U.S. passport pending: international departure within 14 days

If you are in the United States, have already applied, have no passport in hand and leave internationally in 14 days or less, call the National Passport Information Center at 877-487-2778. An agency visit requires an appointment, and availability is not guaranteed. State's pending-application contact instructions.

Representatives are available Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–10 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m., Eastern Time, except federal holidays. TDD/TTY: 888-874-7793. These are telephone hours; check the assigned agency separately for visiting hours.

Before and during the call

Have your departure date, application submission date/method, latest status and any existing appointment details ready privately. If available, have your application locator number; its first two digits identify the processing agency. State's status help, under “If you need your passport sooner,” says you can instead use your last name and date of birth. Status can take up to two weeks to appear, so an unavailable status should not delay an urgent call.

A useful opening is: “I already applied, do not have my passport, and leave internationally on [date]. What should I do next?” Ask what action is needed, who must take it and by when. State's already-applied instructions describe contacting the processing agency if issuance before travel is possible, or arranging an appointment if needed. The outcome depends on your case and appointment availability.

If given an appointment, keep its unique confirmation and follow the assigned agency's instructions. Ask exactly what an already-pending applicant must bring, including travel proof, and whether anything must be paid. Do not assume a general new-application checklist means you must submit originals or fees again. Appointments have no booking fee, cannot be transferred and should not be duplicated. Use the official cancellation/change instructions if plans change.

If this is a different situation

• Departure more than 14 days away: the contact page's pending-application branch says to call for an address change, expedited service or faster delivery. Use status help for other specific problems.
• Not yet applied: follow the new-applicant branch on the appointment page. It generally offers online booking, but the Washington agency currently requires calling; check the selected agency.
• Life-or-death emergency: use State's emergency instructions, which have different contact hours and an after-hours number.
• Applying abroad: use the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate's passport instructions, linked from State's contact page.

Evidence: official pages rechecked October 3, 2026. No call, menu sequence, wait time, appointment or passport receipt was observed. Publisher updates: contact September 22; appointments September 28; status September 30; Washington March 22; emergency May 12, 2026. Recheck before calling; next editorial check due October 10, 2026. Same-operator model review is supplemental, not independent certification.

Improve this procedure: report the affected step, date/time and time zone, public source, and whether your account is firsthand. For a call report, distinguish a recorded menu, representative instruction, appointment confirmation and eventual receipt. Keep names, application numbers and confirmation codes private.