An instant passport is a travel document that is secured quickly, usually by paying to expedite processing. There is no such thing as a literal instant passport; no real passport can be printed by filling a form and then printing it. Same-day passports, passports that are made available in one to two weeks, and passport services that attempt to hasten the process for clients are some legitimate instances of an instant passport. It is important to be wary of instant passport scams, however, which usually request large amounts of money for fake or stolen documents.
The term same-day passport can be misleading. This kind of passport generally requires an applicant to have all his or her forms filled out, with an appropriate photo. Then he or she must make an appointment at a passport facility to visit in person, but this appointment might need to be paid two to three weeks in advance. Once the proper documents are dropped off, the applicant goes about his or her day and returns to the facility later in the day to pick up the passport. If the documents were dropped off too late in the day, the passport will likely be available the next rather than the same day.
Some passport facilitates allow applicants to expedite the processing of their passport applications by a significant amount. Expediting the processing of an application and the creation of a passport can be very expensive. On the other hand, the applicant is guaranteed to have his or her travel document within a certain amount of days, such as one week. Whether this is allowed in a certain region depends on the country and its laws. Some countries have fast turnaround times on passport applications already and do not have or plan on implementing a priority system.
Instant passport scams can be spotted on the Internet if a person looks closely enough. People selling scam passports usually offer surprisingly low prices, very high prices, or illegal benefits to purchasers. For example, some scam instant passport sellers offer other illegitimate documents, such as birth certificates, in combination with an instant passport. Another warning sign of a potential scam is the offering of diplomatic or other unusual benefits with the purchase of an instant passport. In general, passport scams such as these can be avoided by dealing directly with the appropriate authorities and avoiding deals seemingly too good to be true.