I have sort of the same question. My passport got damaged in Asia last week. I went to the US Embassy and got a replacement the same day. The problem is the replacement is only valid for 4 months. I flew back to Hawaii for family Christmas and need to get back to work in Asia next week....HOWEVER several of the countries I work in require at least a 6 month before the passport expires to enter . So my question is if I go to the Honolulu passport office will I be able to get a regular passport the same day thats will be valid longer than 6 months ? Thanks for any help.