If you need to travel outside of the United States, you must have a passport. Since June 1, 2009, persons leaving the U. S. or its territories have been required to present a passport for re-entry into the U. S. (passport cards are acceptable for travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean area). If you have family living outside of the United States, there can be times when you will need to make a visit in case of emergency. In this case, you will need to have an emergency United States passport for the visit.

People with family living abroad should have plans for emergencies. The best preparation is to take the time and pay the fee for a normal passport. Keep the passport in a safe location at all times in order to be ready to travel at any time.

In order to obtain that passport, you will need to follow the rules that the State Department has established. These rules, as well as the applicable forms, can be found on the website for the U. S. Department of State. The application will need to be returned to a passport processing center. There is at least one in most cities of any size. Currently, the return time is four to six weeks.

Individuals who need to travel in less than fourteen days or need their passport for issuance of a visa can pay an additional $60 for an expedited service. In addition, they can pay fees to have the passport sent by overnight services. Proof of the need for expedited service must be provided.

Turn around for an expedited passport is approximately two weeks. You will want to pay the extra fee for a passport book. The passport book can be shipped overnight, however the card is only shipped by US mail.

If you are facing a life or death situation, you can get an emergency passport. These emergency passports can be obtained in a 24 hour period, however, you may have to travel to one of the regional passport centers or pay an agent to make application for you. You can call the toll-free number of the State Department to schedule an appointment at the center. Centers are open Monday through Friday during normal business hours and closed weekends and federal holidays. If you take the completed application to the center at your appointment along with proof of travel, you can get your passport immediately.

When an individual needs an emergency passport but is unable to travel to the regional agency, an agent can be hired to take care of processing the application. These agents often use overnight delivery companies to receive your application and to ship your passport. Many are able to obtain your passport within twenty-four hours. These professionals are experienced at dealing with the State Department.

If you employ a service to act as your USA Passport agent, in addition to the fee you will need to pay the government for the passport of $135, you will need to pay the agencies fees for the service and the fees for overnight or priority shipping. This can often triple the actual cost of an emergency passport application, but is often less expensive and stressful than having to travel to the regional center yourself.

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