I worked with Paul at swift passport & Visa services and he was prompt, courteous, and helped me…read moreget my visa the day before I left. Thanks again Paul for all the help that you gave me.

If I could give them zero stars I would. Swift Passport services used to be great. I've used them…read morefor the last six passports for my family. They are either under new ownership or they changed their system completely. There is absolutely no need to use Swift. When you call, they direct you to the US government website to find the passport application yourself. Then they have you make your own appointment with the passport agent, usually at the post office. Then, there is no one answering the phone ever. They call you back after you leave a voicemail so if you don't have time to wait for them to call you back, don't bother. You can expedite your own passport with the post office in two-three weeks or go to another passport expediting service. Swift used to be the best in town. They had an in-office staff, they even took the pictures right in their office. That appears to be gone. For $349 I expect more than an email basically telling me to do it myself.

Nothing will spike your blood pressure quite like realizing your passport is expired... a few days…read morebefore an international trip. That was the situation I recently found myself in. While gathering my travel documents, I discovered my passport had expired a few months earlier. Cue the rising panic! Thankfully, living in Indianapolis meant I wasn't completely without options. After a little persistence (and a few rounds battling the automated phone system), I was able to secure an emergency appointment at the Chicago Passport Agency for the next morning. From the very first phone call with the gentleman who scheduled my appointment to the follow-up email and text reminders making sure I had the right documentation ready, the process was surprisingly organized. Once I arrived, the experience continued to impress. The check-in line moved quickly, the security staff were friendly and professional, and the agent who helped me at the window was efficient, kind, and clearly knew exactly what they were doing. Government jobs can often be pretty thankless--especially when you're dealing with stressed travelers who are only there because they waited too long (guilty as charged). So the fact that every person I encountered was patient, helpful, and completely on their A-game was genuinely impressive. I certainly don't plan on needing their services again anytime soon, but if you ever find yourself in a passport panic, just show up with the documents they tell you to bring and they'll take care of the rest. Moral of the story: check your passport expiration date before booking an international trip. But if you forget like I did, the team at the Chicago Passport Agency can definitely save your trip and might just make your day!

Security and passport agents - not sure their official job title. All were helpful, earnest, and…read moreefficient. In at 9:15a and pickup by 2p. In an emergency this is the place. Don't take a chance on passport brokers when our government works this well. The building was clean and everything ran smoothly.

I had to leave the country for an Emergency, but my US passport was expired, and I did not have the…read moreappropriate paperwork to enter the countries of travel. AK and staff were courteous and knowledgeable about the approach and accurately completed the necessary paperwork. The end result was - Getting my US Passport on time and traveling stress-free! Thank you, Chicago Passport & Visa, for all your help!

said they'd have my passport in 2-4 weeks and got it in 10 days. That's a flex. the chubby Mexican…read morefella needs to get out more. Iykyk

I had recently applied for a Tourism (L) Visa at the Chinese Consulate in Chicago (FYI- they do not…read moreaccept appointments for applying for a visa). I'm visiting from out of state so it did mean I was taking a mini vacation ...twice, unless I decided to stay for 5 weekdays as it takes 4 business days to process and then you can pick up on the 4th day. I applied on a Friday and it was ready by the following Wednesday according to the pickup receipt. The day of pickup, I got there by 9:05 and I was like 3rd in line to wait for the office to open but once it's almost 9:30 you won't see the line in the lobby because the people will be making their way upstairs to go through security. You stay in the same order as when you line up downstairs after you sign in with security. Once upstairs, the line splits off depending on what you are doing. There's a separate line for pickup and a separate line for applying for the visa- so just because you see 10 people ahead of you, maybe 3 of them is for pickup. So, before you go to the embassy, you need to apply via the online form and you need to include a headshot of yourself on a white background, not off-white because the application will not let you move forward. I typed just my personal info in CAPS but did everything else in normal writing with some capitalizations. Though it says that filling in your "position" at your job and "job duties" as optional--You actually need to fill it because they will make you fill it on the spot if you don't. The "where you stay form" is not optional, though it says that...I had to fill it at the embassy so just print and have it ready to give to the officer. I had all my photocopies in color but I'm not sure if that matters but to be safe, I wanted the copies to look exactly as they are. I put that I wanted multiple entries for 9 years and something, and I got multi for 10 years and I am a US citizen who had a 6 months Chinese visa 15 years ago when I was studying abroad in HK. If you have all your documents, it should be very fast at the window. The day I applied I got to the building around 10:30AM, silly me brought a coffee up thinking I can drink it while I wait inside...SIKE. You can't bring any drinks or food inside the office. So, I was outside chugging my coffee! This meant, like 7-8 people passed me while I was drinking my coffee in a span of like 7 mins and I finally went through security at around 10:35AM? I was #19 but they were on #5. I was called around 11:30AM and it took less than 10mins for the officer to review my docs and approve it. They give you a pink receipt to bring back to pickup your visa! You can pay with credit card on day of pickup and it's $140--NO CASH ACCEPTED Here's what I brought with me: - my actual valid passport with at least 6 months - printed copy of my passport -my actual copy of old passport (this is required because I had a visa before) -printed copy of my OLD passport (this is required because I had a visa before) -printed copy of OLD CHINESE VISA (this is required because I had a visa before) - copy of your state ID - printed copy of your completed Visa application with the QR Code -copy of marriage certificate (because of name change) -Where you Stay Form They had 2 officers that were just for the visa application line.

The address is 1 E. Erie. Everything was very fast and efficient. They no longer have computers…read moreto use and making copies is .25. It would have taken us a few minutes because they are so fast and efficient but we needed to take pictures which took longer that the actual processing our documents. It is a great deal for the pictures and they looked better than the ones at Walgreens.

