Short answer
To get an urgent passport agency appointment you must document international travel within 14 days, or a foreign visa requirement within 28 days. A paid airline itinerary or ticket in your name is the strongest evidence; a hotel booking or a screenshot of prices is not.
What is accepted
- A confirmed airline itinerary or e-ticket in the applicant's name with international dates.
- A cruise booking confirmation showing embarkation and foreign ports.
- A tour or study-abroad confirmation that includes the international flight details.
- A letter from an employer with the business trip itinerary attached.
- For a visa case: written proof that a foreign consulate needs your passport within 28 days.
What is not accepted
- Screenshots of flight searches or unpurchased fares.
- Hotel reservations with no flight.
- A statement that you 'plan to travel soon'.
- Travel more than 14 days away, which belongs in the ordinary expedited queue.
If your travel is 15 to 42 days away
You are not in agency territory, but you should still pay the expedite fee and add 1–2 day return delivery in both directions. Apply this week and track the application; if the date creeps inside 14 days without a passport, you can then request an agency appointment with your itinerary.
Frequently asked
Official sources
PassportOffices.com is an independent resource and is not a U.S. government agency. Official requirements come from the sources below.
- U.S. Department of State — Get My Passport Fast
Urgent travel and passport agency appointment rules
- U.S. Department of State — Processing Times
Routine and expedited processing times
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