Currently, the US government recommends that you allow at least 3 weeks to receive a passport using normal passport processing. If you pay extra for the government’s expedited service and use overnight shipping for your application, in most cases you’ll have your new passport within 2 weeks. However, life doesn’t always give you a 2 week notice. For example, if you have relatives overseas, you might have to leave the country on short notice to deal with a family emergency. Also, even seasoned travelers sometimes make international travel plans, only to realize at the last minute that their passport is lost or expired.

 

If you need an emergency passport, there are two ways to make it happen. The first option is to apply for an emergency passport at a US Passport Agency office. There are 15 US Passport Agency offices in the US, located in the following cities:

  • Boston, MA
  • Chicago. IL
  • Aurora, CO
  • Norwalk, CT
  • Honolulu, HI
  • Houston, TX
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Miami, FL
  • New Orleans, LA
  • New York, NY
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Seattle, WA
  • Washington, DC (2 locations, with one specializing in diplomatic, official and no-fee passports)

To apply for an emergency passport at a Passport Agency Office, you must make an appointment. For details, see the instructions on the US Department of State’s website.

However, if you need an emergency passport for a last-minute trip, you may have problems squeezing an appointment with a Passport Agency office into your already frantic schedule. This is especially true if you don’t live anywhere near one of the Passport Agency offices. Fortunately, there is another way. You can get an emergency passport easily by using a private passport expediting service like RushMyPassport.com. An expediting company will hand-deliver your documents to the US Passport Agency for processing, so you can be ready to travel in as little as 24 hours!