OT; Any travel savvy mamas around?

[buddyleebaby]

We may be taking a hastily planned trip out of the country.
I don't have a passport! (I am an American citizen, I just never bothered to get one).
How quickly could I get one, where would I get one (if I needed it quickly) and what would I need to do so?
TIA!

ETA: I just re-read my post and it sounds like I'm on the lam or something, which I'm not, lol. We just want to use my dh's vacation days before they expire.

[ett]

Here's a link to the U.S. state department's website.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_832.html

From the information on the website, it looks like normally it'll take 6 weeks but you can get expedited service in 2 weeks. Hope that's enough time for you.

ETA: Are you going to a country that will also require a Visa? If so, you will need to get the Visa after you get your passport.

[ett]

Here's a link to the U.S. state department's website.

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_832.html

From the information on the website, it looks like normally it'll take 6 weeks but you can get expedited service in 2 weeks. Hope that's enough time for you.

ETA: Are you going to a country that will also require a Visa? If so, you will need to get the Visa after you get your passport.

[bostonsmama]

You have to file your passport paperwork through the State Department's Travel Bureau. You can expedite the process for an unkind sum of money, but it will work in a pinch. It takes it down from 6 weeks to 2 weeks, and the extra fee is $60 plus 2 overnight shipping charges. The best thing to do is get you, DH and bebe's passport photos taken at a Walgreens or other 1-hour pp photo place so you can quickly send them your photo. Click on "How to get a passport quickly" link and follow the directions.

Go, mama, go!

http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_832.html

Larissa
***Cheers! Here's to better luck in 2006!***

"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them."
-James Baldwin

[dhano923]

If you live in a city with a Federal Passport office, you can get a passport the same day, but you have to pay extra for it. I did this last March when my grandmother was ill and I had to fly to Singapore with DS within a couple days. I just made an appointment over the phone (automated system), took his birth certificate, my passport, and the airline tickets with me and they processed it within an hour, and told us to come back in 3 hours for the passport. They will only do it if you have tickets booked within 2-3 days though.

[jesseandgrace]

That's just what I was going to say. If you are in a place with a federal passport office you can get it in 24 hours or less if you pay more, but not that much more! You do need the tickets already though, as the pp said, and you have to be leaving within a specified amount of time making it impossible to get the passport through regular waiting times. Basically you would need your photos, the tickets, ID, and to be there in person, I can't remember if you need anything else. Its actually pretty easy, I let mine expire (even though we travel all the time :() and did this right before an unplanned vacation to Mexico that FIL last minute invited us on and paid.

[aliceinwonderland]

I have even been told the same day, but not sure.\

You need to find out where in your city you can do this (can't do this at local post office, obviously), and bring everything you'd need for a passport PLUS evidence of travel within the next 2 weeks. (like an itinerary print out, etc)

We just did this for DH and DS as my DH loses passports like candy.

PS. In terms of paying extra, we were told this, but DH thinks the 2 day or same day version is not more expensive than the two weeks expedited service, and may be slightly cheaper because you do not have to pay exp. shipping to them(since you go in in person), just from them to you.