PASSPORTOFFICES

Same-day and 24-hour passports: what is actually possible

Short answer

There is no consumer 'same-day passport' product. The only route to a passport in a day is an appointment at a regional passport agency, granted when you have documented international travel within 14 days or a life-or-death emergency in your immediate family abroad. Couriers can be faster than mailing, but they cannot create a same-day book on their own.

The three genuinely fast routes

  • Regional passport agency appointment — the only route that can produce a book in a day, sometimes while you wait.
  • Registered expediting courier — hand-carries expedited applications to a processing agency, typically days rather than hours.
  • U.S. embassy or consulate abroad — issues a limited-validity emergency passport quickly when you are stranded overseas.

How to get the appointment

  1. 1Call as early in the day as you can; appointment inventory is released daily.
  2. 2Have your travel dates, destination and itinerary reference ready.
  3. 3Be flexible about which agency you can reach — the nearest one may be full when another is not.
  4. 4Arrive with the unsigned DS-11 (or DS-82), citizenship evidence, ID, photocopies, a 2x2 in photo and payment.
  5. 5If no appointment is available, call a registered courier the same hour rather than waiting a day.

What it costs

Expect the application fee ($130 for an adult book), the expedite fee of $60, and $19.53 for 1–2 day return delivery if the book is not printed while you wait. Couriers charge their own service fee on top of all government fees.

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.

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