March 12, 2010
Sometimes There Is No Other Solution But To Get An Emergency Passport
Going through a family tragedy is tough enough without it happening and not having a way to get to that family member. Having a child get hurt abroad can be a horrifying experience, especially if you don’t have a valid passport and no way to get over to be with them. Luckily, the State Department does have provision for emergency passport application services.
When an emergency situation arises, the other family members can contact the Department of State Passport Information Center and they will get guidance on exactly what to do in order to get their passport pushed through. As long as the situation meets their criteria for emergency care, they will usually have a passport in hand in less than 48 hours.
They have an automated system to make appointments and live operators from 6am-midnight EST to answer any questions pertaining to emergency passports. If the automated system cannot offer an appointment that is quick enough, talk to one of the live operators instead to see what can be done. More than likely, they will be able to expedite the situation or put you in contact with an agency that can handle the task at hand.
While it would be nice to think that our government could handle this task without any issues, they are sometimes not able to process the application quick enough for your liking. When this happens, there are pasport expediting agencies that are set up that can bypass all the normal channels and get a passport much quicker than we could on our own. Having them handle all of the details can turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
If the family is in a position where they are going to need their passports in 24 hours, these services are excellent and being able to make this happen. As a matter of fact, people that arrive early in the day can sometimes get their passports before the end of the business day. This is a great relief to those that know that they need to be on a plane as soon as possible.
To find these private agencies, all you need to do is get online and do a search. We would issue a word of warning though to make sure that the agency is checked out. A great way to do this is to check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any live complaints against the company or to see if they have a history of unsatisfied customers.
Naturally, the cost of using a private agency is going to be more than simply going the government route alone, but it is true that time is money. The comfort of leaving the details to someone else can be worth its weight in gold. A two to three day turn around will cost the applicant about $200. Bear in mind that the government fees will also be assessed on top of the agency’s fees, so figure that everything will cost about $300 or more.
While nobody ever wants to pay the fees that are associated with rush service, sometimes there is no other choice but to use emergency USA passport services. It is for this very reason that everyone should always have a valid passport on hand. However, it is nice to know that should we neglect to get our passport in time, there are U S passport expediting services out there that can make this happen and allow us to get with our loved ones in an emergency.
Filed under Whale Watching Tours by jenny