Hey, it's Ernest from Trip Astute. In this video, we're going to answer the question:
can you get a passport in less than 24 hours?
(light chiming music)
Misplacing your passport is an
extremely stressful situation. It's even worse if you happen to lose it before a
trip. And today, I'm gonna share my experience of doing just that. Before we
get started, if you're new here, I want to welcome you to our channel. Trip Astute
is a travel channel that is focused on sharing ways to make travel easier,
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points and miles, and innovative gear. If that sounds interesting to you, please
consider subscribing. We recently took a trip to northern Italy and about two
days before the trip, I started to pack my stuff. One thing that I couldn't seem
to locate was my passport, but I was sure that was somewhere in our apartment
since I recently used it for some footage in a video. It was a Sunday night
and our trip was on Tuesday evening, so you can imagine my horror when I
realized I sent my passport to our last giveaway winner Gonzalo the day before. I
had taken some stock footage of my passport in the backpack and completely
forgot to empty the pocket before sending over the backpack. I immediately
searched online for different options for an expedited passport. The official
State Department website showed some options for an expedited passport, but
none that would meet the time frame that I needed.
I was basically flying in less than 48 hours. A few of the private passport
agencies online advertised that they could get a passport within 48 hours, but there
was no guarantee. I even found one in LA that offered a 24 hour turnaround time
but at a cost of $500. Feeling pretty desperate but determined, I decided I
probably needed to try the 24 hour expedited service. But before submitting
an application, I thought I would look up reviews of the agency online.
Interestingly enough, I found a bunch of Yelp reviews that mentioned that it was
a waste of money since you could get an expedited passport in less than a day
from the local passport agency for less than half the cost.
Reviewers mentioned that it cost around $200 and required you to show up
early to the passport agency at the Federal Building in Los Angeles. I
thought I'd give it a shot. Long story short, I got to the State
Department Passport Agency at 5:45 a.m. and got a walk-in appointment. The agency
doesn't open until 7 a.m. but I was able to still get seen and it seemed like
everyone who showed up early was able to get in as well. After submitting
everything and paying $205, which was around 10 a.m., I was told to come
back at 3 p.m. for my new passport. So I drove back to the Federal Building at 3
p.m. and got my passport. I was exhausted but I was so happy that I didn't have to
change or cancel any of our travel plans. I have to say that I know a lot of
government services often get a bad rap for being inefficient, disorganized, and
unfriendly. However, I found that everyone who worked at the Passport Agency to be
very professional, friendly, and helpful. Even the security guard who showed up
early in the morning helped us to navigate through the process in an
orderly manner. Of course, this was my experience at the LA Federal Building,
but I imagine it's probably similar in other Passport Agency offices across the
US. So, getting back to the original question, can you get a passport in less
than 24 hours? The answer is yes, especially if you live in a large city
and can get to an official government Passport Agency office.
There are about 27 of them in the country, so it's likely that there's one
near you. I'll include a link in the video description with the full list. Keep
in mind that this is different than your local post office which can also process
a passport application but not in an expedited manner. Through this process, I
definitely learned some things so I thought I'd share some tips if you
happen to find yourself in a similar situation. 1. Do your research: As
I mentioned earlier, the official State Department website does not show an
option for an expedited passport within 24 hours. Had I not seen people mention
it on Yelp, I probably would have paid some private agency $500 to do it.
Also, if you do decide to go the route of a private agency, make sure you check the
reviews to make sure that the service is legit. 2. Time frame for passports:
I didn't realize that the passport agency prioritized passports based on
departure date. While I wouldn't suggest waiting for the last possible minute to
request a new passport, like I did, I did notice that a few people were turned
away since their departure date was more than
72 hours away. They were told that it would take a while to get a new passport
under the regular service but could be expedited for a fee only if the departure
day was less than 72 hours. It doesn't really make sense, but just know that
getting a new passport if your departure date falls between three days to a week
can be a challenge. 3. Determine your situation. Since I knew
where my passport was but couldn't get to it, I assumed that it wasn't
officially lost. I thought it might be easier for the State Department to just
create a duplicate passport. But I learned that if your passport is
inaccessible, then it's officially misplaced and you need to request a new
one. 4. Fill out documents in
advance: As with the previous tip, make sure you understand what forms you need
based on your situation. I filled out the basic form but I didn't fill out the
official loss statement for my old passport. Since I didn't think it was
actually lost, this actually added more time to the process when I was at the
passport agency since I had to fill out the form and go through the line again.
5. Have passport photos available: You'll need to provide two
passport photos with your application. I had a bunch of photos made a few years
ago and I generally advise carrying a few when traveling in case you need them
for a lost or stolen passport, or even a visa. Having them available meant that I
didn't have to scramble to find a place to get them at the last minute.
6. Bring multiple forms of IDs: I suggest bringing any official IDs that
you might have. Surprisingly, I even had an old expired passport that I brought
with me and they said that it was the best form of ID to bring. I also brought
the passport card for my lost passport, driver's license, military ID, and Global
Entry card. 7. Be ready for various payment methods: The Passport
Agency accepted credit cards, but I brought cash, my debit card, and my
checkbook just to be safe. You don't want to delay your application
in the event that their credit card terminal is down. 8. Request a
larger passport: There's no extra fee or wait to get a larger passport. I highly
suggest getting the larger passport so you have more space for stamps and visas.
Some visas require an empty page and I've heard stories of some passport
control officials requiring completely blank pages for
stamps. It's better to have the extra pages for your travels, especially since
it doesn't cost anything extra. 9. Determine whether you want or need
a passport card: I'm a bit torn about this one. I got one with my last passport
and it functions as a federal ID. I know some people use it as their carry
passport when walking around in a foreign country while keeping their real
passport in the safe. I think that's a good idea, but I still carry a photocopy
of my passport since I worry that the foreign officials might not recognize a
passport card. Also, in case you're wondering, you can only use a passport
card in lieu of your regular passport in certain countries and situations. We'll
do a separate video on it in the future. 10. Get to the passport agency
early: I thought I was going to be the first person in line when I got to the
passport office at 5:45 a.m. on a Monday morning. Though I was like the 20th
person in line. If you can't make an appointment online, I suggest getting
there at least one or one and a half hours early just to be safe. Have you
ever misplaced your passport before your trip? Let us know in the comment section
below. If you enjoyed this video or found it useful, please give us a thumbs up and
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Until next time, travel safe and travel smart.