Important Due to Covid-19, processing times for passports are taking longer than normal for both standard and expedited services.

I have a 3 month emergency passport

by Marsha
(Kansas City, MO)

Question: I am presently in the USA. I have a 3 month emergency passport that was issued to me in Israel recently (April). I will be leaving the States to Israel on May 30 and traveling back to the USA on Aug. 21. Since my present passport expires on July 18 and cannot be extended, what is best for me to do so that when I leave on May 30 I will have my new passport?


Thank you!

Answer: In order to replace the limited-validity (emergency) passport with a full-validity passport, you must mail:

* Your most recent U.S. passport

* Completed Form DS-5504, Application for a U.S. Passport: Name Change, Data Correction, and Limited Passport Book Replacement

* The necessary documentation as specified by Passport Services. If your passport was issued under 22 CFR 51.41, you also need to submit proof of citizenship. If your passport was issued under 22 CFR 51.28, you need to submit proof of identity. Check your emergency passport for this information.

* one recent, color Passport Photograph

to the address listed on Form DS-5504.

Routine service takes 4-6 weeks. You can request expedited service and get your passport in 2-3 weeks. There is no fee to replace the emergency passport but there is a $60 expedited service fee is you choose to use it.

Return to Passport Replacement FAQ.

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UPDATE: Mailing delays and high demand are impacting passport processing. The Department of State's processing times begin when applications are received at a passport agency or center and not when you mail them or apply at a local acceptance facility. Standard service may take between 8 and 11 weeks. This timeframe does not include delivery time. Mailing times vary across the country.

Expedited service takes from 5 to 7 weeks excluding mailing times on the front and back end. Current mailing delays are significant. Requesting 1-2-day mailing service is recommended.

Regional passport agencies are offering two types of appointments: Life-of-Death Emergency Service and Urgent Travel Service.

Life-or-death emergencies are serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family (parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, sibling, and grandparent) that require you to travel outside the United States within 3 business days.

If you need to travel due to a qualified life-or-death emergency, please call the National Passport Information Center for an appointment:

Mondays through Fridays 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. ET, call 1-877-487-2778 (TDD/TTY:1-888-874-7793) Outside of these hours, call 202-647-4000.

For Urgent Travel Service, you need to call 14 days before your scheduled international travel or 28 days if you also need to secure a foreign visa.

If you need to travel urgently for reasons other than a life-or-death emergency, please call the NPIC at 1-877-487-2778 Mondays through Fridays 8 A.M. to 10 P.M. ET.

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