National Hand-Carry Procedures for Passport Applications and Completed Passports

The Department of State quietly removed the ONLY published set of rules and regulations regarding the Hand-Carry Passport Courier Program in 2023. Here is an archived copy of this document which has existed on the Department of State website for years. It’s not surprising as this program lacks ANY oversight regarding who owns these slots.

In 2020, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of State submitted a request for comment regarding the Hand Carry Passport Program – the public comments of which can be viewed here. It was expected at that time, long overdue changes were coming to program that in essence regulates the couriers, the passport courier slots, and by proxy all the Passport Expediting companies that sell passport expediting services.

The missing document on their website, the lack of any new regulation in several years all leads to a slew of questions about the program. Why has the Department of State removed the only regulations on the program from the public view? Why were no updates issued to the program after the proposed changes? Which US Senators have communicated with Passport Agency officials regarding this program? Have any US Senators disclosed connections, donations (in-kind or direct), or relationships with any Passport Expediting companies?