How Do You Get a U.S. Passport Fast?

The fast passport rule in one table

| Routine | Travel in 6 weeks or more. 4 to 6 weeks, mailing times excluded, mailing can add 2 weeks | | Expedited | Travel in less than 6 weeks. 2 to 3 weeks, mailing times excluded, mailing can add 2 weeks. 60 dollar expedite fee on top of the standard application fee | | Urgent travel appointment | Within 14 calendar days of international travel, or 28 days if a foreign visa is needed. No unscheduled visits. No fee to book. No appointment is guaranteed | | Life-or-death emergency | Travel abroad in the next 2 weeks because an immediate family member outside the United States has died, is dying or in hospice care, or has a life-threatening illness or injury | | Faster shipping | 26 dollars and 87 cents for 1 to 3 day return delivery, as a separate check or money order. Faster sending at the facility by Priority Mail Express, price varies by location |

What makes fast different

Speed has three tiers, and each tier is gated by the travel date, not by the form. Routine and expedited are service choices on a mailed or facility application. The appointment tier is a different building: a passport agency or center, in person, only inside the 14-day or 28-day window. Applying at an acceptance facility or by mail is not the urgent route when travel sits inside 2 to 3 weeks, because processing plus mailing times run past the trip.

The second difference is what an appointment cannot do. No one walks in without one. Booking one costs nothing. Appointments cannot be transferred to another person. And the State does not guarantee that an appointment will be available. Anyone demanding payment to book an appointment is not the State.

Expedited and routine, step by step

1. Check the travel date. Six weeks or more out: routine. Less than 6 weeks: expedited, with the 60 dollar fee added to the standard application fee and EXPEDITE on the envelope for mailed renewals.
2. Expedite at an acceptance facility or expedite a renewal by mail. Add faster shipping if the trip needs it: Priority Mail Express sending at the facility, or 26 dollars and 87 cents for 1 to 3 day return delivery as a separate check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State. Do not submit a pre-paid return envelope.
3. If travel falls inside 14 calendar days, or 28 days with a foreign visa needed, stop mailing and make an agency appointment instead.

Urgent travel appointments, step by step

1. If not yet applied, make the appointment online through the Online Passport Appointment System. Up to 7 people in a household per appointment. A confirmation email holds the appointment for 15 minutes, so confirm within 15 minutes or start over. Cancel or change through the link in the confirmation email.
2. If already applied, call. The first 2 digits of the 9-digit application locator number identify the reviewing agency or center, found through the application-status check. If there is time to issue before travel, the State notifies the agency working on the application. If not, the State makes an appointment. Appointment details are checked on the appointment day, and non-holders cannot be seen.
3. Bring proof of travel, the application form for the track (new or renewal), a passport photo, and a valid government-issued photo ID. The 60 dollar expedite fee applies.

Life-or-death emergencies, step by step

1. Confirm the case qualifies. Immediate family means a parent or legal guardian, children, spouses, siblings, and grandparents only. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relatives do not count. Travel for one's own medical services does not qualify. Use urgent travel instead.
2. Gather emergency documentation: a death certificate, a mortuary statement, or a hospital letter on letterhead, signed by a doctor, explaining the condition. A non-English document needs translation by a professional translator.
3. Get proof of travel abroad in the next 2 weeks, such as an itinerary or airline ticket. Prepare the application form, a passport photo, and a valid government-issued photo ID.
4. Make the appointment. Schedule up to 2 weeks before international travel. First try online if not yet applied. If unable online, or already applied: Mondays through Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, dial 877-487-2778. Saturdays, Sundays, federal holidays, and after 5:00 p.m. ET on Mondays through Fridays, dial 202-647-4000. Do not dial that number on Mondays through Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.

The general passport information line keeps different hours from the emergency path: Mondays through Fridays 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET, and Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET, at the same 877-487-2778 number. Same-day issuance at an agency is not promised on any State page read for this guide, so this page promises no same-day outcome.

Related passport guides

After applying, track the case on the status check page. The fee schedule behind every figure here lives on the passport cost page. For every passport track side by side, see the U.S. Passport Guides by Situation directory.

Source

The tiers, the appointment windows, the emergency qualification, and the call paths on this page come from the U.S. Department of State: the Get Your Passport Fast page, the Life-or-Death Emergency page, the Make an Appointment page, and the Contact U.S. Passports page. Facts verified 2026-10-27.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your government agency.