How Much Is a Passport? Fees, Renewals, and Expediting

A first-time adult U.S. passport book costs $165: a $130 application fee to the State Department plus a $35 acceptance facility fee paid where you apply in person. Renewing that same book costs $130, because eligible renewers skip the facility fee. Passport cards are cheaper, kids under 16 pay less up front but have to reapply sooner, and optional speed services add $60 to $82 on top. Here is what each option runs, and when you actually have to pay it.

First-Time Adult Fees

If you have never held a U.S. passport, or you are not eligible to renew, you apply in person on Form DS-11 and pay two fees. The application fee goes to the State Department. The $35 execution fee goes to the post office, library, or clerk’s office that takes your paperwork.

Passport book: $130 + $35 = $165
Passport card: $30 + $35 = $65
Both book and card: $160 + $35 = $195

The book is good for all international travel. The card is a cheaper wallet-sized document that only works for land and sea entry from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean; you cannot board an international flight with it.¹ Both documents are valid for 10 years when issued to someone 16 or older.²

Fees for Children Under 16

Every applicant under 16 applies in person on DS-11, so the $35 facility fee is unavoidable. The application fee itself is lower than the adult version.

Passport book: $100 + $35 = $135
Passport card: $15 + $35 = $50
Both book and card: $115 + $35 = $150

Minor passports are valid for five years, not ten.² Because kids cannot renew by mail, families pay the $35 execution fee every time.¹

Renewal Fees

Renewers pay the application fee only. No facility fee, no in-person visit.

Passport book: $130
Passport card: $30
Both: $160

You can renew by mail on Form DS-82 or online, and the price is the same either way. Mail renewals require a check or money order; online renewals take credit and debit cards.³

Online renewal has narrower eligibility than mail renewal. Your current passport must have been issued for 10 years, expiring within a year or expired less than five years ago; you must be 25 or older; your name and personal information cannot be changing; you must be inside the U.S. when you submit; and you cannot be traveling for at least six weeks, since only routine processing is offered online.³ If you do not qualify to renew at all, for instance because your only passport was issued when you were a minor, you go back to the $165 first-time process on DS-11.

Add-Ons for Speed

Standard processing takes four to six weeks, and that clock does not include the mail. State says it can take up to two weeks for your application to reach them and another two weeks for the finished book to reach you, so door-to-door can hit 10 weeks in a busy season.⁴ Two optional charges shorten the wait:

Expedited processing, $60. Cuts processing to two to three weeks, still not counting mail time. Charged once per application whether you order a book, a card, or both.¹
1-3 day delivery, $22.05. Speeds the return leg only, and only for passport books mailed to U.S. addresses. Cards ship First Class Mail with no express option.⁵

An adult first-time book with both speed add-ons runs $165 + $60 + $22.05 = $247.05. That is close to the ceiling most applicants will see.

Urgent Travel Within 14 Days

If your international trip is inside 14 calendar days, you can book an appointment at a passport agency or center for same-day or next-day service. The $60 expedited fee still applies; there is no separate emergency surcharge.¹ Life-or-death emergencies abroad, such as a family member’s serious illness or death, go through the same appointment system.

Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Passports

A lost, stolen, or damaged passport cannot be renewed. You start over in person on DS-11 and pay the full first-time fees: $165 for an adult book, or $247.05 with expedited processing and fast delivery.¹ Water damage, torn pages, or a damaged cover that affects readability all count as damaged.

Name Changes and Printing Errors

If the State Department made a printing error on your passport, the correction is free on Form DS-5504.¹ Name updates after marriage, divorce, or a court order are different. Depending on when your current passport was issued and what documents you have, you may use the free DS-5504, a $130 DS-82 renewal, or a $165 DS-11 application. The fee calculator at travel.state.gov points you to the right form.

Photos and Smaller Costs

State requires a 2×2-inch photo meeting specific rules for head size, background, and lighting.⁶ Retail photo counters at pharmacies, shipping stores, and some post offices typically charge $15 to $17. Some acceptance facilities take the photo during your appointment. Online renewals need a digital photo instead of a print. Taking your own at home and printing on matte or glossy paper costs almost nothing if you can meet the specs.

Who Pays Nothing

Federal employees and their immediate families traveling on official business are exempt from passport fees, along with U.S. merchant seamen who need a passport for duty aboard an American-flagged vessel and family members of deceased service members traveling abroad to visit military graves.⁷

Refunds and Payment

Passport fees are largely non-refundable. If your application is denied or you withdraw it, the application fee is gone, and the $35 execution fee is non-refundable regardless of outcome. The one exception: if you paid the $60 expedited fee and State did not actually expedite, that $60 is refundable.⁸

For in-person applications, the application fee must be paid by check or money order made out to “U.S. Department of State,” with each applicant on a separate instrument.¹ The $35 facility fee is paid separately to the acceptance facility, and payment methods vary by location, so call ahead. Online renewals take credit and debit cards.³ Fees change from time to time; confirm the current amounts at travel.state.gov before you send anything in.

1
U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
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U.S. Department of State. Frequently Asked Questions About Passport Services
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U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport Online
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U.S. Department of State. Processing Times for U.S. Passports
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U.S. Department of State. How to Get My U.S. Passport Fast
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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos
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eCFR. 22 CFR 22.1 – Schedule of Fees
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eCFR. 22 CFR Part 51, Subpart D – Fees