Passport Services

The cost of your U.S. passport will depend on the type of passport you request and how quickly you need it. See Passport Fees section above including a link to travel.state.gov fee calculator for information on the cost of a U.S. passport book or a U.S. passport card and optional fees.

Routine: 8-11 weeks (NOT including mailing time).
Expedited: 5-7 weeks (NOT including mailing time).
Expedited at Agency: Must have international travel within 3 business days

Check current processing times - U.S. Dept of State

This varies depending on the circumstances of the applicant, but for a standard passport application you will need the following:

• Completed Form DS-11 (with BLACK ink only). 
• Proof of U.S. Citizenship
• Current government-issued photo ID AND photocopy of ID.
• Color passport photo (which can be taken at time of appointment for an additional $12 fee payable to Harris County Public Library)
• Passport Fee (check, money order only. Payable to U.S. Department of State)
• Acceptance Fee ($35.00. Checks, money orders, or credit/debit card payable to Harris County Public Library. If paying with cash, please have the exact amount).

Visit How to Get Your Passport in a Hurry

Contact the National Passport Information Center by phone at 1-877-487-2778 or 1-888-874-7793 (TDD/TTY) or email NPIC@state.gov. A Customer Service Representative will confirm the date your passport was mailed to you, the address to which it was mailed and, if necessary, help you to report the non-receipt of your passport.

You have 90 days from the date your passport was issued to report that you have not yet received it in the mail. If you do not report the non-receipt of your passport within 90 days of the issue date, you will be required to reapply and submit the full passport fee.

Some countries require that your passport have two to four blank visa/stamp pages. Some airlines will not allow you to board if this requirement is not met.

If you were age 16 or older when your passport was issued, your passport is valid for 10 years.

If you were under 16 when your passport was issued, your passport is valid for 5 years.

The Issue Date of your passport can be found on the data page of your Passport Book or on the front of your Passport Card.

Some countries require that your passport be valid at least six months beyond the dates of your trip. Some airlines will not allow you to board if this requirement is not met.  Consider the following scenario: A country requires that you have at least six months of validity on your passport. You currently have seven months of validity on your passport.  However, your trip is two months from now. At that point, you will only have five months of validity remaining on your passport which is not enough to satisfy that country's entry requirements. In this situation, you would need to renew your passport before you can make your trip.

Check our Country Information to learn about entry and exit requirements for the country or countries in which you are traveling.  

If your passport has already expired, you may still be able to renew your passport by mail. See How to Renew Your U.S. Passport.

If you are changing your name within one year of the date your passport was issued you will need to complete Form DS-5504: Application for a U.S. Passport: Name Change, Data Correction, and Limited Passport Book Replacement.  You will not be charged a fee for this service.  

If you are changing your name more than a year after your passport was issued you must submit Form DS-82: Application for Passport by Mail.  You must pay all applicable fees to renew your passport. 

For more information, see  How to Change or Correct a Passport.

The acceptance fee applies to first-time applicants, children, and those replacing a lost, stolen, or damaged passport who must appear in person before an agent authorized by the Secretary of State to give oaths to verify passport applications. In order to offer American citizens convenient locations to apply for a passport, the Department of State authorizes Passport Acceptance Agents to accept passport applications on its behalf. The acceptance fee is to reimburse the acceptance facility for the cost of the service provided to the customer and to serve as an incentive for participation in the Passport Application Acceptance Program.

When applying for both the passport book and card on the same application, you pay only one execution fee. The execution fee does not apply to adult passport book or card renewals when submitting Form DS-82.

If your passport has been significantly damaged, especially the book cover or the page displaying your personal data and photo, you will need to apply for a new passport.  Damage that might require you to replace your passport includes water damage, a significant tear, unofficial markings on the data page, missing visa pages (torn out), a hole punch, or other injuries.

Normal "wear and tear" of a U.S. passport is expected and likely does not count as "damage."  For instance, normal wear includes the bend of a passport after being carried in your back pocket or fanning of the visa pages after extensive opening and closing.

If you need to replace your damaged passport, you will need to submit the following in person (See Where to Apply):

• The damaged passport;
• A signed statement explaining the damaged or mutilated condition of your passport book and/or card; 
• Form DS-11; and
• All documents required by Form DS-11, including citizenship documentation (i.e., birth certificate).

No, the Department of State does not currently have the option to pay online for passport services, although this service may be offered in the future. You will not be asked to provide credit card information on this site at this time.

If you have a passport application that is currently in process, you should contact the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 to notify them about the address change. You don't need to contact us if your address has changed after you received your passport.

For the most complete passport information, visit www.travel.state.gov or Passport Help

Yes. For a complete explanation of Parental Consent for a Minor's passport application go to Children Under 16.

You cannot renew your child's passport. If your child is under age 16, he or she must appear in person with you and the child's other parent or guardian to apply. A child's application must be submitted in person at a passport agency or authorized passport application acceptance facility.  It cannot be renewed by mail.  For more information go to Children Under 16. 

Parents may enroll their U.S. citizen children under the age of 18 in the Children’s Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP), one of the Department of State’s most important tools for preventing international parental child abduction.  If a passport application is submitted for a child who is enrolled in CPIAP, the Department attempts to alert the parent or parents to verify whether the parents approve passport issuance.

The passport card is the wallet-size travel document that can only be used to re-enter the United States at land border-crossings and sea ports-of-entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. The card provides a less expensive, smaller, and convenient alternative to the passport book for those who travel frequently to these destinations by land or by sea. The passport card cannot be used for international travel by air.

The passport card was designed for the specific needs of northern and southern U.S. border communities with residents that cross the border frequently by land. The passport book is the only document approved for international travel by air.

You use the same form that you would use to apply for a passport book (DS-11 or DS-82). There is a checkbox on the form for you to indicate that you are applying for a passport card.

If you already have a passport book and you are eligible to use Form DS-82 (renewal by mail), you may apply for a passport card using DS-82 even if this is your first passport card. Otherwise you will need to use form DS-11 to apply for a passport card.

Yes, simply check the appropriate box at the top of the form to indicate that you would like to apply for both products.

If you already have a passport book and are eligible to use Form DS-82, you may apply for your new passport card by mail using Form DS-82. You may renew your passport book at the same time using the same form.

See Processing Times. The processing time for the passport card is the same as for the passport book.  Please note: passport cards are sent to you via First Class Mail. We do not send cards using a 1-2 day delivery service.

Only one photo is required.

Contact the Vital Statistics office in the state where you were born.

• If you were born in Texas, you can order a certified copy of your birth certificate online or by mail.
• If you were born in another state, the CDC maintains a comprehensive links page to all state vital statistics offices.

Request a Certification of Report of Birth or learn more about birth records for U.S. citizens and nationals born abroad.

As of December 2010, the Certification of Report of Birth (DS-1350) is no longer issued. Instead, you may request multiple copies of your Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240). All previously issued DS-1350s are still valid as proof of identity, citizenship and for other legal purposes.

If you were born in the Panama Canal Zone, learn how to request multiple copies of your PCZ Birth Certificate.