This is a guide on how to renew your passport in twenty-four hours. Most countries require that your passport remain valid for at least six months beyond your return date from international travel. I learned this lesson the hard way at 3pm the day before we were supposed to leave on our trip. If you find yourself in this situation, follow the steps below to get your passport renewed in twenty-four hours.
Call the passport agency
Step 1: Call the National Passport Information Center to make an appointment as soon as possible. They will route you to your local passport agency where you'll set up an appointment for an expedited passport renewal. There's also an Online Passport Appointment System that you can use, but in case of an emergency I prefer to speak with a person.
Schedule an appointment
Step 2: Secure an appointment. Your local passport agency will schedule an appointment for you to come in and speak with a passport agent for the same day or next day, depending on availability. I called at 3pm, which is closing time for my office, and got an appointment at 8:30am the next morning.
You can view a list of regional passport agencies on the National Passport Information Center website.
If you can get an appointment in time, you should be able to get your passport. They print your passport on-site, so if you get an appointment, you should receive your passport. The passport creation process takes about 4–5 hours, so if your flight leaves the same day as your appointment, make sure to allow enough time or try to reschedule your flight.
Expedite rules
In order to expedite your renewal, you must follow these rules:
- Customers must bring a passport photo. This is a new photo that will go into your new passport. Walgreens or CVS can do these for you in a couple of minutes.
- All passport agencies require an appointment. There is no charge to make an appointment at a passport agency, and customers should not pay anyone or any business making such a charge.
- You must pay the $60 expedite fee in addition to application fees to apply at this agency.
- Proof of international travel is required.
- Will call service is offered for life or death emergencies and immediate travel abroad (leaving within 8 business days). The agency will advise you when the passport will be ready for pickup based on your documented travel plans.
- Passports will be processed within 8 business days of applying at the agency. During your appointment, the agency will advise how the passport will be sent to you.
Change your flight
Step 3: Change your flight (optional). Because my appointment wasn't until 8:30am on the day of my flight, we'd be cutting it close for a 3:30pm departure. Initially, Delta wanted to charge $3,000 per person to change the reservation. However, after speaking to a manager, the airline was able to get us on the same flight the following day for $300 per person. The key here is to be polite and ask to speak with a manager.
Prepare the documents
Step 4: Prepare all your documents. For an expedited passport renewal, you need the following items:
- Passport Application
- One 2×2 color passport photo. See Passport Photos for requirements and photo examples.
- Proof of travel within the next two weeks (airline ticket, hotel reservation, etc.)
- Your current passport
- Payment for fees (application and expedite fees apply)
Go to appointment
Step 5: Attend your appointment. Here you will drop off your old passport as well as all the supporting documentation. You'll speak with an agent and explain why you need your passport so quickly.
Wait
Step 6: Wait for processing.
Pick up your passport
Step 7: Return the next day to pick up your brand new passport. Mine was ready at 2:05pm, which seems to be the standard passport pickup time since there were many other people there to collect their passports as well.
The total time it took me to renew my passport was exactly 23 hours and 5 minutes from when I realized I needed a new passport. All the information you need regarding expedited passport renewal can be found on the How to Apply for a Passport page.