The U.S. Department of State issued an alert stating that every domestic passport agency and the National Passport Information Center will be closed from Wednesday, 24 December through Friday, 26 December. Customers with existing appointments will be contacted to reschedule, and all expedited-service clocks will pause during the closure.
The three-day shutdown coincides with federal Christmas holidays but still affects thousands of travellers who booked last-minute appointments for emergency business trips or family travel. Passport-expediting companies say appointment inventory for 27 December is already “effectively zero” at major centres such as Boston, Houston and San Francisco.
![State Department to close all U.S. passport agencies 24–26 December]()
Travellers looking for professional assistance during the closure can turn to VisaHQ, an online platform that simplifies U.S. passport and visa applications. By starting a request at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/, individuals and corporate mobility managers gain access to document experts, live status updates, and alternative expediting solutions that help keep critical trips on schedule even when government counters are offline.
Global-mobility teams should advise assignees and dependents to verify passport validity well in advance; travellers departing the U.S. during that window will not be able to obtain same-day issuance if documents are lost or stolen. Companies may need to reroute critical travel through citizens’ embassies abroad or rely on alternate identity documents such as NEXUS or Global Entry cards where accepted.
The closure also suspends in-person pickup of issued passports, potentially delaying corporate relocations that hinge on visa stamping abroad the following week. The State Department recommends enrolling in online status alerts and using overnight courier services once offices reopen Saturday.
The three-day shutdown coincides with federal Christmas holidays but still affects thousands of travellers who booked last-minute appointments for emergency business trips or family travel. Passport-expediting companies say appointment inventory for 27 December is already “effectively zero” at major centres such as Boston, Houston and San Francisco.
Travellers looking for professional assistance during the closure can turn to VisaHQ, an online platform that simplifies U.S. passport and visa applications. By starting a request at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/, individuals and corporate mobility managers gain access to document experts, live status updates, and alternative expediting solutions that help keep critical trips on schedule even when government counters are offline.
Global-mobility teams should advise assignees and dependents to verify passport validity well in advance; travellers departing the U.S. during that window will not be able to obtain same-day issuance if documents are lost or stolen. Companies may need to reroute critical travel through citizens’ embassies abroad or rely on alternate identity documents such as NEXUS or Global Entry cards where accepted.
The closure also suspends in-person pickup of issued passports, potentially delaying corporate relocations that hinge on visa stamping abroad the following week. The State Department recommends enrolling in online status alerts and using overnight courier services once offices reopen Saturday.
