FAQ

It depends on which route you take. The U.S. Department of State currently quotes 4 to 6 weeks for routine service and 2 to 3 weeks for expedited service, and neither figure includes the roughly 2 weeks of mailing time in each direction.

The Passport Office is a private expediting courier. We prepare your application and hand carry it to a passport agency, which returns a passport in as fast as 3 business days depending on the service level you choose and the office you use. You can see the available service levels when you start an application, or check the government's current processing times to compare.

There are two separate costs. The government fee is $190 for an adult passport and $160 for a child under the age of 16, paid by check or money order made out to the U.S. Department of State.

The Passport Office charges a separate service fee that depends on how quickly you need the passport back. Pricing for each service level is shown when you start an application, or you can call us for a quote.

Make it payable to the U.S. Department of State. The amount is $190 for an adult passport and $160 for a child under the age of 16.

Do not send cash, and do not combine the government fee with our service fee. They are paid to two different parties.

Not the full amount. The government fee has to be paid by check or money order made out to the U.S. Department of State. Our service fee and shipping can be paid with most common payment methods.

Yes. A travel itinerary is required to use any expediting service. The Department of State requires proof of international travel within 14 calendar days before it will release a passport through an agency appointment, so plan to provide a flight confirmation, cruise booking, or tour reservation.

If your trip is for work and you do not have an itinerary yet, the Department of State may accept a letter from your employer stating that you are traveling on business.

For most applications you will need proof of U.S. citizenship (an original or certified birth certificate, naturalization certificate, certificate of citizenship, or an undamaged prior passport), a valid photo ID such as a driver's license or state ID, a photocopy of the front and back of that ID, one recent passport photo, and documentation of your travel dates.

Requirements vary by service, so review the checklist for the service you need before you start your application.

Not entirely. You can complete your forms and start your order with us online, but your physical documents still have to reach us. Proof of citizenship, your photo, and, for a renewal, your current passport book all have to be mailed in or dropped off at one of our offices, because the Department of State requires the original documents in hand.

The government does offer a limited online renewal for some applicants, but it runs at routine speed only and is not available to anyone traveling soon, so it is not an option if you need your passport quickly.

You can order a certified copy from VitalChek or directly from the vital records office in the state where you were born.

The Department of State requires an original or certified copy with a raised seal or registrar signature. Hospital souvenir certificates and plain photocopies are not accepted.

It depends on what else you have. If you have ever been issued a U.S. passport, that passport can often serve as your proof of citizenship instead.

If you have never had one, you will need to replace the certificate first by filing Form N-565 with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Replacement can take several months, so start that process as early as you can.

Not at the same time. Only one application can be active for the same passport, so an application already submitted to the Department of State or an acceptance facility has to be withdrawn or completed before we can submit a new one for you.

Call us before you do anything. Depending on how far along the existing application is, waiting it out is sometimes faster than starting over.

Contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. They handle passport services for U.S. citizens abroad and can issue an emergency limited validity passport so you can return to the United States.

We are a domestic service and cannot submit an application on your behalf while you are outside the country.

No. We only handle U.S. passports. For a passport from another country, apply through that country's embassy or consulate in the United States.

You can renew if all of the following are true: you were 16 or older when your most recent passport was issued, it was issued within the last 15 years, you still have it, it is undamaged, and it was issued in your current name or you can document your name change.

If any one of those is not true, you apply as a new passport instead. Start a renewal or start a new passport application.

Yes, in most cases. An expired passport can still be renewed as long as it was issued within the last 15 years and you were at least 16 when it was issued. There is no penalty for letting it lapse.

If it has been more than 15 years since it was issued, you apply as a new passport. Either way, you cannot travel internationally on an expired passport.

A lost or stolen passport cannot be renewed. It has to be reported and replaced with a new passport application, which includes Form DS-64 reporting the loss.

Report it as soon as you realize it is gone. A reported passport is cancelled permanently and cannot be used again even if it turns up later. Start a lost or stolen passport replacement.

Probably not. Water damage, tears, a detached cover, unofficial markings, and a damaged photo page all make a passport invalid, and border officials can refuse it. Normal wear such as slight fraying at the edges is usually fine.

A damaged passport cannot be renewed by mail. It has to be replaced with a new application, with the damaged book submitted alongside it. Start a damaged passport replacement.

It depends on how recently your passport was issued. If it was issued less than a year ago, you can correct the name at no fee using Form DS-5504 along with your marriage certificate or court order. If it was issued more than a year ago, the name change is handled as part of a renewal and the normal fees apply.

Either way you will need the original or a certified copy of the legal document that changed your name. Start a name change.

Not while it is being processed. Your current passport is submitted with the renewal application and stays with the Department of State until the new one is issued.

You get the old book back, cancelled, usually in the same delivery as the new passport or shortly after. Plan around this, because you cannot travel internationally while your passport is with the agency.

For a child under 16, yes. Both parents or legal guardians normally have to appear in person.

If one parent cannot be there, that parent can sign Form DS-3053 giving consent. It must be notarized and submitted with a photocopy of the front and back of their ID. A DS-3053 is only valid for 90 days from the date it is signed, so do not have it notarized too far in advance. Start a child passport application.

If you share legal custody and the other parent will not consent, the passport generally will not be issued. This rule exists to protect children from international parental abduction, and the Department of State applies it strictly.

