Vacation Rates

Going through a family tragedy is tough enough without it happening and not having a way to get to that family member. Having a child get hurt abroad can be a horrifying experience, especially if you don’t have a valid passport and no way to get over to be with them. Luckily, the State Department does have provision for emergency US passport services.

When an emergency situation arises, the other family members can contact the Department of State Passport Information Center and they will get guidance on exactly what to do in order to get their passport pushed through. As long as the situation meets their criteria for emergency care, they will usually have a passport in hand in less than 48 hours.

They have an automated system to make appointments and live operators from 6am-midnight EST to answer any questions pertaining to emergency passports. If the automated system cannot offer an appointment that is quick enough, talk to one of the live operators instead to see what can be done. More than likely, they will be able to expedite the situation or put you in contact with an agency that can handle the task at hand.

However, many people in the midst of a family event of great seriousness may wish to opt for using a private U S passport expediting service, especially when it is a weekend or other time when government representatives may not be available. These for-profit agencies specialize in cutting through the red tape to move an emergency passport through the process at lightning speed. For a non-critical application, they can get the job done in two to three days.

If the family is in a position where they are going to need their passports in 24 hours, these services are excellent and being able to make this happen. As a matter of fact, people that arrive early in the day can sometimes get their passports before the end of the business day. This is a great relief to those that know that they need to be on a plane as soon as possible.

Most of the private passport agencies perform transactions online, especially when it comes to renewing an existing passport. It is a great relief to be able to leave passport problems to someone else and to only need to fill out some simple online forms rather than deal with an in-person visit to the post office. These firms specialize in knowing exactly what to do and can conduct most communications with the family via email, leaving phone lines free for more pressing matters.

It should go without saying, but while these agencies are very helpful, they are there to make a profit. That being the case, the fees that they charge can be substantial, depending upon the turnaround time that is needed. In many cases the overall costs can be five or six times what it would cost to get a passport via normal channels.

While nobody ever wants to pay the fees that are associated with rush service, sometimes there is no other choice but to use emergency pass port services. However, it is nice to know that should we neglect to get our passport in time, there are US passport expediting services out there that can make this happen and allow us to get with our loved ones in an emergency.