Ensure you have enough time to obtain your passport. You should apply for a passport three months before your trip. If you need a passport and your trip commences in less than three months, you may expedite your passport by paying the appropriate fee ($79 to $249, depending on the amount of time you have to obtain your passport) you may receive a passport in as little as 24 to 48 hours or nine days. Fill out the forms thoroughly and correctly. If you fail to do so, you may delay the processing time.
Make several photo copies of your passport before you leave the country. If you lose your passport, report the loss immediately to the police and call the US Department of State's lost passport hotline. You will take the photocopy of your passport to the US embassy or consulate who will issue you a temporary passport.
If you've changed your name or you've noticed an error including typos on your passport, fill out the DSS-504 form on the US State Department's website and indicate the date you'll need the passport returned to you. If your passport was issued more than one year ago, you'll need to complete the form DS-82. The state department may take two to three weeks to complete your request.
In previous years if your passport was issued within 30 days you did not need to fill out the DSS-504 form. However, now all passport holders whose passport is less than one year past the issue date and need a name change or a typo change must fill out this form.
Do not forget to renew your passport every ten years, but send in your application 8 to 12 months before the expiration date. If you travel often, request additional pages if your passport fills up, or if you expect you will run out of pages before your passport expires, request a 48-page passport. You will not be charged for the additional pages.
