How to Get an Emergency Travel Document in the USA

If you are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident who has lost a passport or green card, or who suddenly needs to travel internationally within days, you can get an emergency travel document in the USA through the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Citizens receive a limited-validity emergency passport; green card holders overseas receive a boarding foil that lets them fly back into the country. Both require an in-person appointment, either at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad or at a regional passport agency inside the United States.

Which Document You Need

The document depends entirely on your status and where you are.

U.S. citizens inside the country apply at a regional passport agency. U.S. citizens abroad apply at the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate and receive a limited-validity emergency passport, a 12-page book valid for up to one year.¹ Lawful permanent residents whose green card was lost, stolen, or destroyed while abroad do not apply for a passport; they apply for a boarding foil using Form I-131A, which permits a single entry into the United States and is valid for up to 30 days.²

What Counts as an Emergency

The State Department separates urgent passport cases into two tiers, and the tier determines which phone number you call and how quickly you can be seen.

A life-or-death emergency means you need to travel internationally within the next two weeks because an immediate family member abroad has died, is dying or in hospice care, or has a life-threatening illness or injury. Immediate family is limited to a parent, legal guardian, child, spouse, sibling, or grandparent. Aunts, uncles, and cousins do not qualify, and your own medical treatment abroad is not covered under this category.³

Urgent travel covers any other reason you need to leave the country within 14 calendar days: evacuation from civil unrest, unexpected business travel, or discovering an expired passport days before a flight. Passport agencies serve urgent-travel customers by appointment only.⁴

Report a Lost or Stolen Passport First

Before applying for a replacement, report the missing passport through the State Department’s online form. It will be canceled within one business day, which protects you from identity fraud and is a prerequisite for issuance of a new book. Keep any police report you filed and bring a copy to your appointment.⁵

A lost or stolen passport cannot be replaced by mail on the renewal form. You must file Form DS-11, the standard application, in person, and describe on the form where and when the passport went missing.⁶

Emergency Passport at a U.S. Embassy Abroad

Contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate to request an emergency appointment. Most posts maintain an after-hours line for genuine life-or-death cases. At the appointment, a consular officer reviews your application, verifies your citizenship, and decides whether to issue the document. Processing is typically one to two business days for a complete application, and same-day issuance is possible in a true emergency.¹

Bring the following:

Form DS-11, filled out but not signed until the consular officer instructs you to sign.
Proof of U.S. citizenship: a birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or photocopy of the missing passport.
A government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or state ID.
One 2×2 inch passport photo taken within the last six months, with a white or off-white background. Get it in advance.⁷
Evidence of the emergency: a death certificate, hospital letter, confirmed flight itinerary, or similar documentation.
Payment for the passport application fee.

The book you receive is limited: valid only long enough to complete your trip with a few days built in for delays, and capped at one year.⁸ Some countries with strict entry rules may not accept a limited-validity emergency passport for visa-free travel, so confirm requirements for any third country you plan to transit or enter before you fly.

Emergency Passport at a Domestic Passport Agency

If you are inside the United States and need to travel internationally within 14 calendar days, book an appointment at a regional passport agency. The route is different from mailing a routine application to an acceptance facility.⁴

Booking an Urgent-Travel Appointment

Use the State Department’s Online Passport Appointment System. Enter your travel details to check eligibility, verify your identity with an email code and a text code, and confirm the appointment within 15 minutes or the slot is released. If you have already mailed an application and now realize it will not arrive in time, call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 to convert to an agency appointment.⁴

Booking a Life-or-Death Appointment

For a qualifying family emergency, call the State Department directly. Life-or-death appointments are separate from urgent-travel appointments and are available up to two weeks before travel. Outside business hours, call 202-647-4000.³

Boarding Foil for Green Card Holders Abroad

A lawful permanent resident whose green card is lost, stolen, or destroyed overseas applies for carrier documentation on Form I-131A. The document lets an airline board you back to the United States without penalty. It is single-entry and valid for a maximum of 30 days.²

To qualify, you must have been outside the United States for less than one year, measured from your departure to the date you pay the filing fee.⁹

The process runs in two stages. First, pay the filing fee through the USCIS online payment system, using the applicant’s full name, date of birth, and A-Number exactly as they appear on the green card or reentry permit. Second, bring proof of payment to an in-person appointment at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate, where you file Form I-131A and sit for an interview with a consular officer confirming your permanent resident status.⁹

If your green card is merely expired rather than missing, check with the consulate before paying the fee. An expired card combined with other evidence of status may be enough for boarding without filing I-131A.

