My GF has an opportunity to go a short notice vacation with a friend but had let her passport expire and needs a new/renewal very quickly. I checked out the Department of States site and saw that expedited passport renewal could be processed in 2-3 weeks; fast, but too long for her to jump on a very good offer to go for free a week from now.
So I checked further and found a passport expediting service here that implied that she could pay them about $300 (on top of the government fee for expediting of about $175) and have a passport in 3-4 days. Sounds like a scam to me as I cannot imagine how they would get the passport office to work any faster than they do without paying an extra fee and that since the passport office already offers expedited services for a fee to the public it doesn’t make any sense that anyone could make faster.
So, is this a scam? Has anyone tried their service?
When I had my passport renewed last year, I had it expedited and was also told it would be 2-3 weeks, but it came through in less than a week. Just went to the post office to set it up.
It may be a scam, but then again it may not. The company I work for uses an expediting service than can turnaround passports and visas in less than 5 days. Why not contact the company and see what they will guarantee? You can then check the Better Business Bureau to see if there are complaints against them. My guess is they have an arrangement with a local passport office that allows them to get it handled faster than you or I can.
I have used expedited passport renewal, but it was the service offered by the State Department itself. Last time I looked, they still offered this. I sent my materials via next-day service on, say, Monday afternoon and had my new passport in hand first thing Wednesday morning.
Many offices will have a staffer on hand who specializes in this. Many have a direct link on their websites to make it easier. Other than crank calls it’s one of the more frequent constituent services they provide.
Not sure about the service, but my brother was able to get a passport in less than a week by going to a regional passport agency. See here. I would first call the agency nearest you to see how quickly they can get it done. I think they could probably do it in a week if you tell them how pressing the matter is.
And they are on point with this service. A friend was in need of rush service, called the Congresswoman’s office, gave them authorization via fax, and within a few hours (A FEW HOURS!!!), the passport was hand delivered via courier to her front door.
Seconded - we have clients do this all the time. The 2 - 3 week processing time quote is to manage expectations; most people get it done much faster. You should be prepared to show proof of the upcoming travel.
I’ve used an expedite service before, and this is about what they do.
They know all the correct offices to visit, and you are paying to have someone go stand in line at the regional office. I live 6 hours away from the regional office, so it was a better plan for me to pay someone $200 rather than me having to fly or drive out, stand in line all day, and fly or drive back. If you are near the regional office, you can do this yourself.
+1 I have paid the $300 and it works. You are paying a para-legal or equivalent to stand in line a couple of times and Overnight you the results. You can do it yourself if you want.
I don’t know about this particular service, but in general passport expediting services are not scams. They are expensive though. Look at reviews and find one that other people have used successfully. Or you can try your congressman, as others have said.
The basic idea of expedited services is they know all the procedures, they’re located at places where you can walk in to the passport office and get a passport made on site, and they’ll use courier services.
Assuming the OP lives in the Detroit area, he can get similar service for himself by going to the Detroit regional passport office at 211 West Fort Street.
I got my passport in one day by going to the regional passport office in Philadelphia. I had to come prepared with the two photos, required documents, etc., but it was definitely within one day.
This service is pretty much limited to people who can demonstrate that they will be travelling internationally within less time than it will take to do by express mail. In my case I had my airline tickets in hand. It is also significantly more expensive than when you plan ahead.
I needed an expedited passport for work a few years back. It worked and it wasn’t a scam. I don’t have the record of who did the expedition, so I can’t point you at a specific company.
Essentially, it’s like paying a person to stand in line for you and walk the passport application from person to person.
If you are fortunate enough to have a passport office in your area it’s completely possible to get a expedited passport within a day. It’ll cost you money but it can be done. International plane ticket in hand is a requirement for that type of thing though other things can meet that requirement as well.
The number of offices that can offer expedited service is quite limited, so for many resorting to an expediting firm, that has the ability to go to those offices and represent you, is needed.