If you’re a business traveller with an expired passport and an upcoming trip, rest assured: private expeditors, state department employees and even members of Congress will scramble to make sure you can receive your passport in time.

The average processing time for a new or renewal passport in the US doubled after tighter regulations requiring passports for travel in North America took effect in January, with some applicants having to wait for as much as five months in extreme cases. But both the private and public sectors have stepped in to help the desperate.