If you lost your passport and are flying tomorrow, your only real path is an urgent-travel appointment at a U.S. passport agency, which can issue a replacement the same day when your international departure is within 14 calendar days. Start two things at once: report the passport lost, and book the appointment. Whichever you can do faster, do first.
Report the Passport Lost
Submit Form DS-64 through the State Department’s online form filler. It’s the fastest way to report the loss, and once you submit it the passport is permanently canceled. If it turns up in a jacket pocket an hour later, it’s still dead.1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Reporting a Lost or Stolen Passport That cancellation is what protects you if someone else picks it up.
You can also report by phone at 1-877-487-2778, but online is quicker when you’re on the clock. One shortcut: if you’re applying for the replacement in person the same day, skip the online DS-64 and bring a completed paper copy of the form to submit with your application at the appointment.1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Reporting a Lost or Stolen Passport
Book an Urgent Travel Appointment Now
Passport agencies see customers by appointment only, and slots go fast. Book through the State Department’s Online Passport Appointment System, or call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778. Phone hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern, and weekends 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.2U.S. Department of State. Make an Appointment at a Passport Agency or Center Outside those hours, use the online system.
You qualify for the urgent travel track when your international departure is within 14 calendar days.3U.S. Department of State. Get My Passport Fast You will need to show verifiable proof of travel, like a flight itinerary or confirmation, both when scheduling and when you arrive. The State Department is clear that an appointment isn’t guaranteed. There are only about 35 passport agencies and centers nationwide, so the nearest opening may be in another city, and you may need to travel to it.4United States Department of State. Expanding Passport Agencies Across the United States
If your travel abroad is because an immediate family member has died, is dying, or has a life-threatening illness or injury, there’s a separate, faster life-or-death emergency track. Immediate family means a parent, child, spouse, sibling, or grandparent. Traveling for your own medical treatment does not qualify. You will need documentation of the emergency, such as a death certificate, hospital records, or a signed statement from a medical professional.5U.S. Department of State. Get a Passport if You Have a Life-or-Death Emergency
What to Bring to the Appointment
You’ll submit Form DS-11 in person. Don’t sign it before you arrive — you have to sign in front of the agent.1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Reporting a Lost or Stolen Passport Bring:
- Proof of U.S. citizenship: a certified birth certificate issued by the city, county, or state with a registrar’s signature and seal, a Certificate of Naturalization, or a previous passport if you have one that wasn’t lost.6United States Department of State. DS-11 for Minors – Wizard Results
- A valid photo ID such as a driver’s license, government employee ID, or military ID. Digital IDs are not accepted.
- Photocopies of both the citizenship document and the photo ID.
- One 2×2 inch passport photo meeting State Department specifications. Many pharmacies and shipping stores do these same-day.
- A completed paper Form DS-64, if you didn’t report the loss online.
- Proof of travel: flight itinerary, airline confirmation, or ticket.
Missing one item can send you home empty-handed, and you may not have time for a second try. Bring everything.
What It Costs
At a passport agency, an adult book is $130 for the application plus $60 for expedited service, for a total of $190. The $35 acceptance fee charged at post offices and libraries does not apply when you apply directly at an agency. If you want the passport mailed rather than picking it up, add $22.05 for one-to-three-day delivery.7U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees Fees are non-refundable no matter the outcome.
Replacing a Child’s Passport
Minors add a step. Both parents or legal guardians generally must appear in person with the child. If one can’t, the absent parent has to sign Form DS-3053 (Statement of Consent) in front of a notary and include a photocopy of the ID they showed the notary. The notarization has to be dated within three months of submission.8Travel.State.Gov. Apply for a Child’s Passport Under 16
Notaries are available at banks, UPS stores, and many law offices, with fees usually $5 to $15 depending on the state. Electronically notarized consent forms are accepted if your state permits remote online notarization, but you’ll need to print the document to bring to the appointment. A deployed military parent should still provide a notarized DS-3053 when possible.
If Your Flight Is Domestic
A domestic flight doesn’t need a passport, but since REAL ID enforcement began on May 7, 2025, you need a REAL ID-compliant license or another acceptable ID to pass through TSA. Acceptable alternatives include a passport card, military ID, or a DHS trusted traveler card like Global Entry or NEXUS.9Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
If the lost passport was your only acceptable ID, TSA offers a fallback called ConfirmID. You pay $45 through Pay.gov (do it before you leave for the airport) and TSA attempts to verify your identity at the checkpoint. The payment is valid for 10 days from the travel date you enter. Show the receipt to a TSA officer to start the verification.10Transportation Security Administration. TSA ConfirmID It’s optional, but if you skip it and have no acceptable ID, you won’t get through security. Arrive well before your usual cutoff, because the process takes longer than a standard ID check.
Once You Have the Replacement
Spend two minutes protecting yourself for the next trip. Photograph every page of the new passport and store the images in a cloud account you can reach from any device. Email a copy to yourself and to someone you trust. Carry a photocopy separately from the passport when you travel. The State Department’s travel checklist recommends exactly that: multiple copies in multiple locations.11U.S. Department of State. International Travel Checklist A photocopy won’t get you across a border, but it speeds up a future replacement, because it proves citizenship and gives officials your passport number.