The one common exception is sole legal custody. If a court has granted you sole legal custody, not joint custody and not physical custody alone, you can apply on your own by submitting a certified copy of that court order. Call us before you apply so we can tell you whether your paperwork will qualify.

Yes. A child who has never been issued a Social Security number can still get a passport at any age.

You enter 000-00-0000 on the application and submit a signed statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the child has never been issued a Social Security number. You will also need a letter from the Social Security Administration confirming that an application for a number has been submitted. This applies only when a number was never issued. If your child already has one, it has to be provided.

A passport issued to a child under 16 is valid for 5 years, not 10, and it cannot be renewed.

Because the child was under 16 when it was issued, every replacement is a new application requiring parental consent, until the child turns 16. From 16 on, passports are issued for 10 years and can be renewed normally.

We take passport photos at our offices and include them free with our service.

If you are not near one of our locations, most CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and UPS Store locations take passport photos, and many AAA branches do as well. Call the store first, since not every branch offers it. Do not crop a phone photo yourself. A rejected photo is one of the most common reasons an application gets delayed.

Your photo must have been taken within the last 6 months and must reflect your current appearance. You cannot reuse the photo from your previous passport.

If your appearance has changed significantly, for example a major weight change, new facial piercings, or a gender transition, you need a new photo even if the old one is less than 6 months old.

A passport card is a wallet sized card that proves your U.S. citizenship and identity. It is valid for entering the United States by land or by sea from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. It is never valid for international air travel, so it cannot replace a passport book if you are flying.

Most people do not need one. It is worth having if you cross the Canadian or Mexican border by car regularly or take closed loop cruises, and it doubles as a federally accepted photo ID at home.

Usually, yes. Many countries require your passport to remain valid for at least 6 months beyond your arrival date, and some require 3 months. Airlines enforce this at check in, so you can be denied boarding before you ever reach the destination.

Look up your destination on the Department of State's country information pages, where each country lists its entry, exit, and visa requirements, and renew early if you are close to the line.

It depends on your case. Unpaid child support can block a passport, but it is handled case by case by the agency enforcing your support order, and there is no simple cutoff that guarantees approval. We have seen applications denied at amounts the applicant assumed were safe.

Contact the child support agency handling your case and confirm you have been cleared before you apply. Government fees are not refundable if the application is denied.

In most cases, yes. A felony conviction by itself does not bar you from getting a passport.

Passports are denied for specific reasons, including convictions for international drug trafficking, seriously delinquent federal tax debt, an active federal warrant or subpoena, and court orders or parole and probation terms that restrict travel. Outcomes vary case by case, and we have seen approvals people did not expect. If you are on probation or parole, check with your officer first. Travel restrictions are the most common obstacle.

If you applied through us, track your order at thepassportoffice.com/track.php.

If you applied directly to the government, check passportstatus.state.gov using your last name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Status typically does not appear there until about 2 weeks after you apply.

Supporting documents such as birth certificates and naturalization certificates are returned separately from your passport, usually 1 to 2 weeks after the passport itself arrives. They are sent in their own envelope, so do not assume they are lost just because they were not in the same package.

If several weeks have passed and nothing has arrived, contact the National Passport Information Center at 877-487-2778.

That is normal. When you order both, the book and the card are produced and shipped separately, and the card typically takes an additional 2 to 3 business days to issue and ship. They almost never arrive together.

If the card still has not arrived a couple of weeks after the book, call the National Passport Information Center at 877-487-2778.

Place of issue is the authority that issued your passport, not the city you live in or the office where you applied. On a U.S. passport it is printed on the data page and reads as the issuing office, for example United States Department of State or the name of a specific passport agency.

Visa applications and travel forms that ask for place of issue want exactly what is printed on that line.

If the passport was issued within the last year, the correction is free. You submit Form DS-5504 with your current passport, a new photo, and documentation showing the correct information. It is mailed in rather than handled at the office where you applied, and the corrected passport keeps its full validity period, 10 years for adults and 5 years for children under 16.

If it has been more than a year, the correction has to be made as part of a regular renewal and the normal fees apply. Check your passport carefully as soon as it arrives, because that one year window starts on the issue date.

No. Once a passport is reported lost or stolen it is permanently cancelled in the Department of State system, even if you find it the next day. It cannot be reinstated.

Traveling on it will get you stopped at the border. Destroy it or turn it in, and apply for a replacement. If you are not sure whether your report went through, call the National Passport Information Center at 877-487-2778.

We have eleven offices: Washington DC, Miami, Doral, Hollywood, Orlando, Kissimmee, Airport Tampa, Downtown Tampa, Clearwater, Atlanta, and Seattle.

Hours and walk in availability vary by office and a few are appointment only, so check the page for your location first. You do not have to live near an office to use our service. Most of our clients apply from elsewhere in the country and send their documents in.

No, and no expediting service can honestly promise one. We act as your courier and agent. We prepare and hand carry your application, but the Department of State issues the passport, and we have no control over their decision, over changes to their requirements, or over delays caused by FedEx, UPS, or any other carrier.

What we do control is our side of the process, and we handle that on the timeline you paid for. Two things put a deadline at risk: supporting documents that do not reach us in time (typically 3 business days, sooner for faster service levels), and issues you have not told us about, such as unpaid child support, an active warrant, or a court ordered travel restriction. Tell us up front and we will tell you honestly whether your date is realistic. Our full terms are on the Terms of Use page.