Shawn is terrific and world-class. I have worked with him on two separate occasions and he…read moredelivered above and beyond. Whether that be providing thoughtful guidance around the application process to taking the time to review my documents with a fine comb, his team supports you through each step of the way and is readily available. The really daunting task of applying for China Visa (and all the many documents) gets 100% simpler working with this team. Give Shawn & China Visa Solutions team a shout if you're looking for a positive, and smooth experience! cheers -

At the moment, going through the process of trying to obtain a Chinese tourist visa. However,…read morealthough there seems to be good reviews regarding Shawn, my experience with him thus far as been very difficult. So far, when I correspond with him by email, he comes across as arrogant, abrupt and rude. He has had my visa application since late December 2025 and up until the week of February 22 through 28, 2026, I did not hear from him regarding next steps in obtaining the Chinese tourist visa. When I finally heard from Shawn, he still did not provide clear procedures to complete the Chinese tourist visa. I've come to learn that an individual can easily procure a Chinese tourist visa directly with the Chinese consulate. However, at this point, since my application has been submitted with Shawn, not sure if I can still take this route since the trip to China will be in April 2026.

Urgent Passport saved my first overseas trip since the pandemic. After booking expensive tickets, I…read morediscovered to my horror that my passport was expired (I've had an up-to-date passport since I was 1 year old, but didn't notice that mine had expired due to "covid time warp") -- and I was outside the window in which I could plausibly get a new one directly from the State Department. As I researched options, I saw a lot of passport expediting services -- and as I did do diligence, many appeared to be scams or unable to fulfill their promises. But Urgent Passport stood out, with great Yelp reviews and an excellent track record at the Better Business Bureau. Talking on the phone with Michelle made me feel even more confident -- so despite the cost, I went for it. It all worked out perfectly -- my new passport just arrived, exactly as promised by Michelle and Ben, with plenty of time to spare before my trip. Michelle and Ben were both super-helpful (and very pleasant, too) throughout the process, taking time to answer my (many) questions in multiple phone calls, and very carefully walking me through the process to make sure every "i" was dotted and every "t" crossed. Thank you Michelle and Ben!

They helped me navigate through the whole process and got my new passport to me within a week!…read moreWould highly recommend

The service and environment were amazing and professional I was please with the help I rwceivedread more

Ugh. I called the "Chicago" office to try and get help with a visa and clearly the call was handled…read moreby someone overseas. There was a rooster repeatedly crowing in the background which made the speaker difficult to understand and no ability to talk with someone who actually works for them or can give me actual advice. He literally just read back information on the website to me. What a waste of time! I waited on hold for 20 minutes and still didn't get my questions answered or any help.

I wish I wouldn't have used these guys we did not get our passports before the trip. We took them…read moreour itinerary so they would know we needed them back by July 13. We have been waiting for 4 weeks and we still haven't received them. THERES NO WAY THEY CAN GET OUR PASSPORT BACK THE SAME DAY THATS NOT TRUE. I called the office and talked to AK on so many occasions and he was no help but he did tell me that 6 weeks was the fastest service they had when you expedite it you will get it in 1 to 2 days after it has been processed and approved by the government which takes 6 weeks. So we missed our trip. It says same day passports you will not get it in the same day next week are the week after. You can apply for a passport at the post office and save $139. Do not use same day pass port visa 203 North LaSalle on the corner of Lake and LaSalle in Chicago Il

If I could give 0 stars I would this guy took my passport form and typed it into his computer with…read moremissing or incorrect information and then charges me $139.00 for 2 minutes of his time and told me I had to go back home to get my divorce decree and come all the way back the next day. I bright that paper he photo copied it. And I took all of that to the post office. WHERE I STARTED!!! My original form was correct DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE IT IS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY AND I WAS CONNED OUT OF MY MONEY!!

I received my passport within a week of applying through this service. John is a true professional…read more Would highly recommend to anyone who needs a passport!

John is amazing and the real deal. He has gotten both my passport done, and my daughters extremely…read morequickly. Both less than two weeks.... Even in the middle of the pandemic for mine and with an issue on my daughters. When I was trying to get my passport renewed, it was the middle of the pandemic, and John gave me advice to wait, hoping that they would real open expedites in the later part of the summer and then I could get it in a short period of time versus the 4-6 month period that was being cited at that time. John is extremely lovely to work with, reasonably priced, and make some thing that's normally a huge headache extremely easy to do. He's worth every penny. I recommend them to every single person that I know, and we're not hesitate to use him again.

These office is incredible!…read more I went to this office because of the "priority" service (3-days). During the appointment, Michael, knowing I had a speaking engagement in a week, upsold me on "super priority " service. I was supposed to know by the end of business the next day! Well.... I didn't get word till the following Monday! AFTER my speaking engagement. And, he took my passport and never returned it! So, $1399 for "super priority service", I didn't not get. $65 for a Federal Express envelope they never used. It's been over 2 months now. Plus, two days of lost pay, and travel expenses to and from Cleveland. Oh yeah! And, Michael does not return emails and, the phone number goes to voice mail that no one answers, to date I've gotten no reply. By the way. I never got the Visa. Sooooooo, yeah, good luck with these guys! I have just reapplied for replacement passport and reported my original stolen, by them... I'll let the State Department deal with it. I hope this review saves you a ton of time, money, and challenges. I hope the New York office takes better care of you than Chicago did me. Have an amazing day!

Their website is impossibly bad. Buttons don't work, appointments claim to have been made when…read morethat's not the case, payments are taken with nothing provided in exchange, it continually tells you to come back in either two or five hours, and on and on. I am shocked that any country uses their services. They obviously fell for a sales pitch and never actually tried using this completely incompetent "service".