Getting Your Passport In Texas: What You Need To Know

Travel can sneak up on us. We have the best of intentions to pack early, make reservations, rent a car, and book the plane tickets. It’s easy to overlook small details, like getting your passport. While the process of filling out a passport application is fairly quick, getting the supporting documentation can be tough.

We’ve all been there- you think you know where your passport, social security card, and birth certificate are located. It can make your heart sink when you go to the drawer where your important papers are supposed to be, and you find something missing. For most of us, this happens when we’re about to walk out the door to an important appointment.

If you’ve found yourself in this situation- you need to get your passport, which means you need to get a copy of your birth certificate Texas fast- it’s important that you don’t delay. The more time you give the government to process your passport application, the better. Of course, you can pay extra fees to try to expedite the process, but there’s no promise that your passport will be ready in the time that you need it.

The first thing you need to do before going to the passport office ensures that you have all of your documents in order. You’ll need your completed passport application, your birth certificate or naturalization certificate (or other proof of United States citizenship), a photograph taken with a white background, your travel plans, a government-issued photo ID, and a check or money order for your passport fee.

Assuming that all of your documents are in order and completed correctly, it will take approximately 4-6 weeks to receive your new passport in the mail. Please note that you’ll need to submit original copies of your proof of citizenship documents. These will be mailed back to you in a separate envelope from your passport.

If you need expedited service, you can pay an extra fee and have your passport on it’s way to you in two to three weeks. Some passport offices offer extreme expedited service, returning your passport in as little as eight business days. This quick service is subject to agency approval and requires proof of a life or death emergency or proof of travel within two weeks. If you’re applying for this type of quick service, be sure to bring proof of the reason you need your passport to be expedited.

Applying for a passport can be stressful, but as long as you have all of your documents in order, it can be a fairly painless process.