Everyone knows that not everything in life can go according to plan, sometimes instantaneous events can occur. Maybe you’re browsing a travel site and see a flash sale on cheap last minute flights, or you notice your passport has expired right before a trip. This is where expedited passports come in to play.
How long does it take to get an expedited passport? Expedited passports can cut the processing time in nearly half depending on why your passport application needs to be accelerated. Getting a passport expedited cost a minimum of $60.
A standard passport application can take between 6 and 8 weeks to get it fully processed. This process can take even longer if your passport isn’t approved. Luckily for an added fee, you have the option to expedite this process.
There are several ways you can expedite your passport, through the mail, through the passport agency or at an acceptance facility when you submit your application. The process differs slightly depending on how you choose to expedite your passport.
In this article, we will go in depth about how to get a passport, where you can get a visa, all the steps into expediting a passport, and all the additional costs associated with getting a passport.
How Long Does It Take To Get An Expedited Passport?
No one knows what the future can hold, whether it’s an unexpected trip for work or the loss of a family member. Thankfully the United States passport agency can be accommodating for all of life’s surprises.
The average amount of time it takes for a passport to be processed, including shipping, is 6-8 weeks. When a visa is expedited, it can take anywhere from 3 days to 6 weeks depending on the need of the passport and how you apply.
Depending on why you need your passport expedited, and how soon you need your passport, you may need to make an appointment with a passport agency.
What to bring to a travel agency appointment:
- Photocopy of I.D.
- Citizenship evidence
- Passport fees
- Passport application
- Proof of travel (an itinerary)
- Proof of life or death situation (Only if you need a passport in less than 3 days)
In life or death emergencies, you may be eligible to receive a visa within 72 hours. In these circumstances, you need to call the U.S. travel agency. On their website they list two numbers you can contact; one you can call Monday-Friday 8 am to 5 pm, the other you can call any day or time outside of the previously mentioned hours.
If you need a passport in less than three weeks, then you will need to contact the U.S. travel agency during their regular business hours to make an appointment. Don’t forget to bring all the necessary documents!
If you need your passport in 4-6 weeks, you only need to include the expedition fee in with your paperwork and either mail it in or turn it into your local acceptance facility. You will not have to explain why you need your passport expedited through this method. This does not include the 1-2 day shipping, that will be an additional fee.
One of the reasons it can take so long to receive a passport is due to errors filling out all the documentations. There are many long and often times complicated forms that need to be filled out and submitted to obtain your travel permit.
Nowadays, there are additional online services that can help to speed up how long it takes for you to receive your passport by making sure your passport application has zero errors.
These services can cost anywhere from $65 to $500 on top of the state’s processing fees depending on how quickly you need your passport and which service you choose. Check these side hustles to make money for travel if that expedited passport puts you over your budget.
How they work is they guide you through all the necessary documentation and can even help take your passport picture on your phone.
After that, the expedition service will overnight the documentation and hand deliver it to the travel agency. Then they receive your passport and overnight it back to you. They keep you up to date on what’s going on through text messages and emails.
Where Can I Get a Passport?
When you apply for a passport, you can apply in person, or you may be eligible to mail in your application.
You may only mail in your application if you are changing information on your passport or you are renewing your passport, and it is less than 15 years old.
Reasons you need to apply for a passport in person:
- You are applying for your first U.S. passport
- You are under age 16
- Your previous U.S. passport was issued when you were under age 16
- Your previous U.S. passport was lost, stolen, or damaged
- Your previous U.S. passport was published more than 15 years ago
The reason why you need to apply for a visa in person if you meet any of the above criteria is you need to take an oath that all the information your submitting is correct and sign your documentation in front of a U.S. travel agent worker before submitting your paperwork.
It can be confusing to find out what to do with your paperwork once you have everything gathered together and filled out.
You can turn it into a passport agency, a passport fair, and some post offices will accept passports. The U.S. State Department also has a tool on their site that will help you find a place to submit your passport near you.
Obtaining a Passport
To get a passport, there is a lot of paperwork that needs to be first completed. With everything that needs to be completed, it can be easy to make a mistake and have a passport rejected.
Here are some of the reasons a passport application can be denied:
- Passport photos
- Child support
- Letter of authorization
- Consent forms
- Passport applications
- Signatures
- Government fees
- Passport book damage
- Identification
- Birth certificate
- Probation or felony
Passport photos follow strict criteria. A photo must be 2×2 inches in size, taken in front of a white backdrop, you cannot wear a hat or glasses, your face must be clearly visible, you cannot show teeth, and it must be taken within the last 6 months. Any photo not meeting these criteria will be denied.
Many places can help you take a passport photo that will be accepted. Many drug stores, like CVS or Walgreens, offers these services. You can also get your photo taken at any post office offering passport services, and there are some apps that will allow you to take a passport picture at home.
Many states will not allow you to get a passport if you are behind on child support payments. Each state has a financial limit for child support that could potentially get your application denied.
A letter of authorization is only needed when you expedite your passport and need it sooner than 3 weeks. Usually, when a visa is denied for this reason, it is because of incorrectly filling out the form.
Consent forms are needed for minors when a parent or guardian cannot be present. If it is not notarized, it can lead to their passport being rejected.
