How to Expedite a Passport: Speeds, Fees, and Agency Appointments

To expedite a U.S. passport, you have two real options: pay the $60 expedite fee for two-to-three-week processing by mail or at an acceptance facility, or book an in-person appointment at a passport agency if you’re traveling internationally within 14 calendar days or need a foreign visa within 28. Routine processing runs four to six weeks and doesn’t include mailing time on either end, so choosing the right tier early is what keeps a trip from unraveling.¹

The Three Speeds and What They Cost

The State Department offers three processing tiers. Fees below reflect the schedule effective February 2026.²

Routine: four to six weeks of processing, plus roughly two weeks of mailing time on each end. No extra fee.
Expedited: two to three weeks of processing, plus mailing time. Adds $60 to the application fee. Available by mail, at acceptance facilities, or at passport agencies.
Passport agency appointment: often same-day or within a few days. Available only if you have international travel within 14 calendar days or need a passport to obtain a foreign visa within 28 calendar days.

Stacked out, the totals for expedited service look like this:

Adult renewal by mail (DS-82): $130 + $60 expedite = $190
New adult passport (DS-11): $130 + $35 acceptance facility fee + $60 expedite = $225
Child under 16 (DS-11): $100 + $35 acceptance facility fee + $60 expedite = $195
1–3 day return delivery: $22.05 (optional, but it shortens the back end of the mailing window)

The State Department’s processing clock starts when your application reaches its facility, not when you drop it in the mail. If you’re mailing, budget roughly two weeks in transit each way. Paying for 1–3 day return delivery only compresses the return trip.¹

One boundary worth noting up front: the State Department’s online renewal system currently supports routine processing only. It’s not a way to expedite. If you started an online renewal and your plans changed, you can call to upgrade (more on that below).³

Expediting by Mail

This is the default route when your trip is more than two or three weeks out but you don’t want to gamble on routine timing.

Renewing adults use Form DS-82 by mail. You qualify to renew this way if your most recent passport was issued when you were 16 or older and within the last 15 years, is undamaged, was never reported lost or stolen, and is in your current name (or you can document a legal name change).⁴ First-time applicants, minors, anyone whose last passport was issued more than 15 years ago, and anyone replacing a lost or stolen passport must use Form DS-11 in person at an acceptance facility.

Assemble the completed form, your current passport (for renewals), two identical 2-by-2-inch photos, and a check or money order for the application fee plus the $60 expedite fee, made out to “U.S. Department of State.” Add $22.05 if you want 1–3 day return delivery. Write “EXPEDITE” on the outside of the mailing envelope so the processing center routes it correctly on arrival.¹

Send everything with a trackable service. Priority Mail Express through USPS confirms the moment the State Department receives your materials, which matters because your current passport is in the envelope. Once it arrives, expect two to three weeks of processing, plus the return trip.¹

The $35 acceptance facility fee, when it applies, is paid separately at the facility itself. Accepted payment methods vary by location.⁵

Agency Appointments for Travel Within 14 Days

If your international travel is inside 14 calendar days, or you need the passport for a foreign visa inside 28 calendar days, a passport agency is the fastest legitimate option. Agencies process on-site and can often produce a passport the same day or within a few days.

The State Department runs 27 passport agencies and centers, all by appointment only.⁶ These are separate from the acceptance facilities at post offices and libraries, which only take in applications for mailing.

If you haven’t submitted an application yet, book through the Online Passport Appointment System. You’ll enter travel details, verify contact information, and get a confirmation to bring with you.⁷ If you’ve already mailed an application and your plans have shifted, call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 to request an agency appointment. The line is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern, and weekends from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Appointments aren’t guaranteed, and availability tightens the closer you are to your departure date, so call as early as you can. Bring the confirmation and every supporting document with you. Agencies verify that the person at the appointment is the same person who booked it, and they won’t see anyone else.

Payment at agencies works differently than by mail. Credit and debit cards and contactless payment like Apple Pay or Google Pay are accepted. Cash, checks, and money orders are not.⁵

For any urgent-travel appointment, bring proof of your departure: a flight itinerary, cruise booking, or hotel reservation clearly showing the travel dates.

