passports

Emergency Passports

If you have an emergency reason to travel within 7 working days and you can provide proof of this travel, you may qualify for an emergency limited-validity passport, which cannot be extended. Same-day issuance is available for applications that are complete and straightforward. In some cases, however, we may be required to refer the application to the Department of State; therefore, some cases may take longer.

Emergency passport applications must be made in person.

Please follow this link to access instructions for your specific application type. Application requirements for emergency passports, including fees, are the same as those for full-validity passports, with two exceptions:

• If you normally live in India, please provide four passport photos (rather than the normally required two) so we can also process a full-validity passport application for you simultaneously.  In this scenario, you should complete two identical passport application forms.
• If you lost your U.S. passport, please provide one additional passport photo so that we may assist you in applying for an exit visa.

When your emergency travel has been completed, your next course of action will depend on where you live. If you live in India, you will simply return your emergency passport to us for cancellation, and we will return it to you along with your new full-validity passport that was produced while you were traveling. If you live outside India, you can either submit your application for a full-validity passport (using Form DS-5504) to any U.S. embassy or consulate abroad or, if in the United States, to your local passport agency. There will be no additional cost for the full-validity passport as long as the emergency passport is still valid and is presented for cancellation. If the emergency passport expires or is lost before you apply for the full-validity passport, the application fees must be paid again.