Travel Tips

Considerations involved in having a priority American passport issued are varied and diverse. For one, getting such a passport might take a bit of effort and additional legwork along with money, but it can be done. Many people, who might not have the time or energy to do this by themselves, choose to make use of express passport expediters. Others, though, go through normal government channels.

This isn’t to say it will be extremely easy to get quickly-issued passports. In general, even expedited passports that are applied for through one of the government’s regional service in centers (there are 14 spread around the country) can take from 2 to 3 weeks. There are also additional fees attached when it comes to an expedited passport issued through one of those centers, so keep that in mind.

This is why those who require a quick-issuance passport on a compressed timeline normally make use of express handling companies. But, when the use of one of those companies just isn’t in the cards, there are ways to get passports on a priority basis from the government itself. Of course, this is going to mean travel to one of several different regional passport centers in order to pull it off, so keep that in mind.

When express expediting isn’t going to be used, and getting the passport on one’s own is going to be undertaken, visit the State Department’s passport website first of all. While it’s not really complicated get the document in a hurry, there are a number of steps that need to be taken. Doing so will help to keep the drama to a minimum, quite frankly.

The first thing to remember is that nothing that has to do with passports and the US government can be done without an appointment. There’s a toll-free number that can be found at the State Department passport section website. Making an appointment for passports to be issued on a priority basis will usually mean making an appointment at one of those regional centers, by the way.

There are centers on both coasts and in the Midwest, 14 of them in total. Large centers are located, for purposes of information, in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Boston, New York and Washington DC. Traveling to one of them is going to be necessary if the passport is to be issued on the same day as application. It’ll also take anywhere from 3 to 5 hours to make it happen.

Because these are expedited services that are going to be needed, it’s only natural that fees will be higher. In order to have a passport processed on the same day, a fee of from $220 to $300, in addition to standard passport fees, will need to be paid. An additional $60 fee – if any background citizenship or identity investigation is needed – may also need to be paid.

So, keep in mind that it’s important to make an appointment and to show up with a number of documents as well as passport photographs. In order to obtain a priority American passport, having the right documents – including proof of identity and citizenship – can make a big difference. As well, expect to pay between $220 and $300 to get the new passports issued extremely quickly.

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