Simple errors like incorrectly putting down your address on your passport form can lead to your passport being rejected. Make sure to look your forms over a few times, so no errors are left undiscovered!
If your signature is not the same on all the documents, then it will lead to your passport being rejected. This is why you need to sign the last document in person at a visa accepting agency. This is done to prevent identity fraud.
If you pay too much or too little government fees, then this could deny your application along with if your previous passport book was damaged in any way.
In order to apply for a passport and have it accepted you must first fill out all the proper forms, have photocopies of I.D., proof of citizenship, a passport photo and a check made out to the U.S. Department of State for all the processing fees.
If you are applying for a passport for the first time or are a child under the age of 17, then you need to fill out the DS-11 form. Make sure to have your social security number handy because you’ll need it to fill this form out!
If you’re renewing your passport in America or as a U.S. citizen in another country, then you will need to fill out the DS-82 form. This form can also be sent in via the mail instead of in person like the DS-11.
If your new passport has an error or you got married and need to change your name just a year after receiving a new one, then you’ll need to fill out a DS-5504 form.
After filling out the appropriate form, you will need to collect a primary form of citizenship evidence. This could be an old passport or a birth certificate.
If you were born in the United States and don’t have a birth certificate, then you can either provide a delayed birth certificate or a letter of no record AND early public records.
Early public records would include; initial school reports, a baptism certificate, U.S. census records or doctors’ records of post-natal care.
If you weren’t born in the United States, you could provide a birth abroad certificate, a certification of citizenship or naturalization, or an old expired passport.
You will also need to bring identification and a photocopy of this identification. You can bring one form of photo I.D. like a driver license or a U.S. military I.D., or you can present two forms of none photo I.D. like your social security card and a student I.D.
If you need a passport for someone under the age of 16, you will also need to show parental relations like a birth certificate or adoption decree.
After collecting the following, you will just need your passport photo and all the processing fees, which can be calculated online.
Make sure to double or triple check all of your documentation before heading off to submit your passport application! You don’t want to have your application rejected because you forgot to put down your zip code, or be sent home since you don’t have a photocopy of your driver license.
How Much Does It Cost To Get a Passport?
Getting a passport can very quickly become expensive. From shipping fees to expedition services, it will usually cost over $100 in order to get a visa.
How much it costs to get a passport:
- First-time adult passport book (international travel) $110
- First-time adult passport card (only Canada & Mexico) $30
- First-time passport book and card $140
- Passport book renewal $110
- Passport card renewal $30
- Passport card and book renewal $140
- Minor passport book $80
- Minor passport card $15
- Minor passport book and card $95
- Expedite fee $60
- 1-2 day delivery $16.48
- File search fee (unable to provide proof of citizenship) $150
- Execution fee (if using an acceptance facility) $35
- Third party expedition services $65-$500
- Passport photo $.29-$15
If you are getting a passport book at the normal shipping rate, then you can expect to pay around $110 at a passport agency or $145 at an acceptance facility.
If you decide to expedite your passport than it could cost at minimum $170 or a maximum of $221.48 with 1-2 shipping and if you submit your application at an acceptance facility.
The price of passport pictures varies depending on where you choose to get them done. If you get your photo taken at home, then you will only need to pay a little more than a quarter to get them printed at your local drug store.
You can also get your photo taken at your local CVS or Walgreens if you decide taking your picture at home isn’t worth the risk. At these locations, a passport photo typically cost $13, and you can often use coupons to make your passport even cheaper.
CVS usually offers a 2$ off coupon for passport photos online, and you can even use extrabucks, a coupon that acts as a gift card for anything in the store, towards your passport photo.
Post offices that accept passport applications usually also offer passport picture services, and it will run around $15 to have done with no chances at additional savings.
No matter where you get your passport photo taken, make sure your photo follows all of the State departments guidelines, and don’t forget NOT to wear a white shirt! You don’t want to blend into the background and risk your photo getting rejected. Making sure everything gets approved on the first try will save you time and money.
Third party expedition services will add up very quickly with the average service costing around $100. The price may seem a little intimidating, but it might be worth checking out if you need your passport right away, they help make sure your passport application will be approved.
If you are submitting a passport at a passport acceptance facility like the post office, then you may only pay using a check written out to the U.S. State Department. Credit and debit cards will not be accepted.
Submitting your passport application at an acceptance facility will also incur an additional $35 fee that must be paid separately. This fee can be paid with a money order, check, exact cash, or a credit card with a tacked-on surcharge.
If you are renewing your passport through the mail, then you may only pay with a check. Make sure you calculate all your fees correctly; you don’t want your passport renewal to be rejected because of an extra .10$ on the check you wrote out.
If you are submitting your application at a passport agency, you can pay with a master or visa credit card, a check, money order, exact amount of cash since there will be no change, or a prepaid master or visa card. There will be no additional fees for submitting a passport application through the mail or at a passport agency.
Once your application is approved, you will need to renew your passport every ten years. The renewal process is less of a hassle since all you’re doing is updating your information and submitting a new passport photo.
Renewing your passport is even cheaper since you can mail in your application and avoid potential execution fees from the post office.
Whether you decide to expedite your passport or just wait it out, it’s worth the hassle in order to see the world. Don’t let all this extra work scare you away from sipping cappuccinos in Italy or enjoying Paris in three days. After all, the world waits for no one.