Passport help!!?

Question

I am considering going on a short vacation around the second or third week of October. However, my destination would probably be somewhere outside of the United States. I do not have a passport. I understand that the expedited service takes three weeks. I doubt I'd be able to get one in time. Is there anyway I'd still be able to go?

I went to the Passport website and there was some mention of "If you do not have your passport but are traveling within the next seven days, please call ...." So does that mean it's doable? Has anyone done this?

It's not a huge deal, I could choose some US place to go instead or delay the trip until November or December.

Thanks in advance.

And---> I'm a US citizen...born here...and have a valid driver's license as well as any of the other forms of ID that I would need. The only thing I don't have, obviously, is a passport.

I'm somewhat confused about the "Urgent Passport" service. Because on the website, it said something about an expedited service taking three weeks. I think my best bet (although still possibly a regrettably poor choice) is to go to the nearest Post Office and check with them first or see who they recommend contacting for additional information.

And like I mentioned, and as some of you suggested, it might just be better to delay the trip. Maybe I'll do that to avoid the stress and stay in the states or just lengthen the later trip.

I just need to unwinddddd. Help! Haha.

Answer 1

You can get it done same day or overnighted if you are willing to spend the money or go to the Passport Office in DC and stand in the line. Plus you must also pay the processesing fee to the passport agent. Fees for expiditing will vary forms of payment accepted may also vary.Whom ever you choose to handle your passport application will let you know. I have a lot of personal experience with passport applications.

Please note the government is changing the rules on passport requirements as needed lately. So things may have changed a little since I helped renew family passports. Do use the phone numbers listed, the State Dept people are there to assist you in getting your passport.

If you are a first time passport applicant, before you do anything else, you must check to see you have an approved official birth certificate. The one you may have had in the family bible or wherever may not meet the new regulations for Proof of Citizenship. If you are renewing an old passport it's a little easier, send in the old passport.

The State.gov address should lead you to an area that stipulates what the acceptable documention looks like from the State, city or county that issued the certificate. It's very important you have the right documents because you will be out luck ,time, and money if you get to the head of line or the top of the pile and the passport officer doesn't accept your documentation as vaid. They are really stict about this because of all the problems with terrorism. Use the State Dept. website www.state.gov and click on get passports ( US CITIZEN). It is usually up to date.

You can use a service from a post office that has a passport office, check the hours of operations because they only process passports at certain times. Calling ahead for an appointment is helpful, then you can ensure you have the right size photos in the correct format and your forms of ID are correct. Ask how much for an overnight or same day service.

I would do this even if you plan to go to the passport office in DC yourself. It is all about shuffling the paperwork. If you want to go in Nov or Dec get an expidited service anyway passport applications are moving very slowly these days usually 8 weeks or more. There is a rush for a lot of people to get passports that never required them before. Anytime you leave the US (Canada, Mexico or even Puerto Rico) you must have a valid US passport to reenter the US.

Also check Travel.state.gov before you book your tickets to see if the State Dept. has any advisories issued for the area you are traveling. You can find out some interesting things you might not have concidered.

Good luck and have a safe trip.

Answer 2

I'm assuming that you've never owned a passport, so this would be your first -- so I'm not 100% sure that this will apply to you, but I wouldn't see why it wouldn't...

To answer your question, yes, I have used the "Emergency Passport Service" myself, and it was a fairly easy process (at least, easier than it could have been). In December 07, the night before I was scheduled to leave the country, I discovered that my passport had expired. After hours spend on the computer/telephone figuring out what to do, I delayed my trip a day and traveled to Washington, D.C. the following day (I lived in VA at the time so D.C. wasn't too far out of the way.) with my dad. We had to contact our governor and have him fax a form to the passport services office, etc... I think the information was readily available online - so you'd have to check it out yourself to get the details. We arrived in D.C. around 10 AM, finished the paperwork, etc. around 11:30, and I had a passport before 6 P.M., which provided for some nice time to sightsee, get lunch, browse Borders, etc. :) If you're really desperate to get the passport, it's definitely doable. Like the person before me said, you just have to "pay the price."


But personally, I'd just delay the trip. Me, I had no choice (I'd already bought my tickets, etc.) -- but if I was planning this in advance, I'd rather not go through all the stress that I had to go through last December.

Answer 3

I live in NY, I had a friend go to an expediting passport center in NYC, and He had one within 3 days.This was years ago, though.
Passports were totally backed up for most of this year , because of the new requirement's for travel to Canada and Mexico.
I heard on the news today, that they are caught up, so you may have a good chance to get one on the fly ! Enjoy your trip :)

Answer 4

Thanks to budget cut, passport is expensive. Normal passport is $67 plus $30 execution fee. If you need expedite, that is another $60. The total is over $150 for a passport. Ouch!

If you ask them, they will tell you normal passport takes 6 to 10 weeks. So, you should expedite. My kids renewed their passport (w/o expedite), it took 7 weeks. Last month, my brother-in-law get theirs (w/o expedite) in 2 weeks. So, the time it takes can vary quite a bit.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Put all the passport worries behind you and visit one of the U.S. territories like Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Passports are not required for U.S. citizens visiting those countries.

Answer 6

Why did a PASSPORT COMPANY call you when the GOVERNMENT ISSUES PASSPORTS.?.. you DID file through the POST OFFICE like EVERYONE ELSE... right?

Answer 7

You can get 'urgent' passports anywhere around the world - but they charge alot more - double or even tripple the normal fee. - so you could have one in 24-48 hours for a 'price'.

Answer 8

i want to ECR TO ECNR WHAT THE PROCEDUR