Replace a Lost or Expired US Passport Before Booked Travel

  1. Count the days to your departure and pick a route
    15 min

    The route is fixed by your departure date, so write the date down first and the rest takes minutes:

    1. Write the date of your international departure at the top of a note — take it from your ticket or itinerary.
    2. Count the calendar days from today to that date — weekends and holidays included.
    3. Apply the rule:
    • 14 calendar days or less to departure → urgent route: an in-person appointment at a passport agency. The agency can issue the passport in about 2 weeks, or the same day in a genuine emergency.
    • A foreign visa needed within 28 days → the same urgent agency route, even when the flight is farther out.
    • Anything else → mail-in application with routine processing (about 4–6 weeks) or expedited processing (about 2–3 weeks, extra fee).
    1. Record the verdict — urgent agency appointment, or mail-in with your processing choice — under the departure date, and keep the note.