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Get Passports
It’s Easy can help you get a US passport for the first time,
get a passport for your child, or get a passport renewed or replaced
if it has been lost, stolen or damaged. The processes for these
services are all slightly different; to get passport details about
the requirements and how to get the passport service you need can
be found on our passport pages.
Get US Passports
If you are unfamiliar with the process, the first thing you need
to know is that all passport applications are issued by the US State
Department and are processed at passport agencies around the country.
In addition to the passport agencies, however, you can get passport
by submiting your application documents elsewhere. Many post offices
and court houses have “acceptance agents” authorized
by the State Department to get passport applications. You can also
go through a third-party passport service that is authorized to
submit applications to passport agencies – like It’s
Easy - to get passports expedited. Passport expediters can get passports
processed much faster than through the usual mail-in process, and
with less hassle than making an appointment and traveling to the
passport agency yourself.
A note about getting passport via acceptance agents, before we
get much further: If you need to get a passport for the first time,
get a child’s passport, or get a replacement for your lost,
stolen or damaged passport, you will need to go to an acceptance
agent or a passport agency to have your identity verified when you
submit your application. You can get more information about passport
acceptance agents here.
Get a Passport Quickly
The time it takes to actually get your passport depends on how you
submit your application – by mail, through an acceptance agent,
at the passport agency, or through an expediting service –
and on what service you select and pay for. The passport agency’s
regular processing time varies according to how many applications
they receive at a given time; it can take anywhere from 3 to 12
weeks to get a passport this way. For an extra fee to the State
Department, you can get your passport in 2-4 weeks. If you need
to your passport sooner, you must make an appointment at the passport
agency or use an expediting service to get passports issued in a
week or less. In emergency passport situations, they can even get
your passport issued the same day it is submitted. |