Consent Rules for Minors

An emergency passport for a child adds a consent step, and it is often the single biggest bottleneck overseas.

Children Under 16

Both parents or legal guardians must appear in person with the child. If one parent cannot be there, that parent must submit a signed and notarized Form DS-3053 (Statement of Consent) with a photocopy of their ID. The notarized consent is valid for 90 days, and in some countries the notarization must be done at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate rather than a local notary.¹⁰

When the second parent cannot be reached at all, Form DS-5525 or a detailed written statement under penalty of perjury may substitute. A court order granting sole legal custody, a birth certificate listing only one parent, or the other parent’s death certificate can also establish that only one parent’s consent is needed.¹⁰

Applicants 16 and 17

Teens ages 16 and 17 need only one parent to show awareness of the application. That parent can apply alongside the teen, sign a note with a copy of their ID, pay the passport fees in their own name, or provide a notarized statement.¹¹

If you travel internationally with a child, carrying a pre-signed, notarized DS-3053 from the non-traveling parent is cheap insurance against being stuck overseas.

Fees

The passport application fee for applicants 16 and older is $130. If you apply at a domestic acceptance facility such as a post office or county clerk, you also pay a $35 acceptance fee. The $35 does not apply at passport agencies or at U.S. Embassies abroad.¹²

The I-131A filing fee for a boarding foil is paid online before your embassy appointment. USCIS calculates the amount automatically during the payment process; check the current figure on the USCIS fee page, which is adjusted periodically.¹³

Both fees are nonrefundable, even if the application is denied.

Replacing a Limited-Validity Passport After You Return

An emergency passport is a short-term book. Once you are back in the United States, replace it with a full 10-year passport using Form DS-5504, which is free provided the emergency passport was issued at the full application fee and limited to two years or less of validity. File the DS-5504 before the emergency passport expires; once it lapses, the free replacement is gone and you must file a new DS-11 at full cost.¹⁴

If your passport was limited because of multiple prior losses or serious damage to previous passports, the free DS-5504 replacement does not apply.

Repatriation Loans for Stranded Citizens

If you are stuck abroad without money for a passport fee or a flight, the State Department can issue a repatriation loan. Embassies can approve up to $4,000 per person without Washington sign-off, covering transportation, temporary food and lodging, medical care needed to stabilize you for travel, and visa or departure fees. A citizen who receives a repatriation loan also gets a no-fee emergency passport; the application fee is not added to the loan balance.¹⁵

The loan is repayable to the U.S. government after you return, with waiver and deferral options available if you cannot repay. Once you are back, the U.S. Repatriation Program administered by the Department of Health and Human Services can provide up to 90 days of temporary assistance, including cash aid, medical care, and shelter.¹⁶

1
U.S. Embassy and Consulates in France. Emergency Travel Within the Next 7 Days
2
U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 202.2 – Lawful Permanent Residents
3
U.S. Department of State. Get a Passport if You Have a Life-or-Death Emergency
4
U.S. Department of State. Make an Appointment at a Passport Agency or Center
5
U.S. Department of State. Lost or Stolen Passport Abroad
6
U.S. Department of State. Passport Forms
7
U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos
8
U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 8 FAM 1303.2 – U.S. Passports Limited for Direct Return to the United States
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-131A, Application for Carrier Documentation
10
U.S. Department of State. DS-3053 – Statement of Consent: U.S. Passport Issuance to a Child
11
U.S. Embassy and Consulates in France. 16/17 Year Old Passport Information
12
U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-131A, Application for Carrier Documentation Fee – Overview
14
U.S. Department of State. DS-5504 – Application for a U.S. Passport for Eligible Individuals
15
U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 7 FAM 370 – Repatriation Loans
16
Administration for Children and Families. U.S. Repatriation Program