Life-or-Death Emergencies

A separate category applies when you need to travel abroad because an immediate family member has died, is dying, or has a life-threatening illness or injury. Under this category, you can schedule an agency appointment up to two weeks before your international travel date. Immediate family includes parents, legal guardians, children, spouses, siblings, and grandparents.⁸

You’ll need documentation of the emergency: a hospital statement, death certificate, or a letter from a medical professional. Translate any foreign-language documents into English. Schedule through 1-877-487-2778.⁹

Upgrading an Application Already in Progress

A common situation: you sent in a routine application weeks ago, and now a trip has landed on your calendar. Call 1-877-487-2778 to upgrade to expedited service. You can also add 1–3 day return delivery at that point if you didn’t originally.¹

If travel is inside 14 days and even upgraded mail service won’t get the passport back in time, the same number can request an agency appointment. The representative will confirm your application is already in the system and help you book.

The online renewal system has its own upgrade path. If you submitted an online renewal and your travel now falls inside the six-week window that the online system requires, call the same number to add expedite processing or faster delivery.³

Expediting a Child’s Passport

Children under 16 apply in person on Form DS-11, and the expediting options match adults: the $60 expedite fee or an agency appointment if travel is within 14 days. The total expedited cost is $195.⁵

What usually slows down a child’s expedited application is not processing but consent. Both parents or legal guardians must appear in person when the application is submitted. If one parent can’t, the absent parent submits Form DS-3053, a notarized statement of consent, with a photocopy of a government-issued photo ID. The notarization expires 90 days after signing, so don’t get it done far in advance.¹⁰

A parent applying alone can skip the consent form with evidence of sole authority: a court order granting sole legal custody, a death certificate for the other parent, or a birth certificate listing only one parent. Where none of those exist, the applying parent can submit Form DS-5525 or a written statement explaining under penalty of perjury why the other parent can’t be reached.¹⁰ Start gathering signatures the moment the trip is on the calendar.

Lost or Stolen Passports

A lost or stolen passport adds a mandatory first step. Report the loss on Form DS-64, which can be filed online, by phone at 1-877-487-2778, or by mail. Once reported, that passport is permanently cancelled and can’t be used even if it turns up.¹¹

After reporting, apply for a replacement using Form DS-11 in person, the same as a first-time applicant. The DS-82 mail renewal is not an option here. From that point, the standard expediting choices apply: the $60 expedite fee for two-to-three-week processing, or an agency appointment for travel within 14 days.¹¹ If you lose your passport abroad, contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate; in true emergencies they can issue a limited-validity passport to get you home.

What About Courier or Expeditor Companies?

Private passport expeditors offer to hand-carry your application to a passport agency and pick up the finished document for you. They are not affiliated with the State Department, and the agency states plainly that using a registered courier does not result in receiving a passport faster than applying directly.¹² What you’re buying is convenience, sometimes for several hundred dollars in service fees on top of the government fees. If you live far from an agency or can’t take time off to attend an appointment, a courier does the legwork. It does not shorten the government’s processing.

Tracking the Application and the Return Delivery

Once the application is in the system, check its progress at passportstatus.state.gov. The status moves through stages including “Not Available,” “In Process,” and “Approved.” Don’t panic if the tracker doesn’t update right after you mail the package; processing centers take time to log incoming applications.¹³

If the status shows a request for additional information, answer it fast. A delayed response can push the application to the back of the queue and erase the time your expedite fee bought. Once approved, the passport ships by whichever return method you paid for. With 1–3 day delivery selected, you’ll typically have it in hand within a few business days of approval.

1
U.S. Department of State. How to Get My U.S. Passport Fast
2
U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees
3
U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport Online
4
U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail
5
U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
6
U.S. Department of State. About Us
7
U.S. Department of State. Make an Appointment at a Passport Agency or Center
8
U.S. Department of State. Get a Passport if You Have a Life-or-Death Emergency
9
U.S. Department of State. Contact U.S. Passports
10
U.S. Department of State. Statement of Consent – U.S. Passport Issuance to a Child
11
USAGov. Lost or Stolen Passports
12
U.S. Department of State. Courier and Expeditor Companies
13
U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Application Status