Need to Renew Your Passport in 24 Hours? There’s an App for That

Booking a last-minute tropical vacation starts to look especially appealing around this time of year, when temperatures plummet and biting winds seem to have a personal vendetta against your face. But if there’s one thing that’ll keep you from basking in that South American sunlight, it’s your expired passport.

It’s hard to remember to renew your passport until it’s too late—and even if you do remember, it can be a pretty time-consuming process. Luckily for all of us, Mobile Passport is here to eliminate all the confusion and hassle through a new partnership with RushMyPassport.

Mobile Passport is an app that lets you submit your passport and declaration information to U.S. Customs and Border Protection via your phone instead of using the traditional paper form, and lets you skip the interview process. It also gives you access to designated customs lines around the country. And now you can begin the passport renewal process through the app, too.

According to Travel + Leisure, Mobile Passport will send you a push notification six months before your passport expires, and then it’ll give you explicit instructions from RushMyPassport for renewing it. If you do wait until much closer to your departure, RushMyPassport can expedite your renewal in as little as 24 hours, though you will have to pay a fee depending on how fast you need it—and you will still have to physically mail in application forms and a new photo.

All things considered, it’s quite a bit more efficient than scheduling a meeting at the passport agency or scouring the internet for clear instructions on how exactly to renew your passport.

As Patrick Merfert, vice president of marketing at Airside Mobile (owner of Mobile Passport) told Travel + Leisure, the app’s process is “much more streamlined and expedited than the traditional in-person passport application process.”

Once your application’s safely in the mail, pass the time with these five expert travel tips from a flight attendant.

[h/t Travel + Leisure]