Anyone that has even had to get a passport knows that it can be a bit trying even under the best of circumstances. When trying to a get a 24 hour passport, the difficulty meter goes up significantly. However, under the right circumstances, this difficult task can be accomplished, for a fee of course.

Most people will not ever need to get a 24 hour passport, but unexpected situations may arise that cause for rush processing. If an emergency situation happens for someone that has never had a passport, they better get ready to do some running. It is best to have everything together that is needed the moment that they walk into the passport office.

The State Department will usually only issue a passport in 24 hours if an immediate family death, accident, injury or illness has occurred. In other words, just because it is Thursday and you realized that you need a passport for your trip on Saturday does not mean that a passport is going to be issued. For more details, it is best to call the hotline that the State Department has set up for emergency situations.

In addition to government offices, there are also private agencies that can get passports quicker than the standard channels. However, keep in mind that they are going to charge a hefty fee in order to make this happen. There fee structures far exceed that of the government offices, so expect the wallet to take a pretty big hit for expedited services like this.

Obviously, it is much easier to obtain a passport renewal in twenty-four hours than it is to obtain a new passport. Sometimes passport renewals can be done electronically, or temporary emergency renewals may be granted via the Internet. Emergency applicants that only need a passport renewal often stand a very good chance of having their request granted in a timely fashion.

The people that have to get a passport from scratch and need it this fast are going to have their work cut out for them. The problem in many cases is that they don’t have all of the documents that they need on hand. Without a drivers license, birth certificate or proof of citizenship, they will not be able to get the passport.

Even though most agencies require an appointment, they will make exceptions for emergency situations. Still, it is important to show up as early as possible. The earlier an applicant shows up, the more likely it is that he or she will get the passport that day. Or those that do not live near an agency, many private passport-expediting services offer 24 hour passport service. It is best to stick with well-established providers to ensure results.

While trying to get a 24 hour U.S. passport can be challenging, the task can be completed. Now having said that, this is something that nobody should ever have to go through because of the cost and time commitment, not to mentions stress. Play it safe and get a new passport because anything can happen at any time and you just never know when an international trip is on the horizon.