When A Death Or Other Disaster Happens, An Emergency US Passport Might Be Essential
Sunday, February 28th, 2010Unfortunately, tragic events often unfold when people are least prepared for them, and this is especially true when it comes to a life threatening accident, illness or even death of a family member. When this takes place abroad, an already difficult situation may seem almost insurmountable as the family struggles to rushed travel arrangements. In today’s world, a valid passport is a travel necessity and not everyone has one. The comforting news is that it is possible to get an emergency US passport in a couple of different ways.
If there is an emergency, the first thing that needs to be done is contact the Department of State’s Passport Information Center. The people there are prepared for this type of situation and will be able to guide the family through the process of getting a passport as quickly as possible. The situation will have to fall into their guidelines, but if it does, a passport may be in hand in as little as 24 hours.
The National Passport Information Center can be accessed via the phone 24/7 and an appointment can be made. If the appointments that are available do not work for the family that needs the emergency services, they can also reach a live person from 6am to midnight EST during weekdays. This operator will be able to answer any and all questions that the person might have.
However, many people in the midst of a family event of great seriousness may wish to opt for using a private passport expediting service, especially when it is a weekend or other time when government representatives may not be available. These for-profit agencies specialize in cutting through the red tape to move an emergency passport through the process at lightning speed. For a non-critical application, they can get the job done in two to three days.
If the passport is needed in 24 hours, services like this can usually make that happen without a problem. They have been known to put a passport in people’s hands by the end of the same day. Because of this, the family can get their tickets that much quicker and be on their international flight as soon as possible.
To find these private agencies, all you need to do is get online and do a search. We would issue a word of warning though to make sure that the agency is checked out. A great way to do this is to check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any live complaints against the company or to see if they have a history of unsatisfied customers.
It would be nice to think that these agencies were a part of our government and were there to just help, but unfortunately this is not the case. They are there to make a profit and while they will help, they are going to charge a fee for their services. The quicker the passport is needed, the more they are going to charge.
Receiving an emergency United States passport can be accomplished relatively quickly and there are options beyond simply the Department of State’s process. Looking into the services of a private USA passport expediting company before an emergency strikes is well worth a little bit of time. Knowing where to go and what it may cost is valuable information for everyone, especially when faced with a family death or other serious situation.