport is handled just like a lost or stolen passport. If you’re applying to replace a damaged passport through RushMyPassport.com, you should select the option for replacing a lost or stolen passport.

Need a passport quickly? Apply for an emergency passport today!