Your flights are booked, your hotel is reserved, and then you notice it: your passport has expired.
Or perhaps it hasn't expired yet, but the country you're visiting requires it to remain valid for a certain period beyond your travel dates.
While either scenario might leave you with a pit in your stomach, discovering a passport problem after booking an international trip doesn't automatically mean you have to cancel.
For U.S. citizens applying for a passport from within the United States, the State Department offers three options, depending on how much time remains before departure: routine processing, expedited processing, and urgent in-person appointments.
The key is choosing the right option early enough to receive your passport before your flight. Here’s what you need to know.
In this article
Why You Shouldn’t Wait Until Your Passport Expires to Renew
Before we get into the different ways to renew your passport, it's important to understand why you shouldn't wait until it expires to renew it.
For starters, it leaves you unable to join any spontaneous last-minute trip. It can also be risky if your passport doesn't meet the requirements for international travel, even if it hasn't expired. Some countries require it to remain valid for several months beyond your travel dates, so you could need to renew it sooner than you think.
For example, the United Arab Emirates requires U.S. travelers to have a passport valid for at least six months beyond their date of entry. Likewise, countries in Europe's Schengen Area require passports to remain valid for at least three months after the planned departure from the area. If your passport doesn't meet a destination's entry requirements, an airline can refuse to allow you to board before you even leave the United States.
For specific requirements, check the State Department's destination information for the country you're visiting. You can also read our guide to important passport rules for more details on validity requirements.
If Your Trip Is More Than Six Weeks Away
If you need to renew, the next question is how many days remain before your departure.
The State Department's routine passport processing currently takes four to six weeks. However, that timeframe starts when the application reaches a passport processing facility, not when you mail it.
The department advises allowing up to two weeks for your application to arrive and another two weeks for your completed passport to reach you. That means the entire process can take up to 10 weeks. If your flight is six weeks away, routine service doesn't guarantee you'll receive it before departure. In that case, you can pay for expedited processing to get your passport processed faster (I'll explain more on that in the next section).
For eligible adults, renewing a passport book by mail costs $130. You'll use Form DS-82, which requires your completed application, most recent passport, a new passport photo, and payment by check or money order.
To qualify for mail renewal, your passport must have been issued when you were at least 16, within the last 15 years, and meet the State Department's other eligibility requirements. If it doesn't qualify, you'll need to apply in person using Form DS-11 at a passport acceptance facility, such as a participating post office or library. That application carries an additional $35 acceptance fee. Children typically need to renew in person.
You can find the forms and full requirements on the State Department's passport renewal page.
If Your Trip Is Less Than Six Weeks Away
Expedited processing is the next option. It takes two to three weeks and adds $60 to the standard application fee. For an eligible adult renewing a passport book, the total is $190 before shipping.
That processing window still excludes mailing time. To reduce the time it takes for your application to reach the State Department, you can pay USPS for faster shipping through Priority Mail Express. You can also pay the U.S. Department of State an additional $26.87 for one- to three-day return delivery of your completed passport book. That brings the government fees for an expedited adult renewal with faster return delivery to $216.87, excluding what you pay USPS to mail the application.
Eligible applicants can request expedited processing by mail. Travelers who must apply in person can request the same service at a passport acceptance facility. Online passport renewal is limited to routine processing, so it isn't an option for expedited service.
There's an important timing issue if your flight is less than three weeks away, though. Mailing an expedited application at that point leaves little time for processing and delivery. The State Department directs travelers departing in less than three weeks to seek an urgent appointment, but standard appointment eligibility doesn't begin until 14 calendar days before departure.
For example, if you're leaving in 18 days, you're outside the urgent appointment window but already too close to departure to rely on expedited mail processing. Rather than sending an application that might still be processing when your trip begins, prepare your documents and request an urgent appointment once you're within 14 days of departure.
If Your Trip Is Within 14 Days
Travelers departing internationally within 14 calendar days can request an appointment at a U.S. passport agency or center. These government offices handle urgent passport applications directly, whereas passport acceptance facilities collect applications for processing elsewhere.
