To fill out a money order for a passport, make it payable to “U.S. Department of State,” write the applicant’s full legal name and date of birth in the memo line, and confirm the dollar amount matches the exact fee for the application you’re submitting. Sign the front as the purchaser, leave the back blank, and keep the receipt stub. Get those five things right and the payment will move with your application instead of stalling it.
Confirm the Exact Amount First
Before you buy anything, pin down the fee. A money order made out for the wrong amount is the most common reason passport payments get rejected, and issuers usually print the amount at purchase, so there’s no fixing it after the fact.
Current fees for adults age 16 and older, from the State Department’s schedule last updated in February 2026:1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
- Passport book, new or renewal: $130
- Passport card, new or renewal: $30
- Passport book and card together: $160
If you want expedited processing, add $60 to your money order. If you want one-to-three-day delivery of the finished book, add $22.05. Both add-ons are payable to the Department of State, so they go on the same money order as the application fee. An expedited new passport book, for example, needs a money order for $190.
The $35 Execution Fee Is a Separate Payment
If you’re applying in person on Form DS-11 (required for first-time applicants, minors, and anyone who can’t renew by mail), you also owe a $35 execution fee. Do not add it to the Department of State money order. That $35 goes to the acceptance facility where you apply, such as a post office, library, or clerk’s office.2U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees Each facility sets its own accepted payment methods, so call ahead. Some take cash or cards; others want a second check or money order made out to the facility itself.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees Applicants who lump the $35 into the government money order end up overpaying the State Department and underpaying the facility, and everything stops until it’s untangled.
Line by Line
Use black ink. The DS-11 requires black ink, and matching your money order avoids any question about the payment.3U.S. Department of State. Application for a U.S. Passport DS-11 Have your application and supporting documents in front of you so you can cross-check names and amounts.
Pay to the Order Of
Write U.S. Department of State. Use the full name. Don’t abbreviate to “Dept. of State,” “US DOS,” or “State Department,” and don’t add anything like “Passport Services” or a processing center address. This line controls who can cash the money order, and deviations get payments kicked back.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
Dollar Amount
Verify the printed amount matches your fee before you leave the counter. If the money order has separate numerical and written amount fields, they must match exactly.
Purchaser, Sender, or From
Write the applicant’s full legal name as it appears on the application. If you’re a parent buying the money order for a child’s passport, put the child’s name here. The child is the applicant.
Address
Enter the applicant’s current mailing address. This gives the State Department a second way to link the payment to the file if the money order ever gets separated from the application in processing.
Memo or Payment For
This is the line most people leave blank, and it causes the most delays. Write the applicant’s full legal name and date of birth. The State Department instructs applicants to include both so payments can be matched to the correct application, and the instruction is identical for mail-in renewals.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees4U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail
Purchaser’s Signature
Sign on the front, in the area marked for the purchaser or drawer. Do not sign or write anything on the back. The reverse is reserved for the depositing institution’s endorsement, and writing there can void the money order.
Families Applying Together
The cleanest approach for a family is one money order per applicant, each with that person’s name and date of birth in the memo section. If buying multiple money orders isn’t practical, the State Department will accept a single combined payment for a family applying at the same time. Write every applicant’s name and date of birth in the memo section, plus the total number of applications the payment covers.5U.S. Department of State. Apply for a Child’s Passport Under 16
The combined money order still goes only to the Department of State. Each applicant’s $35 execution fee, if it applies, remains a separate payment to the acceptance facility.
Mistakes That Void the Money Order
Corrections aren’t allowed on passport applications, and the same principle applies to the payment. Correction fluid, crossed-out text, or overwritten amounts void the money order, and you’ll need a new one.3U.S. Department of State. Application for a U.S. Passport DS-11 The errors that cause the most trouble:
- A payee written as anything other than “U.S. Department of State” in full.
- An amount that includes the $35 execution fee, or that leaves out the $60 expedited fee when the application requests expediting.
- A blank memo line, which leaves the payment with no way to match to your file.
- Cash sent with a mail-in application. The State Department says not to.4U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail
If you catch a mistake before submitting, buy a fresh money order. A USPS refund inquiry takes at least 60 days from the money order’s issue date, so waiting on the refund almost always beats waiting on your passport.
After You Fill It Out
Detach the receipt stub before you hand anything over. The serial number on that receipt is what you’ll need to check whether the money order has been cashed or to request a refund. You can look up USPS money order status at USPS.com using the serial number, post office number, and dollar amount, or by calling 1-866-974-2733.6USPS. Money Orders – The Basics
USPS money orders never expire, so if travel plans shift and you delay your application, the payment stays good.7USPS. Sending Money Orders If you’re applying in person, hand the money order to the acceptance clerk with the rest of your packet. If you’re renewing by mail on Form DS-82, include the money order in the envelope with your application, photo, and current passport, secured to the application with a paper clip or staple so it doesn’t get separated in transit. Once the money order shows as cashed, the processing center has your application and work has begun.