When applying for a passport, you should allow for about one to two months to allow all relevant paperwork to be processed. A passport takes about six weeks to get via standard service, and a visa can have up to a 30 day waiting period in the process. Not only is it easiest to book travel in advance, but this time is also necessary to let diplomatic paperwork go through.

Standard passport service takes about six weeks, and the State Department has express service that takes about two weeks instead. However, international travel does not always afford the luxury of planning months in advance, and people who do not have a valid passport may need to get one on short notice. While the State Department can issue an emergency passport, these are becoming less popular because private passport expediters can issue a full-validity passport on short notice.

Private Services

These passport expediters are private businesses that put your paperwork in order and rush it through the State Department. A rush service passport can run about $100 over standard government fees, but can get a passport in three to seven days. This is in addition to shipping time, but still remarkably faster than anything the State Department can offer.

These passport expediters do not issue passports on their own, but just hurry the process by which you get one through the State Department. There are over 100 of these such businesses in the United States. They are organized under the auspices of the National Association of Passport and Visa Services, who can help you find an office near you.