*The passport fees have recently changed. As of April 2nd, 2018, the passport acceptance fee has gone up from $25 to $35.

 

Losing a passport overseas is a frightening, frustrating experience. Being famous has its perks, however, as singer John Grant, formerly of the Czars, found out last week.

According to News.com.au, Mr. Grant was all set fly from the UK to Ver0na, Italy for an upcoming show, when he realized he’d lost both his passport and his photo ID. He went straight to the US Embassy in London to get an emergency passport, but of course they won’t give passports to any random person who walks in off the street. You do need some form of identification.

That’s where being a celebrity came in handy for Mr. Grant. He was able to use a photo of himself in the Times newspaper as proof of identity. He recounted the story to News.com.au:

‘I said to the security guards, “I haven’t got any ID, but here I am on the front page of The Times today”. They read it, and I saw the look on their faces change from delight to horror as they realized that they had a drug-addicted pervert standing in front of them. Then one of them said, “It’s good enough for me. I doubt you’ve gone to all the trouble of printing a copy just to fool us”.’

Mr. Grant got his passport, and as he explained to the BBC, “In about a half hour I was on my way back to the airport to catch a later flight to Verona and ended up making our stage time, so it all worked out really well.”

Stateside, of course, it doesn’t matter who you are: if you apply to replace a lost passport, you’ll need both proof of identity (such as a driver’s license or state-issued ID) and proof of citizenship. You’ll also need one passport photo and a completed copy of passport application forms DS-11 and DS-64 (explanation regarding a lost or stolen passport).

The fee to replace a lost passport is $135, plus an additional $60 if you need the passport expedited. Regular service takes about 6 weeks, while expedited service takes about 3 weeks.

To get an emergency passport to replace the one you lost, you can either make an appointment at one of the twenty-four regional passport agencies scattered across the country or use a private expediting company like RushMyPassport. We cut through the red tape and deliver your application right to the Department of State, for processing in as little as 24 hours.

Need an emergency passport? We’d love to help – contact us today!