us passport urgent travel proof

NOTICE October 25, 2024

Crisis support for u.s. citizens in lebanon.

• Travel Advisories |
• Contact Us |
• MyTravelGov |

Find U.S. Embassies & Consulates

Travel.state.gov, congressional liaison, special issuance agency, u.s. passports, international travel, intercountry adoption, international parental child abduction, records and authentications, popular links, travel advisories, mytravelgov, stay connected, legal resources, legal information, info for u.s. law enforcement, replace or certify documents.

Get a Passport

Renew or Replace a Passport

Get My Passport Fast

Prepare to Apply

Passport Help

Legal Matters

How to Get my U.S. Passport Fast

Share this page:

Make an Appointment at a Passport Agency

Life-or-Death Emergencies

Courier and Expeditor Companies

Our passport agencies and centers :

• Process all applications we receive 
• Serve customers by appointment only who have urgent travel to a foreign country in the next 14 calendar days, or need a foreign visa in the next 28 calendar days

The U.S. Department of State runs each passport agency and center. An agency and center is different than acceptance facilities which may include post offices, libraries, and local government offices.

Avoid the stress of needing to visit a passport agency or center for urgent travel. Apply early at an  acceptance facility  or  renew by mail  or online .

Steps to Make an Appointment for Urgent Travel

I have not yet applied.

Follow these steps to make an appointment:

• Go to our  Online Passport Appointment System .
• Enter information about your travel plans to see if you qualify for an appointment. You may make an appointment for up to seven members of your household.
• Enter your email address. We will email you a code which you must enter to continue making an appointment. Check your junk or spam folder if you do not see the code in your inbox.
• Enter your mobile phone number. We will send you a text message with another code you must enter to continue making an appointment.
• Complete the process of scheduling your appointment. 
• Check your email for a message confirming the details of your appointment. The system will hold your appointment for 15 minutes. If you do not confirm your appointment within 15 minutes, you will need to start over.
• If you need to cancel or change the appointment, click the link in the confirmation email to get information about your appointment. 

I have already applied

• Call  1-877-487-2778  from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Mondays through Fridays, or on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Se habla español. 

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, call  1-888-874-7793  for TDD/TTY teletype services. 

• We will provide you unique information that we will check on the day of your appointment to confirm your appointment is legitimate. If you are not the appointment holder, the passport agency or center will not be able to see you.
• If you need to cancel or change your appointment, please call us. We will give your appointment to a new customer calling to make an appointment. You cannot transfer your appointment.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i know which location is processing my application and has my documents.

The first two digits of your nine-digit passport application locator number allow you to know which agency or center is working on your application. You can find your application locator number by checking our Online Passport Status System . 

How and when should I contact a passport agency or center by mail?

You can find an agency or center's mailing address on each agency or center webpage. You can contact our locations by mail if:

We sent you a letter : If we need more information to process your application , we will send you a letter in the mail. Send the information to the full mailing address in Sterling, VA listed on your letter. Do not send information to the agency’s physical address.

Map of Passport Office Locations

Make an appointment at a passport agency or center.

We have two types of appointments: Life-or-Death Emergency Service and Urgent Travel Service . You cannot walk-in. 

Not Yet Applied : Make an appointment online

Already Applied : Call  1-877-487-2778 . Se habla español.

External Link

You are about to leave travel.state.gov for an external website that is not maintained by the U.S. Department of State.

Links to external websites are provided as a convenience and should not be construed as an endorsement by the U.S. Department of State of the views or products contained therein. If you wish to remain on travel.state.gov, click the "cancel" message.

You are about to visit:

• Credit cards
• View all credit cards
• Banking guide
• Loans guide
• Insurance guide
• Personal finance
• View all personal finance
• Small business
• Small business guide
• View all taxes

You’re our first priority. Every time.

We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free.

So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Here is a list of our partners .

How to Get an Expedited Passport

Many or all of the products on this page are from partners who compensate us when you click to or take an action on their website, but this does not influence our evaluations or ratings. Our opinions are our own.

Say you've booked the perfect international getaway just to find that your passport has expired. Or, perhaps you didn't realize that your travel destination requires that your passport have at least six months of validity. Whatever your case may be, Americans have a few options for getting an expedited passport — whether you're renewing it or applying for a new one.

Here's what you need to know about your options for getting a passport on short notice.

» Learn more: The guide to different types of U.S. passports

How long does it take to get an expedited passport?

U.S. passport processing times vary depending on the current demand for new passports and passport renewals. The currently posted timelines for routine and expedited processing are as follows:

Routine processing: Six to eight weeks.

Expedited processing: Two to three weeks.

