The U.S. Embassy in Korea has announced that U.S. citizens applying for certain types of passports can now pay their application fees online. This applies to first-time passport applicants, children under 16, those whose previous passports were issued before age 16, applicants replacing lost, stolen or damaged passports, and those whose previous passport was issued more than 15 years ago. The embassy states that paying online will help reduce wait times during appointments.
The embassy clarified the limitations of emergency passports: “An emergency passport is limited to one year or less and does not have an embedded electronic chip. Some countries may not accept an emergency passport, therefore you may be refused entry by immigration officials or denied airplane boarding by airline personnel. We strongly recommend that you visit the Department of State website to research the entry and exit requirements of your destination before you travel with an emergency passport.”
Emergency (limited validity) passports can usually be printed on the same day once travelers confirm they are accepted for their destination country’s entry and exit requirements. Passport cards cannot be applied for at the same time as an emergency passport; these are only available to those eligible for a full-validity passport.
Applicants must schedule an appointment and appear in person to explain their urgent need for travel. If someone needs to travel within five working days but no appointments are available, they should email support-acs-southkorea@usvisascheduling.com with “Emergency Passport Request” in the subject line and provide their flight itinerary, name as listed on their current U.S. passport, accompanying parents’ names if the applicant is a minor, date of birth, current U.S. passport copy if applicable, local phone number, three preferred appointment dates within five working days before travel (at 9:00am), and reason for requesting an emergency passport.
“We will try to accommodate your requested dates,” said embassy officials in the announcement. “However given the number of requests we receive, we appreciate your flexibility if we are unable.”
Required documents and fees for applying for an emergency passport remain consistent with regular applications; applicants should select the appropriate category—minor passport (age 15 and younger), adult first-time applicant (age 16 and older), adult renewal (if previous was issued after age 16 and no more than 15 years ago), or replacement for lost/stolen/damaged passports—to determine what paperwork is needed.
Those who have received an emergency limited-validity passport and wish to apply for a replacement must follow specific procedures based on when it was issued:
1) If it was issued less than one year ago and accompanied by a letter with replacement instructions at issuance time, applicants can submit materials via Ilyang secure courier service.
Required documents include:
- Completed DS-5504 form (with original signature; electronic signatures are not valid)
- One recent color photograph meeting State Department standards
- The emergency limited-validity passport
- The letter with replacement instructions including fee waiver information (if applicable)
If no Social Security Number has been assigned, a signed No SSN statement must also be included.
2) Applicants who do not meet these criteria or did not receive a letter from the embassy must appear in person at the embassy with required documents relevant to minors or adults as indicated on official resources.