Traveling to France on a US Emergency Passport

1) Are we talking about a US passport? I don't know why an outside company would be used, rather than mailing it directly to the US government with appropriate fee (rush or non-rush).How have you determined they won't get it to you in time?

2) I know nothing about the restrictions of an Emergency passport. Maybe you'll find details or a contact info through the link below.

3) If you live near one of these locations, you can make an appointment to get a new US passport, based on the schedule of your booked flight departing in less than two weeks.

This may provide some guidance

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/limited-validity.html

The specifics of your situation will dictate your options and requirements.

No, you can not be assured of entering France on an emergency U.S. passport. they don't have to let you in - I'm amazed you're trying to do this a second time. Of course, it does say you "may be refused", and you've seen yourself that you got in once -- but I certainly wouldn't pin my vacation on it and would go to the airport with the expectation of being turned away. They have no obligation to let you enter.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/France.html

Click to open the section on Entry, Exit, and Visa Requirements, which states:

The Government of France does not recognize the 12-page U.S. emergency passport, issued by U.S. embassies and consulates overseas, as a valid travel document for visa-free travel, and, if traveling on this emergency passport, you may be refused boarding and/or entry by immigration officials.

You could have gotten a regular passport several times over since August, without any special company involved. I doubt they're going to be very sympathetic.

Chances are if you had renewed your passport in August, sent it in, fee, etc. by the end of Sept or mid-Oct (and that's stretching it), you would have received the new regular passport. My last renewal took only a month to arrive, I recorded the dates.

Get to a passport agency an hour before opening—or kiss your trip good-bye. Six months is no longer an emergency.

My job requires me to travel internationally, there has not been a space of time for me to wait days- and I live in a city where there is not a passport agency, I’m fully aware that I do not need to use a passport agency I simply have used them before. My passport is still valid for a little over six months, and obviously this is not the circumstances I would like to travel under but I really have no choice. I was out of the country January until last week, in December multiple times, etc. it’s not like I was laying around doing nothing, I have used the passport where it’s been valid.

In SF there is no need to go a passport agency, don't even know if there is one. So, what happens if there is no passport agency, obviously they are not located everywhere. So, you go to the post office to get your passport business done, which is what I do.

Or, do the whole business on-line. I would not bet on this future trip going through.

You will probably be turned away at the border.

Either get a proper passport or take a staycation.

Like the sign over my desk says, "Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."

@ abiann, I understand that you have been traveling on business and were not able to renew. Now the question is how risk averse are you. The emergency passport is not recognized in France but someone at immigration control may make an exception. Will that happen again? Who knows? I don't like to bet a large amount of money on things that can be done at someone's discretion. What if I get the only hard case on duty that day? What if the agent is in a bad mood? Just too many variables. Also, there is a good chance that the airline will not let you board for a trip to France with the emergency passport. If you can afford the loss if it does not work out well, I say go to the airport expecting to be turned back either there or in France and if you get in, consider yourself lucky. Or you can do what I would do which is cancel the vacation and relax at home and use the time to get this passport business resolved.

this is not the circumstances I would like to travel under but I really have no choice.

forced holiday is it?

Thanks for adding so much to this discussion Royaume, your attitude was absolutely necessary.

I am flying to Atlanta Monday with an appointment at the Passport agency there to get a same-day passport. If any of you have had experience with such, it’d be greatly appreciated!

Hindsight is 20/20, but perhaps your employer should have been advised of your need to obtain a new permanent passport and schedule your international travel around the processing time.
If your travel for the employer is so necessary, I suspect you could have gotten them to pay the extra fee for an expedited renewal.

Wishing you well in your Atlanta trip. Did you make an appointment?

@ abiann, I and my husband have done the same day passport "thing." There is not much to it. Make sure you have all your forms properly filled out and checks properly made out (no abbreviations). Arrive early and wait to check in. Wait to be called. We had our about to expire passports so that was all the ID we needed but we also had our DLs. Get called and turn in your documents. In our case, the passports were ready at around 2:00 PM and out appointments were early in the morning. My appointment was actually before the office opened for applications. Apparently, passport offices do that. For anyone who wants a list of the locations where you can get a same-day passport see: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/requirements/where-to-apply/passport-agencies.html. We used the ones in New Orleans and Stamford, CT.

@georgeb944 -
Like the sign over my desk says, "Failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."

I used to have the same sign over mine!