How To Get Expedited US Passport Renewal
One travel requirement that every country has is that one must have a valid passport to enter or leave their borders. In US, passports holders aged 18 years and above can have their passports renewed when they expire. However, if it expired more than 5 years ago, a new one will have to be applied for. Sometimes, the need to travel may be an emergency situation that requires one travels right away yet their travel documents may have expired. In such circumstances, one needs to get expedited American passport renewal services.
Timeline
There are three options for getting an expedited one. Expedited services can be accessed by mail or an application can be submitted at a regional agency that offers the service. The third option is making an application through a private expediter. You can get United States passport pages faster too.
Forms
For the mail application, one needs to send in the requirements by mail. This includes photos, a completed Form DS-82, the expired document and the required payment. This is send in a padded envelope on which the word expedite should clearly be marked.
National Processing
The application should be sent by overnight express to reach the national processing center the next day. It then takes two to three weeks to get renewal done. Sometimes, it may take longer if the office is busy at the time you apply such as during holiday seasons which is peak travel period.
Local Office
The service is automated and is therefore on every day of the week for 24 hours. During peak travel seasons like around holidays, it can be difficult to get through. Once one is given an appointment, one goes with a Form DS-82 that has been duly completed, passport to be renewed, photos and the required fee. The renewed one will usually be ready in two weeks. The locations, contacts and requirements can all be found on online directories.
Expedited Services
The service is automatic and is on all day every day of the week. It can get busy during holidays when many people are trying to renew their passports to that they can travel. Upon being given an appointment, you need to go with the completed Form DS 82, the fees, the expired document and photos. The document will then be renewed within two weeks. The contacts and locations for the passport centers for every region can be found online.
Private Service
With this expedition option, the process can be accelerated so that the document is available in a few days or even the next day. The shorter the processing time one requests, the higher the fee. It is however worth the extra cost in emergencies.