24 Hour American Passport – Apply For A United States Passport Today

Typically speaking, acquiring a passport is a time consuming process. First time applicants are generally advised to give themselves around two months to get a passport. Expedited passports are available at an additional fee, but even a rush passport can take several weeks to process. Many people do not know this, but it is possible to get a 24 hour passport in dire circumstances.

First, it is important to discuss when it is appropriate to try to obtain a passport in 24 hours, and also, whether or not it is practically possible. While it is theoretically possible to obtain a passport in 24 hours, there are a lot of variables that make this feat exceedingly difficult. Again, this type of request should be limited to extremely dire circumstances.

The U.S. Department of State specifies that a 24 hour passport should only be given to someone who has suffered a death, serious injury, or serious illness overseas to someone in their immediate family. In the case of injury or illness, the family member must be hospitalized. In the event of such an emergency, applicants are encouraged to call the State Department Passport hotline.

In addition to government offices, there are also private agencies that can get passports quicker than the standard channels. However, keep in mind that they are going to charge a hefty fee in order to make this happen. There fee structures far exceed that of the government offices, so expect the wallet to take a pretty big hit for expedited services like this.

If it is only a passport renewal that is needed, the process can go a bit smoother than someone who is looking to get a new passport. Because the bulk of the set up work has already been done, the renewal process does not take nearly as much effort. In fact, many times the renewal process can be handled online and through the mail with no need to actually walk into a passport office.

New passport applicants face a much more challenging road than passport renewal applicants. Because everything has to be done in person, it can make the while process a bit more difficult. For those that live in small towns, they may have to travel hundreds of miles to a passport office that can provide the services that they need.

Also keep in mind that when rush service is requested, try to make an early appointment or get there as soon as the office is opening. This will get the application into the loop that much faster and hopefully get it processed within the time frame that is needed. When using these services, make sure a reputable company is used if you are stepping outside the government offices. They will have the process in place and will be more likely to make the turnaround happen.

Getting a 24 hour American passport can be difficult, but it is not an impossible task. As long as the situation meets the government requirements, they will do everything that they can in order to make this happen for everyone. This is food for thought though in that even if you never plan on leaving the country, it is always smart move to get a pasport because you just never know when it will be needed.