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Given that the Passport is approximately six weeks, you may need to expedite the process for an upcoming adventure. Read How to Rush Your Passport to learn how you can get your passport as quickly as possible.
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Introduction
- Who doesn't want to be swept away to some foreign clime on a moment's notice? We all do. But we also all need valid U.S. Passports. How do you get yours in a rush? Read on to learn the three simple steps (which essentially boil down to spending a bit more money) to expediting your passport application. With a fresh passport in hand, you can go anywhere, anytime.
Step 1: Complete Your Application
- Anyone can expedite his or her passport application: first-time applicants, renewal applicants, or those applying to change their names.
- Decide if you will apply for your passport in person or by mail.
- Either method is fine, but if you apply by mail, expect to pay more for overnight service going both ways.
- If you will be applying in person, be sure to go to an authorized passport agency.
- See Mahalo's guides to How to Get a Passport and How to Renew a Passport for further information on the application process itself.
- You may also need to review our guide to How to Report a Lost or Stolen Passport.
Step 2: Pay an Extra Fee
- You can bypass long wait times if you are willing to pay more.
- The additional fee for an expedited passport, regardless of how you apply, is $60 (in addition to the $67 you would pay for a routine passport renewal or the $97 you would pay for a first time passport).
- This additional fee guarantees your passport will be complete in three weeks according to current processing times. The National Passport Center's goal is to complete expedited passport applications in ten business days.
- Beware of offers to rush passports for an exorbitant fee. No passport agency charges a fee for an appointment. The best way to get your passport quicker is to go through the State Department and an authorized passport agency, even in an emergency.
Step 3: Use Overnight Mail Service
- To ensure you get your new passport as quickly as possible, you'll need to use an express mail service.
- If you are mailing your application, it is highly recommended that you spring for overnight service both ways.
- If you are mailing your application, clearly mark "EXPEDITED" on your envelope.
- If you are applying in person, you will simply need to include a pre-paid overnight mailer for your passport's return trip.
- If you are applying in person, save time by doing so at your local post office. Just make sure your local office offers passport services (you can search specifically for post offices offering passport services) and double check their hours. (Many post offices offering passport services do so for a limited period of time during the day.)
Resources for How to Rush Your Passport
- U.S. Department of State: How to Get Your Passport in a Hurry
- U.S. Department of State: Passports
- U.S. Department of State: Passport Agencies
- U.S. Department of State: Passport Acceptance Facility Search Page
- U.S. Department of State: How to Apply in Person for a Passport
- U.S. Department of State: Passport Fees
- United States Postal Service: Find a Post Office
