Can You Expedite a Passport After Applying? Call, Cost, Timing

Yes, you can expedite a passport after applying. Call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778, pay an additional $60, and a representative will upgrade your pending application from routine processing to expedited. The change moves you from the standard four-to-six-week window into roughly two to three weeks, provided your application hasn’t already reached the printing and mailing stage.¹

Making the Call

Representatives answer Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern, and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern. The center is closed on federal holidays. TDD/TTY service is available at 1-888-874-7793.

On the call, the representative locates your application, verifies your identity, takes payment, and processes the upgrade. You can also add 1–3 day delivery for the finished passport during the same conversation. The credit card charge generally serves as your confirmation; the online status system will update afterward.

Timing matters. The upgrade only works while your application is still being processed. Once it moves into printing and mailing, there is nothing left to speed up. Check your status at passportstatus.state.gov before you dial.

What to Have Ready

Gather these before calling so the representative can finish everything in one go:

Your nine-digit application locator number, which appears in the Online Passport Status System.²
Your full legal name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number.³
A credit card for the phone payment.

Hold times can run long during peak travel season, so avoid anything that would force a callback.

What It Costs

Expedited processing adds $60 on top of the application and acceptance fees you already paid. Faster return shipping through 1–3 day delivery is a separate $22.05, and it’s not available for passport cards, which ship only by USPS First Class Mail.⁴ Choosing both brings the additional cost to $82.05.

The $60 expedite fee can be refunded in one specific situation: if a passport agency takes longer than 15 business days to process your expedited application, you can request the fee back.⁵ Standard application and acceptance fees are generally not refundable, and the delivery charge is separate from the expedite refund process.

How Much Time You Actually Save

Routine processing runs four to six weeks. Expedited runs two to three weeks.⁶ Both windows cover processing only. They do not include the days your envelope spends reaching the State Department, or the days the finished passport spends coming back to you.

If you applied by mail, the inbound leg can easily add a week before the processing clock starts. Adding 1–3 day delivery shortens the return trip only. The processing estimate begins when the agency receives and logs your application, not when you drop it in the mailbox.

When the Phone Upgrade Isn’t Fast Enough

If you’re leaving the country within 14 calendar days, or you need a foreign visa within 28 calendar days, calling to upgrade a pending application may not deliver in time. In that situation, you can book an in-person appointment at one of 26 passport agencies and centers by calling the same number, 1-877-487-2778.⁷ Appointments are limited, and you’ll need printed proof of international travel: a flight receipt, itinerary, hotel reservation, cruise ticket, or international car insurance for a driving trip.¹

The narrowest category is the life-or-death emergency appointment, reserved for travel within two weeks because an immediate family member abroad has died, is dying, or has a life-threatening illness or injury. Immediate family means a parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, sibling, or grandparent. During business hours, call 1-877-487-2778. After hours, on weekends, and on federal holidays, the emergency line is 202-647-4000.⁸

1
U.S. Department of State. How to Get My U.S. Passport Fast
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U.S. Department of State. Checking Your Passport Application Status
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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Application Status
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U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
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U.S. Department of State. Request a Refund of the Passport Expedited Service Fee
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U.S. Department of State. Processing Times for U.S. Passports
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U.S. Department of State. Make an Appointment at a Passport Agency or Center
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U.S. Department of State. Get a Passport if You Have a Life-or-Death Emergency