We all know that when we need a legal document issued, chances are, we’re going to have to wait for weeks and even months to get the appointment, and for an even longer time to get the document issued. From the time you realize that you need an official document, up to the moment you get it in your hands, you may need to wait for even a month or two. If you need to travel abroad for an emergency and if you don’t have a valid passport, you may be panicking and thinking that there is no way for you to get this document in a limited amount of time. In this article. We’re going to tell you how fast you can get an emergency passport in the US. Keep on reading to find out more about these legal documents and how you can acquire them.
What are they?
Source: dallasnews.com
The first thing that we are going to talk about is what an emergency passport in the US is. As you already know, the traditional type of document is valid for a decade as long as you are older than 16 years. When it comes to people that are younger than 16, the validity time may differ. When it comes to emergency documents, the first thing that you should know is that they are good for a limited amount of time. In most cases, they are valid for about a year, but that time may be lower depending on the reason why you got it.
The procedure for getting a traditional passport revolves around you providing different types of documents and waiting to get your passport issued. The procedure to get an emergency passport in the US is different, and you should be able to get it either on the same day or within 24 hours.
These documents are issued only if you have an emergency in another country and you cannot wait or postpone your trip. This means that if something happens to a relative of yours when they are visiting another country or if they reside somewhere out of the US, and you don’t have a legal transportation document, you should not worry and you should know that you can get one within 24 hour time period.
Now that you know more about these documents, let’s see how fast you can get them, and if there are any differences depending on the state.
How fast can you get them?
Source: travelandleisure.com
When it comes to the time required to get one legal traveling document, you should know that you can apply for an emergency passport 2 weeks prior to your leave, or at least three business days before your international travel.
This is only for Life or death emergencies, and you would need to provide proof that you’re not just trying to trick the system because you did not update your passport before your vacation abroad. In most states, you cannot get an emergency passport issued if you don’t have the needed proof that you really need it that fast.
Keep in mind that if you need to travel abroad tomorrow, and if you don’t have the passport today, chances are you will not be able to get it right away.
Another thing that you need to be aware of is that only your closest family’s life is in danger or if they have passed away abroad. The rule for getting an emergency passport in the US is that in case your spouse, parents, children, grandparents, or legal guardian’s life is in danger and if you have legal proof, including a hospital document or a death certificate, only in that case you can apply and get an emergency legal travel document.
You should always learn more about these documents before your travel, and with that, you can try to cut the procedure shorter. If you just end up waiting for others to tell you what needs to be done, how, and where, you are going to lose valuable time.
It is always good to have knowledge about this, even if you don’t need an emergency passport, and even if your legal documents are always up-to-date.
If everything that you provided is complete and accurate, and if you get accepted for the application, you should be able to get your emergency passport either on the same day or the next one. More often than not, you should be able to get it within a few hours. This depends on the day when you applied for it, and if you need it on the weekend, you may experience some issues and you may need to wait till Monday.
What is the procedure?
Source: travelandleisure.com
Finally, let’s see what the procedure is and what you can do to make sure that you get approved for an emergency travel document. The first thing you’re going to need is either proof of death, all proof that there is a medical emergency abroad for someone in your closest family. Keep in mind that if the document that you provide is not in English you will have to get it officially translated.
The next thing you will need to do is show proof that you have already booked a travel ticket or that you are in the process of getting one. If you cannot provide this, you would have to prove that you are actually traveling abroad in some way or another.
You would also need to get the other documents required for issuing a passport including your ID and citizenship. Finally, after you acquire all these documents and submit your application for an emergency passport, you would need to call the officials and check to see if you qualify to get this document issued. Remember that even if there is an issue with your application, the officials are going to help you gather all the things you need to be able to get your emergency travel document as soon as you possibly can.
There is a special service that deals with these things, and there is a special line that you can call if you have any questions or concerns. This means that you don’t have to wait in line when you call the official travel document service and you can skip a huge waiting line.
These are the most important things you need to know when it comes to getting your legal travel document for emergencies. Remember that you don’t have to do it completely on your own, and you can just call the specialized service and ask them for help for getting your document as soon as possible.
