public-service · expedited passport processing
What 22 CFR 51.56 Says About Expedited Passport Processing
A look at the federal regulation defining expedited U.S. passport processing, where its timeframe is published, and how a separate CFR fee schedule prices the service at $60.
In this article
Updated: Sources: 2
Start here
What matters now
- The regulation lets an applicant for passport service in the United States request expedited processing, but the Department may decline that request.
- "Expedited passport processing" is defined in the regulation by reference to a number of business days published on travel.state.gov — the regulation text itself does not state that number.
- The clock the regulation describes starts when the application reaches a Passport Agency, or when a request for expedited processing on an application already at a Passport Agency is approved.
- A fee applies to expedited processing under 22 CFR 51.51(c), and that fee does not cover mailing costs above the Department's normal level of service.
- The itemized Schedule of Fees in 22 CFR 22.1 sets the "Expedited service" fee at $60.
The federal regulation governing expedited U.S. passport service, 22 CFR 51.56, lets an applicant request expedited processing and gives the Department discretion to decline that request. It defines “expedited passport processing” by reference to a number of business days that the Department of State publishes on its own website — the regulation itself does not state that number — and it confirms that a fee applies, though the $60 amount itself is itemized separately in 22 CFR 22.1’s Schedule of Fees.
This original record-reading guide is a general reading aid, not cited evidence. It does not depict a source record; the article text and source links provide the facts.
Key points
- The regulation lets an applicant for passport service in the United States request expedited processing, but the Department may decline that request.
- “Expedited passport processing” is defined in the regulation by reference to a number of business days published on travel.state.gov — the regulation text itself does not state that number.
- The clock the regulation describes starts when the application reaches a Passport Agency, or when a request for expedited processing on an application already at a Passport Agency is approved.
- A fee applies to expedited processing under 22 CFR 51.51(c), and that fee does not cover mailing costs above the Department’s normal level of service.
- The itemized Schedule of Fees in 22 CFR 22.1 sets the “Expedited service” fee at $60.
Requesting expedited service
22 CFR 51.56 addresses who may ask for faster processing and confirms that the Department retains discretion over the request:
“Within the United States, an applicant for passport service (including issuance or replacement of a passport) may request expedited processing. The Department may decline the request.” (22 CFR 51.56)
The quoted provision says a request may be made and that the Department may decline it. It does not state that any specific request will be approved.
Defining the expedited timeframe
Rather than stating a specific turnaround time in the text of the regulation, 22 CFR 51.56 ties the definition to a number published separately by the Department:
“Expedited passport processing shall mean completing processing within the number of business days published on the Department’s Web site, http://www.travel.state.gov, commencing when the application reaches a Passport Agency or, if the application is already with a Passport Agency, commencing when the request for expedited processing is approved.” (22 CFR 51.56)
The quoted regulation refers to a number of business days published on the Department’s website rather than stating a number in the provision itself. It also names two possible starting points: when the application reaches a Passport Agency, or when a request for expedited processing on an application already at a Passport Agency is approved.
The expedited-service fee
22 CFR 51.56 confirms that a fee applies to expedited processing and cross-references where that fee is set and what it does not cover:
“A fee is charged for expedited passport processing (see 22 CFR 51.51(c)). The fee does not cover any costs of mailing above the normal level of service regularly provided by the Department.” (22 CFR 51.56)
The itemized amount appears in the Schedule of Fees at 22 CFR 22.1, which lists expedited service as follows:
“Expedited service: Passport processing within the expedited processing period published on the Department’s website (see 22 CFR 51.56(b)) and/or in-person service at a U.S. Passport Agency (not applicable abroad) … $60” (22 CFR 22.1)
The cited fee schedule displays $60 for expedited service. The quoted section 51.56 provision separately states that the fee does not cover mailing costs above the Department’s normal level of service.
What this article does not answer
This article is based only on the text of 22 CFR 51.56 and the itemized fee line in 22 CFR 22.1’s Schedule of Fees. It does not answer:
- What the actual current expedited-processing period is — that number lives on the Department’s website, not in the regulation, and was not independently re-confirmed on a reader-facing page in this pass.
- Whether any particular reader’s expedited request will be granted or declined, since the regulation itself gives the Department discretion to decline.
- What an applicant should do if a passport is delayed, or anything about eligibility, individual case status, or filing strategy.
- Whether the travel.state.gov processing-time page currently carries a date stamp or version marker, or whether the $60 figure in the regulation matches any figure currently displayed on that page — both of those checks were outside the scope of this verification pass.