How Much Does an Urgent Passport Cost? Fees by Service Tier

An urgent passport cost runs roughly $190 to $250 for an adult, depending on whether you’re renewing or applying for the first time and whether you pay for fast return shipping. The base is the same $130 application fee a routine passport book carries; the speed comes from a $60 expedited processing fee and, optionally, $22.05 for 1-3 day delivery. First-time applicants add a $35 acceptance facility fee on top.¹

The Fees That Make Up an Urgent Passport

Every urgent passport is built from the same handful of charges. For adults age 16 and older:

Passport book application fee: $130
Passport card application fee: $30
Both book and card: $160
Expedited processing: $60
1-3 day return delivery of a book: $22.05 (not available for card-only applications)
Acceptance facility fee: $35, charged only when you must apply in person using Form DS-11

The application fee and the $35 acceptance facility fee are non-refundable by law, even if your passport is never issued.¹ A rejected photo or a missing document doesn’t get your money back, so check everything before you submit.

What a Renewal Costs vs. a First-Time Application

If you’re eligible to renew by mail on Form DS-82, you skip the $35 acceptance facility fee. An expedited renewal with fast return shipping comes to $212.05: $130 application fee, $60 expedite fee, and $22.05 for 1-3 day delivery.¹

First-time applicants, and anyone else required to apply in person on Form DS-11, pay the extra $35. That brings the expedited total with fast shipping to $247.05. The $35 goes to the acceptance facility where you submit the application, not to the State Department.¹

One boundary worth flagging: the State Department’s online renewal system exists, but it uses routine processing only. If you need speed, online renewal won’t help you.²

Child Passport Costs

Children under 16 pay a lower application fee, but the speed charges are identical. A child’s passport book is $100; a passport card is $15. All children must apply in person on Form DS-11, so the $35 acceptance facility fee always applies.¹ An expedited child passport book with fast return shipping totals $217.05.

Costs by Service Tier

Expedited Processing by Mail

The simplest urgent option. You add the $60 expedite fee to your application fee, and the State Department processes the passport in two to three weeks instead of the standard four to six.³ Adding $22.05 for 1-3 day return delivery trims a few more days.

In-Person Urgent Travel Service

If your international trip is less than two to three weeks out, expedited mail probably won’t get there in time. The next tier is an in-person appointment at a passport agency or center, available to applicants with international travel within 14 calendar days or who need a foreign visa within 28 calendar days.⁴

Government fees are the same as expedited mail: application fee plus the $60 expedite fee. If you pick the passport up at the agency, you can skip the $22.05 delivery charge. A renewal-eligible adult pays $190; a first-time applicant pays $225.

Life-or-Death Emergency Service

The fastest tier is reserved for genuine emergencies: an immediate family member abroad has died, is in hospice care, or has a life-threatening illness or injury. “Immediate family” means a parent, child, spouse, sibling, or grandparent. Aunts, uncles, and cousins don’t qualify, and traveling for your own medical treatment doesn’t either.⁵

The government fees don’t change. What changes is the speed: the agency can issue a passport the same day in some cases. You’ll need documentation of the emergency, such as a death certificate, a mortuary statement, or a medical statement describing the family member’s condition.

Extra Costs to Plan For

A Lost or Stolen Passport

Losing a passport right before a trip is expensive because you can’t use the cheaper renewal path. You must apply in person on Form DS-11, which means the full $130 application fee plus the $35 acceptance facility fee.⁶ An expedited replacement book runs $225 before any delivery fee.

Passport Courier Companies

Private couriers will handle an urgent application for a service fee on top of every government charge above. The State Department registers these companies but does not endorse or oversee them, and fees vary widely.⁷

Two things worth knowing before you pay one. The State Department is not responsible if a courier loses or damages your documents, and you’re handing a private business your birth certificate and other sensitive records. The State Department also does not charge any fee to book an appointment at a passport agency; if a website asks you to pay for one, it isn’t a government service.⁷

Passport Photos

Passport photos at retail pharmacies and shipping stores typically run $10 to $17.⁸ Smartphone apps are cheaper, but a rejected photo can cost you days you don’t have.

When You Can Get the $60 Back

If the State Department takes longer than 15 business days to process an expedited application, you can request a refund of the $60 expedite fee. Business days run Monday through Friday, federal holidays excluded, and the clock starts the day a passport agency receives your application or the day you request an upgrade from routine to expedited service, not the day you mailed it.⁹

Only the $60 comes back. The application fee and the $35 acceptance facility fee are non-refundable by law, and the State Department won’t reimburse travel expenses if you miss your trip.¹

1
U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
2
U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail
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U.S. Department of State. Processing Times for U.S. Passports
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U.S. Department of State. Make an Appointment at a Passport Agency or Center
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U.S. Department of State. Get a Passport if you Have a Life-or-Death Emergency
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U.S. Department of State. Report Your Passport Lost or Stolen
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U.S. Department of State. Using a Passport Courier Company
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U.S. Department of State. Photo Requirements
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Travel.State.Gov. Refund of Expedite Passport Fee