A colleague needs to get out of the country quick

Normal processing for a renewal is about 6 weeks right now; expedited through the usual channel is 3 weeks. Any idea how to get the renewal sooner?

I see lots of companies offering 24 hour to 2 week services - you pay the government expedited fee of $135 plus the company's fee (up to $300, depending on the service) plus overnight delivery fees.

I'm looking for recommendations - has anyone here used this type of service? Thanks!

If you live near a passport center...I know New York is one, there are probably others...you can get one-day expedited service but you have to go there and be there in person for the day.

Call your local US congressperson's office--they can steer you through this, they do it all the time.

And what tenders said -- I've done that, coming back the next day.

I haven't used them, but I know a bit about how they work.

If you have to travel, and you've got the tickets already, and you can't wait a couple of weeks, you can go in person to a regional passport agency. There aren't many of them -- in California, there's one in LA, and one in San Francisco, and that's it. You really should have an appointment -- walk-ins may be seen, but might wait 8 hours. Even with your appointment, you may have to wait. And then they'll tell you to come back at five o'clock to pick up your passport, but then you have to wait a couple more hours or even come back the next day.

When you pay for one of those expediters, you' re paying for that appointment time. They book them up online, then sell the slots. Sure, they also provide some handholding and help filling out the forms. But as far as I know, if you can't get your butt to the Regional Passport Agency, they can't help you.

I have been through the process, getting a same-day passport. It was several years ago, and it wasn't fun. But paying an expediter wouldn't have made a difference.

See [www.travel.state.gov]

I did it the "normal" way, through the Oakland California post office, and received it in less than 2 weeks even though the times were as quoted in the original post.

I expedited mine last year during that peak with the NE Center, which if I remember is Pittsburgh or Phila.
About a week.

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!#$@@$#!

proofraed by OwEn the c@t.

If it's a renewal, it's much quicker than the 6 weeks quoted. Like Black Landlord above, I sent in the renewal for my passport about a year ago and got it back in about 2 weeks. About a week after I got it, I got a letter from the State Department telling me I'd be getting it in a few weeks!

I waited over 3 months for a plain renewal early last year. About 3 months later somebody else got it in 2 weeks.

Also you can go in person and do same day passport for the same price as the expedited by mail.

Thanks for all the info!

I had to expedite my passport renewal last time. Made an appointment at the San Francisco office and did it in person. I don't think they allowed any walk-in traffic at all and the place was a ghost town. I did get my new passport turned around in record time, just took a couple of days IIRC.