My daughter needs a passport in about 6 weeks - where or how can she get one?

by John
(Centennial, Co USA)

Question: My daughter needs a passport within 6 weeks. She works from 8am to 4pm M-F and cannot take time off. How can she accomplish this? She has an ocean cruise and non-refundable airline tickets.

Answer: If this is your daughter's first passport, then she must appear in person in order to apply. There is no way to get a new passport without applying in person.

She can schedule an appointment online at an application acceptance facility.

Routine processing takes 4-6 weeks under normal circumstances. If your daughter chooses this option it is quite possible that she would receive her passport in time for her trip. However, it is also possible that it would not arrive in time.

In order to guarantee that she receives her passport, she can request expedited service when she submits the application form at the application acceptance facility. There is an additional fee to expedite the passport. She should write "Expedite" on the outside of the envelope.

Your daughter may want to verify whether or not she needs a passport for the cruise. Passports are not required to re-enter the United States when traveling on a closed-loop cruise. Of course, one is necessary if the ship will travel to any destination where a passport is required.

Your daughter is encouraged to contact the cruise line concerning passport requirements.