How to Write a Check for Your Passport Application

To pay for a U.S. passport with a personal check, make it payable to “U.S. Department of State” for the exact fee that matches your application, and print the applicant’s full legal name and date of birth on the memo line. That is the whole formula for how to write a check for a passport, but the details on each line matter, because processing centers reject checks over small errors and your application stalls until you send a replacement.

What Goes on Each Line

Filling out the check itself takes less than a minute once you have the correct total in front of you.

Date: Today’s date in the top-right corner. Don’t post-date or backdate.
Pay to the Order of: “U.S. Department of State,” spelled out exactly. No abbreviations like “U.S. Dept of State” or “Dept. of State.”
Numeric amount box: The precise fee, for example “$130.00” for an adult passport book with no extras.
Written amount line: The same amount in words, such as “One Hundred Thirty and 00/100.” Banks rely on this line if the numbers are unclear.
Memo: The applicant’s full legal name and date of birth. This is how the State Department matches your payment to the right application.¹
Signature: Sign the check. An unsigned check is invalid.

If you’re paying for someone else’s passport, such as your child’s, the memo line still needs the applicant’s name and date of birth, not yours. You can sign from your own account.

How Much to Make the Check For

The amount depends on what you’re applying for and how old the applicant is. These are the current application fees payable to the U.S. Department of State.²

Adults (16 and older):

Passport book: $130
Passport card: $30
Passport book and card together: $160

Minors (under 16):

Passport book: $100
Passport card: $15
Passport book and card together: $115

These amounts apply whether you’re applying for the first time on Form DS-11 or renewing by mail on Form DS-82. Adult renewal of a passport book is also $130.

Two optional charges can be added into the same check. Expedited processing is $60 per application on top of the base fee. The 1-to-3-day delivery upgrade for the finished passport book is $22.05. If you want an adult passport book with expedited processing, your single check to the Department of State would be $190. Add the delivery upgrade and it becomes $212.05.¹

The Second Check In-Person Applicants Owe

If you’re applying in person on Form DS-11, you owe two fees paid separately to two different parties, and you cannot combine them into one check.

The first check is the application fee described above, made out to “U.S. Department of State.” The State Department accepts personal checks, certified checks, cashier’s checks, traveler’s checks, and money orders for this fee. Credit and debit cards are not accepted.³

The second check is a $35 execution fee (sometimes called the acceptance fee) that goes to the facility where you submit the application. At a post office, the payee is “Postmaster.” At a county clerk’s office or a library, the payee is different. Call the acceptance facility ahead of time to confirm the correct payee and which payment methods they accept, since many facilities take cash or card for the execution fee even though the State Department does not.¹

Renewing by mail on Form DS-82 is simpler: one check to the U.S. Department of State, no execution fee.

Mistakes That Get Your Check Rejected

Passport processing centers reject checks that create any ambiguity. These are the errors that actually cause delays.

Wrong payee name. “Department of State” without “U.S.,” or any abbreviation, gets the check bounced back. The payee must read “U.S. Department of State” exactly.

Wrong amount. Being off by a few dollars stalls your application while the processing center contacts you. Confirm the fee schedule before you write anything, and if you’re adding expedited processing or the delivery upgrade, add those amounts to the base fee and write one check for the combined total.

Alterations. Correction fluid, cross-outs, or overwritten numbers get the check rejected. Start fresh if you make a mistake.

Temporary or starter checks. The generic checks a bank hands you when you open an account don’t carry your printed name and address, and the State Department won’t accept them. Personal checks need your name and address pre-printed.

Stale or post-dated checks. A check dated more than about six months in the past, or dated for a future day, will be refused. Use today’s date.

Illegible handwriting. If the amount or the memo line can’t be read, the check gets flagged. Print clearly, especially the applicant’s name and date of birth.

If Your Check Bounces

A bounced check has real consequences. If the check is returned before your passport is printed, the State Department suspends the application. You then have 30 days to submit a replacement payment, and if you don’t, the application can be denied outright.⁴

If the check bounces after the passport has already been issued, the debt is sent to the State Department’s Bureau of the Comptroller and Global Financial Services for collection. You owe the money whether or not you ever use the passport. Keep the funds available for several weeks after you mail the application, because a mailed envelope can take up to two weeks to reach a processing center and the check won’t be deposited immediately.⁴

Placing a stop payment on a passport check triggers the same consequences as a bounced check. Don’t do it unless you’re prepared to lose the application.

When You Don’t Need a Check at All

If you’re eligible to renew and want to skip paper checks, the State Department offers online renewal at travel.state.gov, which accepts credit or debit cards at the same fees: $130 for a book, $30 for a card, $160 for both, with the $22.05 delivery upgrade available. Online renewal is limited to routine service.⁵

First-time applicants, minors, and anyone who needs expedited service still apply in person or by mail, so a paper check remains the standard payment for most passport applications.

1
U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
2
U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees
3
USPS FAQ. U.S. Passports – The Basics
4
Foreign Affairs Manual. 8 FAM 602.2 Passport Fees
5
U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport Online