How to Check Passport Renewal Status Online or by Phone

To check the status of a passport renewal, go to passportstatus.state.gov and enter your last name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number.¹ You can also call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778.² Routine processing currently takes four to six weeks, and expedited two to three weeks, though those timelines shift with seasonal demand.³

When to Start Checking

It can take up to two weeks after you apply before any status appears in the system.⁴ During that window your application is in transit or being entered into the State Department’s processing system. A blank screen in those first two weeks is normal and does not mean anything went wrong. If nothing shows up after three weeks, that is when it makes sense to call.

If you provided an email address on your passport form, you’ll automatically receive status update emails without doing anything extra.⁴ You can change the address or unsubscribe through a link in those emails. Notifications and manual checks work in parallel; turning one on doesn’t switch the other off.

How to Check Online

At passportstatus.state.gov you’ll first review a Privacy Act notice, then enter three pieces of information: your last name exactly as it appears on your application (including hyphens or suffixes like Junior or III), your date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. All three must match your DS-82 or DS-11 form precisely, or the system won’t find your record.

The tracker does not update in real time. There is a lag between internal processing milestones and what the website shows, so checking multiple times a day won’t reveal anything new.

What Each Status Means

The labels are straightforward once you know what to expect from each one.⁴

In Process. Your application is being reviewed at a passport agency or center. How long it stays here depends on whether you paid for routine or expedited service and on current volumes.
Approved. Review is finished and the State Department will begin printing your passport. If the status flips back to “In Process” after showing “Approved,” a problem was caught during final review and staff are fixing it before printing a new one.
Passport Mailed. Your passport is on its way. Passport books ship with a tracking number included in the update. Passport cards ship via First Class Mail without tracking.
Supporting Documents Mailed. Your previous passport, birth certificate, or naturalization certificate is being returned separately by First Class Mail. These can arrive up to four weeks after your new passport.
Additional Information Needed. The State Department sent you a letter or email requesting more information. Your application is on hold until you respond, and you have 90 days from the date on that letter before the application is abandoned.
Information Received, In Process Again. You responded, and your application is back under review. Expect the overall timeline to be longer than the standard estimate since the hold ate into your processing window.

Checking by Phone

The National Passport Information Center is reachable at 1-877-487-2778.² An automated system handles basic status checks around the clock. To speak with a person, representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and weekends from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The center closes on federal holidays. Callers who are deaf or hard of hearing can use TDD/TTY service at 1-888-874-7793.

Calling is most useful when your online status has been stuck on “In Process” longer than the published processing time. Phone agents can sometimes see internal notes that the website doesn’t display, including whether your application was flagged for additional review. Wait times vary; peak travel season calls can stretch past an hour.

If the Status Says Mailed but Your Passport Never Arrives

Start with the tracking number from your status update and check with the delivery carrier. If the tracking trail goes cold, or the package shows delivered but you never received it, file Form DS-86, Statement of Non-Receipt of a U.S. Passport.⁵

You have 120 days from the date your passport was issued to report non-receipt. Miss that window and you’ll have to start over with a new application and pay the full fees again. Unless you have travel coming up soon, the State Department recommends waiting at least 14 days from the issue date before filing, since mail delays are common. When you submit the form, include a clear photocopy of both sides of a valid government-issued photo ID and mail everything to the passport agency that issued your passport. Once the DS-86 is processed, the missing passport is cancelled permanently and a replacement is issued at no additional cost.

When Your Application Seems Stuck

A status reading “In Process” for weeks beyond the published estimate is frustrating but not unusual during high-demand periods. Before escalating, check the State Department’s processing times page to confirm the current estimate, since those numbers change throughout the year. From late winter through summer, demand runs higher and processing takes longer.³

If your application has genuinely exceeded the posted timeframe, call the National Passport Information Center first. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, contact your congressional representative’s office. Every member of Congress has a constituent services team that handles federal agency casework, and passport delays are among the most common things they deal with. The State Department maintains a dedicated congressional liaison for passport inquiries, and a congressional inquiry often moves an application faster than anything else you can do on your own.

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U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Application Status
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U.S. Department of State. Contact U.S. Passports
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U.S. Department of State. Processing Times for U.S. Passports
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U.S. Department of State. Check Your Application Status
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U.S. Department of State. Statement of Non-Receipt of a U.S. Passport – Form DS-86