Passport and Visa Questions, Answered

Yes. Sameday Passport & Visa is a registered courier that hand-delivers applications to the U.S. Passport Agency, so the file does not sit in the mail or in a routine queue. The fastest option is 4 to 7 business days. The same application filed on your own follows the standard government timeline. Bring your documents to any of the eight Sameday Passport & Visa offices and the application is checked before it is submitted, which is where most delays actually come from.

Proof of U.S. citizenship (an original birth certificate with a raised or registrar seal, or a naturalization certificate), a valid government photo ID such as a driver’s license, one passport photo, and the DS-11 application left unsigned until a Sameday Passport & Visa agent witnesses it. First-time applications must be filed in person. Bring the original documents, not copies; originals are returned with the new passport.

Usually. A renewal on form DS-82 can be mailed in or handed to any Sameday Passport & Visa office if your most recent passport is undamaged, in your possession, was issued when you were 16 or older, and was issued within the last 15 years. No execution fee applies to a renewal, so the government fee is $213.36. If your passport does not meet those conditions it is treated as a new application.

Report it lost or stolen and file a new application in person with form DS-64 alongside the DS-11. Bring proof of citizenship, photo ID and a passport photo. The government fee is $213.36 plus the $35.00 execution fee. Sameday Passport & Visa handles lost, stolen and damaged passports at all eight offices and can still file on the 4 to 7 business day track if your travel is close.

A passport for a child under 16 requires both parents to consent. Bring the child’s original birth certificate showing both parents, both parents’ photo IDs, and the child in person. If one parent cannot attend, that parent completes form DS-3053 with a notarized signature and a copy of their ID. The government fee for a minor is $183.36 plus the $35.00 execution fee. Child passports are valid five years and cannot be renewed by mail.

Sameday Passport & Visa files tourist, business and work visas for Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Paraguay, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Vietnam and Zambia. If your destination is not listed, call and ask — requirements change often and some countries are handled case by case.

You give Sameday Passport & Visa your passport, the completed application and the supporting documents for that country, in person at any office or by mail with a service order form. The file is reviewed, corrected if needed, and submitted to the consulate or embassy. Consulates set their own timelines and their own fees, and those are separate from the Sameday Passport & Visa service fee. Your passport is returned by FedEx or held for pickup, whichever you choose.

An eVisa is issued electronically instead of as a sticker in your passport, so no consulate submission is needed. Sameday Passport & Visa prepares and files eVisas for Australia, Brazil, India (including OCI), Saudi Arabia (Enjaz), Turkey, Uganda and Vietnam. The application is completed for you, checked against the current rules, and the approval is emailed to you to print and carry.

Often, yes, and the order matters: most countries require six months of passport validity past your return date and at least one or two blank visa pages. If your passport is short on validity or pages, Sameday Passport & Visa can expedite the passport first and then file the visa, in one visit, at any of the eight offices. Say your travel date on the phone and the sequence will be planned around it.

Your total has three parts. The government fee, which goes to the U.S. Department of State. The Sameday Passport & Visa service fee, which is set by how fast you need it: $399 for 4 to 7 days, $299 for 10 to 14 days, $249 for 21 days, $199 for 4 to 6 weeks. And optional FedEx return shipping, from $48.00. Visa work is priced by the consulate fee for that country plus the service fee.

First-time passport $213.36 plus a $35.00 execution fee. Renewal $213.36. Lost, stolen or mutilated $213.36 plus $35.00 execution. Child or minor under 16 $183.36 plus $35.00 execution. Second passport $213.36. Limited validity $213.36. Passport card without book $113.36 adult, $98.36 child. Passport card with book $213.36 + $30.00 adult, $183.36 + $15.00 child. Name change $60.00 if issued less than a year ago, $213.36 if more.

FedEx return shipping is optional: $48.00 Priority Overnight, $87.00 First Overnight delivered by 8:30 AM, $68.00 Saturday delivery. Sameday Passport & Visa only returns passports by FedEx. You can avoid the charge by using your own prepaid label or FedEx account number, or by picking your passport up at the office where you filed.

Four service speeds are available: 4 to 7 business days, 10 to 14 business days, 21 days, and 4 to 6 weeks. The 4 to 7 day track is the fastest and the most requested. All four are available at every Sameday Passport & Visa office.

On the business day your complete application reaches the Passport Agency, not the day you walk in. That is why documents are checked at the counter before anything is submitted — a missing signature or an unacceptable photo restarts the count. Weekends and federal holidays do not count as business days.

Call before you do anything else: (310) 402-1619, answered 24/7. Bring your travel itinerary showing the departure date, because the agency prioritizes by date of travel and proof of it is what unlocks the fastest handling. Sameday Passport & Visa has been doing urgent departures for more than 20 years and will tell you honestly on the phone whether your date is reachable.

No. Walk-ins are welcome at all eight Sameday Passport & Visa offices, seven days a week, with no appointment and no online booking. Come in with your documents and an agent takes you through the application at the counter.

The offices are open seven days a week, and the phone line is answered 24/7 at (310) 402-1619. Los Angeles is open Monday to Friday 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM and Saturday and Sunday 9 AM to 3 PM. Arlington is open Monday to Friday 8 AM to 4 PM and Saturday 9 AM to 2 PM, with Sunday by phone appointment. Hours vary slightly by city, so call the office you plan to visit if you are arriving late in the day.

Los Angeles, CA (the main office), Arlington, TX, Chicago, IL, Dallas, TX, Houston, TX, Austin, TX, New York, NY, and Washington, DC. Every office files new passports, renewals, lost and stolen replacements, child passports and travel visas. Full addresses, phone numbers and directions are on each office page.

Bring proof of U.S. citizenship (original birth certificate with seal, naturalization certificate, or your current passport for a renewal), a valid government photo ID, one passport photo, your travel itinerary if your trip is close, and payment. Leave the application unsigned. If you are applying for a child, bring the child and both parents with their IDs. Visa applicants also bring the country-specific documents on that country’s page.

Yes. Passport photos are taken in office for $20 at Sameday Passport & Visa, printed to the current U.S. Department of State specification and checked against it before your application is filed. Photos taken elsewhere are accepted, but they are inspected first — a rejected photo is one of the most common reasons an application is returned.