If you haven't submitted an application, visit the State Department's online appointment system. You'll enter your travel details, verify your email address and phone number, select an available appointment, and confirm the booking.
If you've already applied for a passport, call the National Passport Information Center at 877-487-2778 instead of booking online. Staff will check whether your existing application can be completed before departure. If it can't, they'll work to arrange an agency appointment.
At your appointment, bring printed proof of international travel, your appointment confirmation, completed application, a compliant passport photo, identification, citizenship documentation or previous passport as required, and payment. Check your specific agency's instructions before attending so you bring the correct documents.
Appointments are free to book, although passport application fees and the $60 expedited fee still apply. You can find agency locations, including offices in New York, Miami, Chicago, and Los Angeles, through the State Department's passport agency directory.
One exception is important: If your destination requires a foreign visa, you can request an urgent passport appointment within 28 days of your international departure, rather than waiting for the standard 14-day window.
Getting an appointment isn't guaranteed, and qualifying for urgent service doesn't guarantee that your passport will be issued before your trip. If no suitable appointment is available, you'll need to consider changing your travel plans.
Is Paying a Passport Expediting Service Worth It?
If you can't visit an official passport agency yourself, a private passport courier is another option to consider. These companies help prepare applications, deliver paperwork to passport agencies, and collect completed passports for customers.
They charge their own service fees in addition to the State Department's passport and expedited processing fees. There isn't a single government-set courier price, so ask the company for an itemized quote that includes its service charge, government fees, and shipping before paying.
It's also important to understand what you're buying. According to the State Department, passport couriers cannot get an application processed faster than a traveler applying directly at a passport agency. You're paying for assistance with submitting and collecting documents, not access to a faster government processing system.
Before sharing your passport or personal information, check the State Department's registered passport courier list. Registration confirms that a company is authorized to submit or collect applications at participating agencies. It does not guarantee faster service. A company claiming it can secure guaranteed appointments or special processing privileges should be treated with caution.
What if Your Passport Still Won’t Arrive Before Your Trip?
If you can't get an urgent appointment or your passport won't be ready before departure, contact your airline and other travel providers before your scheduled trip. Explain the passport issue and ask whether you can move your reservations, what change fees apply, and how much of your prepaid expenses you can recover.
Start with your flight, since changing your departure date will affect hotel reservations, tours, and other bookings. Compare the total cost of rescheduling with the money you'd lose by canceling. For non-refundable bookings, ask whether the provider offers a travel credit or a date change instead of a cash refund.
Travel insurance isn't an automatic solution. Standard trip cancellation coverage reimburses eligible expenses only when you cancel for a reason listed in your policy, such as a serious illness, injury, or natural disaster. Forgetting to renew an expired passport isn't a covered reason under standard trip cancellation insurance.
If you purchased optional Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) coverage, which allows you to cancel for reasons not covered by standard travel insurance, including an expired passport, check your policy's cancellation deadline, purchase requirements, and reimbursement percentage. This travel insurance coverage can reimburse part of your insured, non-refundable trip costs, provided you meet its conditions.
Once you've settled on new travel dates, complete your passport renewal and confirm your destination's entry requirements before making additional non-refundable bookings. If you're preparing for your first overseas trip, make sure to read up on important international travel tips to ensure all other documents and preparations are in place before departure.
The Shortcut
Count backward from your departure date. Routine renewal can take up to 10 weeks door to door, so “six weeks out” is already cutting it close.
The 15-to-20-day window is a trap. You’re too close to trust expedited mail and too early for an urgent appointment, so get your paperwork ready and book the moment the 14-day window opens.
Your passport doesn’t have to be expired for you to keep you off the plane. Some countries want months of validity left after you arrive, so check before you assume you’re fine.
A passport courier can carry your paperwork, but it can’t get the government to process it any faster.
Forgetting to renew isn’t covered by standard travel insurance. Call your airline before you cancel anything, and compare what rebooking costs against what you’d lose.
