The cost of a U.S. passport card is $65 for a first-time adult applicant, $50 for a child under 16, and $30 for an adult renewal. Add $60 if you want expedited processing. Those totals cover the two fees the State Department charges: an application fee that goes to the department, and, for first-time applicants, a $35 execution fee paid at the acceptance facility.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
What Each Fee Covers
The application fee is what the State Department charges to produce the card. The execution fee is what the acceptance facility charges to verify your identity and citizenship documents in person. Renewals skip the execution fee because you’re not proving your identity from scratch.
- Adult (16+), first time: $30 application fee + $35 execution fee = $65
- Adult (16+), renewal by mail or online: $30 application fee, no execution fee
- Child under 16: $15 application fee + $35 execution fee = $50
- Expedited processing: $60, added to whichever fees above apply
Both fees are non-refundable, even if the State Department ends up not issuing your card.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
How You Pay
The $30 application fee (and the $60 expedited fee, if you’re using it) has to be paid by check or money order made out to “U.S. Department of State.” Write the applicant’s name and date of birth in the memo line.
The $35 execution fee is paid separately at the acceptance facility. Each location sets its own accepted payment methods, so call ahead and ask what they take.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
Delivery Cost
There isn’t one, and there isn’t an option to pay for faster shipping either. The $22.05 priority delivery upgrade the State Department offers on passport books does not apply to cards. Every passport card ships through USPS First Class Mail.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
Build the mailing time into your planning. Routine processing runs 4 to 6 weeks, and expedited runs 2 to 3 weeks, but those windows only cover the department’s review. The trip to the processing center and the return trip can each add a week or so.2U.S. Department of State. Processing Times for U.S. Passports
What the Fee Buys You
The card is valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for children under 16, the same validity as a passport book. It proves U.S. citizenship and identity, and it works for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and certain Caribbean countries. It is not accepted for international air travel, so if you’re flying abroad you need the book.3U.S. Department of State. Get a Passport Card
The card is REAL ID compliant, so it works as federal ID for domestic flights and entry to certain federal buildings under the enforcement that began on May 7, 2025.4Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID5U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passports and REAL ID
Renewal Costs
Adults renewing a passport card pay only the $30 application fee, whether they renew by mail on Form DS-82 or through the State Department’s online renewal system. There’s no execution fee because you’re not appearing in person.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
Mail-in renewal is available if your most recent card was issued when you were 16 or older, was issued within the last 15 years, is undamaged, has never been reported lost or stolen, and was issued in your current name (or you can document the name change).6U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail
Online renewal has tighter rules: you must be 25 or older, not changing your name or other personal information, in a U.S. state or territory, and not traveling internationally for at least six weeks from submission. Your current card must be expiring within one year or have expired less than five years ago, undamaged, and in your possession. Online renewal only works if you’re renewing the same document you already have; if you want to add a passport book, you’ll need to renew by mail.7U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport Online
When You Pay Full Price Again: Lost or Stolen Cards
A replacement isn’t a renewal. Once you report a card lost or stolen using Form DS-64, the State Department permanently invalidates it, and you can’t use it to qualify for the $30 mail-in renewal even if you later find it. You apply as a first-time applicant on Form DS-11 and pay the full $65 for adults or $50 for a child.8USAGov. Lost or Stolen Passports6U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail