The first way is to go directly to a U.S. Passport Agency office. These offices are only located in 15 of the 50 U.S. states, according to the U.S. Department of State (see Resources). The Passport Agency does not accept walk-ins; an appointment must be made in advance.
You cannot make an appointment with the U.S. Passport Agency office directly unless you plan to leave and can prove that you will be leaving within two weeks. You call to make your appointment with an automated phone call, and you get a confirmation number. The appointment will be given rather quickly, and once you arrive, you can generally get the passport the same day.
The other option is to utilize a private passport expediting service. There is usually a hefty price tag for this service, but the service will take your paperwork to the U.S. Passport Agency and have it processed usually within a 24-hour time frame.
There is a standard fee for each application. For expedited services, there is an additional fee per application, as well as the cost of overnight delivery.
The expedited services are available for an emergency passport provided that you have possessed a passport previously that was either lost or expired. If this is your first U.S. passport, you are under the age of 16, it was issued more than 15 years ago or you have had a name change, then you must apply for a passport in person.
