Best way to get your passport quickly (at least in Los Angeles). Come on, I can't be the only one who has looked at their passport and realized it expires in a month.

Basic Information

You're going to want to head to a Passport AGENCY, not a Passport Acceptance Facility. Those are generally post offices and there's a delay with mailing and all.

Requirements to Apply

Basically, you need to have proof you're traveling soon - 2 weeks or 4 weeks if you need a visa. Plus the usual forms, etc, which you can print at the website and fill out so you are ready to go. They didn't even want to see my e-ticket with proof of travel in 3 weeks, so, who knows.

In Los Angeles, the Passport Agency opens at 7am. Be there at 6:45 ;) Be prepared for airport style security, no metal belts, etc, unless you enjoy stripping in front of a hundred of your closest strangers.

Federal Building
11000 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 1000
Los Angeles, CA 90024-3615

Hours: 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., local time, M-F, excluding Federal holidays
Automated Appointment Number: 1-877-487-2778

It moves surprisingly quickly there - it looks crowded but they usually have multiple windows open. If your paperwork is all in order, you're out in barely any time. You can choose to have your passport (passport cards are issued on the spot) mailed or you can pick it up. I chose to pick mine up (it was a renewal) and it was ready in two days. Head to Will-Call and show ID or receipt and boom, an envelope with your shiny new passport. Check the details before you leave, and sign it. Not that anyone ever checks the signature, but still.

As an offering to the passport office, I suggest bringing all the half used up pens you have to leave on the communal form filling out desk. In my informal study, 75% of people in the line had forgotten to bring a pen. 25% forget their brains.