Keep in mind that these are just the processing time once your passport application is received. Make sure to factor in that it can take up to two weeks for the State Department to receive your mailed application and up to another two weeks for you to receive your completed passport. You can shorten this mailing time by sending your application by express mail and paying for faster return shipping.

It's worth noting that current passport processing times are far higher than in the past. For reference, in December 2019, routine passport requests only took six to eight weeks. Expediting your passport application slashed that processing time to just two to three weeks — or just eight days if you renewed at a passport agency.

While we wait for processing times to return to those levels, here are your options for expediting your U.S. passport application.

» Learn more: Need a passport for a trip? Give yourself a big time cushion

How to expedite a U.S. passport application

The best option to expedite your passport application will depend on how quickly you need your passport. The U.S. Department of State currently offers three types of expedited passport application options: Expedited, Urgent Travel, and Emergency.

Here's a breakdown of each option and how to take advantage of each one.

Expedited passport applications

Submit an expedited passport application request if you're traveling in a few months and the current up-to-11-week standard processing time would cut it too close. The process is otherwise identical to a routine application, simply requiring an additional $60 fee on top of standard passport fees.

New passport applicants can submit an expedited application at a passport acceptance facility. Travelers renewing a passport can submit an expedited renewal application by mail.

Note that the State Department has a money-back guarantee on expedited requests. You can apply for a refund of your $60 expedited fee if the agency doesn't process your application within:

35 business days (excluding weekends and holidays) of receiving an application submitted on Oct. 2, 2023 or later.

45 business days (excluding weekends and holidays) of receiving an application submitted on or before Oct. 1, 2023.

Remember to factor in mailing times when figuring whether or not an expedited application will get you your passport in time to travel. If you want to shorten the overall processing time, send your application to the State Department by express mail. You can also include an extra $19.53 with your application fees for expedited 1-2 day return shipping of your completed passport.

» Learn more: How much does a passport cost?

Urgent travel passport appointments

If an expedited passport application isn't fast enough, you'll need to apply for an in-person appointment at a passport agency. You can only schedule an urgent travel application if you haven't yet applied for a passport and you have international travel booked within 14 days.

You can also get an urgent travel appointment if you've applied for a passport but still haven't received it and your travel date is quickly approaching. In this case, you can only schedule an appointment within five calendar days of your international departure date.

To determine your eligibility, you must provide your travel dates and destinations when calling for an urgent travel appointment. Then, bring printed proof of your international travel to your passport appointment. If you don't provide proof of travel, the passport agency may not honor your appointment request.

The State Department operates around two dozen passport agencies across the U.S. If you don't live in a city with a passport agency, you'll need to travel to one of these locations to submit your urgent travel passport application request.

In addition to potential travel costs, you'll need to pay an additional $60 expedited fee to the passport agency at the time of your appointment.

If you qualify for an urgent travel appointment, call 1-877-487-2778 to see what appointments are available. We recommend calling for an appointment as soon as you're possibly eligible — 14 days before departure if you haven't applied yet or five days out if you've already applied — as spots are extremely limited.

» Learn more: 4 times when you should renew your passport

Emergency passport appointments

The U.S. State Department clearly realizes that some situations require special treatment. You can apply for a so-called "life-or-death emergency" appointment at a passport agency if you need to travel internationally within three business days because an immediate family located outside the United States has died, is dying, or has a life-threatening illness or injury.

For the sake of this appointment type, the State Department considers an immediate family member as a:

Parent or legal guardian.

Grandparent.

Travel to visit other family members (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) in these situations or to travel to get medical services for yourself do not qualify for life-or-death emergency passport service.

To get a life-or-death passport appointment, call 1-877-487-2778 between 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time from Monday to Friday. Outside of these hours and on weekends and federal holidays, call 202-647-4000 instead.

» Learn more: How to get a passport in one day

If you need to expedite a U.S. passport…

Options for expediting a passport range from paying $60 more for an expedited application to applying in person at a passport agency in urgent situations.

If you're traveling in the next few months, don't count on getting your passport anytime soon. Routine passport processing takes weeks — and that doesn't include mailing times. Instead, apply as soon as possible and pay for expedited service.

To get your passport back quicker, pay extra for expedited shipping to and from the agency. Then, if you don't receive your passport as your travel date nears, make an appointment at a passport agency within five days of travel to make sure you have a passport in time to travel.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are some of the best travel credit cards of 2024 :

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

[Limited Time] New Cardholders Can Get up to $1,050 in Chase Travel℠ Value

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

✈️ Our Nerds say it's "nearly a must-have for travelers " because of its big sign-up bonus, high-value points and money-saving perks like hotel credit and rental car insurance.

🤑 Better yet, it's offering one of the best bonuses ever right now, only for a limited time...