Realizing that a passport has been misplaced or lost is possibly the worst thing to happen to someone that needs to leave on a trip quickly. Travel plans, particularly those like family emergencies and business trips cannot usually be rearranged with ease. Replacing a lost passport, however, can be accomplished a variety of ways and by many different service providers.

The passport may be replaced by going online to the United States Post Office or Department of State Web sites. These sites contain all of the information and paperwork needed to obtain a new passport. However, the processing time is eight weeks for regular service and four weeks for expedited service. This is not convenient for anyone who will be traveling within that timeframe.

Further searching on the Web will reveal that there are private companies that provide passport replacement services. These companies will process a passport application and return a new passport within 24 to 48 hours. They charge an additional fee in excess of what the government charges. However, in the situation of a vacation just days away, this fee is well worth paying. The new passport will be in hand the next day, and the panic of the day before is soon forgotten.

The provider Web sites contain detailed instructions regarding all additional identifying documentation that must be provided. The applicant should print out these instructions and use them as a checklist in order to gather and photocopy the necessary documents. The passport application, which may also be found on the provider sites, should then be completed.

The next step will be to ensure that all the proper papers are handy to prove the individual’s identity. The first and foremost on all of the lists is a copy of the individual’s birth certificate. This copy needs to be one from the city, county or state that they were born in. A certified copy that does not bear an official seal from one of these entities is not acceptable.

A copy of a driver’s license that was issued at least six months prior must also be provided. Alternatively, there are other forms of identifying documents that may be provided. The criterion for these pieces of identification is that they contain the individual’s signature and photograph. Two documents may be supplied to meet this requirement. There are also additional documents that must be supplied in order to obtain a new passport, so it is important to carefully review the instructions listed on the provider’s Web site in order to get all of the details.

Some of the other information that must be provided includes a travel itinerary or plane ticket. Two identical color photographs must be supplied with the paperwork. These photos must meet certain requirements because they will be used in the passport itself. Again, it is important to check the list of required documents in order to review the specifications for these photos.

Once everything is gathered, photocopied, and completed as necessary, it should be sent out as one package via a traceable mailing method like FedEx or UPS. To speed receipt, the package may be sent via next day air service. This will enable the quickest processing period for replacement of a Lost American Passport. A new pasports will be mailed to applicants whose stress-free vacations may then begin.