There is no military discount for passports. The U.S. Department of State charges active-duty service members, reservists, veterans, and military retirees the same fees as any other U.S. citizen when they apply for a personal passport. The one real military benefit is separate: a no-fee official passport issued for government-ordered travel abroad, which does not replace a personal passport and cannot be used for leisure trips.
What a Personal Passport Costs Anyone in Uniform
The fees below apply to service members and civilians alike.
- First-time adult passport book (age 16 and up): $130 application fee plus a $35 acceptance fee, for $165 total.
- Adult passport book renewal: $130, with no acceptance fee when you renew by mail or online.
- First-time child passport book (under 16): $100 application fee plus $35 acceptance fee, for $135 total.
- Adult passport card (first time): $30 plus the $35 acceptance fee. Renewal is $30.
- Child passport card (first time): $15 plus $35 acceptance fee.
The application fee goes to the Department of State. The $35 acceptance fee goes to whoever accepts your paperwork, whether that’s a post office, library, court clerk, or a passport acceptance agent on a military installation.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
Two optional add-ons cost extra: expedited processing is $60 per application, and 1-to-3-day delivery of the finished passport is $22.05.2U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees An adult passport book is valid for 10 years; a child’s book, 5 years.3U.S. Department of State. After You Get Your New Passport
The passport card is cheaper but limited. It works only for land and sea entry from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and certain Caribbean countries, and it cannot be used for any international air travel.4U.S. Department of State. Get a Passport Card
No Fee Waiver for Veterans or Disabled Veterans
A service-connected disability rating does not qualify a veteran for a passport fee waiver. The Department of State has no waiver program tied to veteran status or disability percentage. The USCIS fee waiver form (I-912) states plainly that it does not cover U.S. passport fees charged by the Department of State.5USCIS. Request for Fee Waiver Passport fees are set by statute and regulation, and no exception exists for veterans.
The No-Fee Passport for Official Travel
What the military does provide is a free passport for official duty travel abroad. When you receive orders to travel or PCS overseas on government business, the Department of State’s Special Issuance Agency issues an official passport, sometimes called a no-fee passport. Federal regulations exempt military personnel traveling on official business from all passport fees, including the acceptance fee when a federal official processes the application.6eCFR. 22 CFR Part 51 – Passports
To apply, you’ll need DD Form 1056, “Authorization to Apply for ‘No-Fee’ Passport and/or Request for Visa.” Two copies must be generated by a DoD passport acceptance agent, usually at an office on your installation, and you’ll submit your approved travel orders alongside the application.7Department of State. Department of Defense Employee Many installation passport offices take the required photo on-site at no charge for no-fee applications.
Routine processing runs up to six weeks and does not include mailing time.8Department of State Special Issuance Agency. Get Processing Times for Special Issuance Agency Start once orders are in hand rather than waiting for the report date to close in.
An official passport is valid for five years or until your official status ends, whichever comes first.6eCFR. 22 CFR Part 51 – Passports When you separate or retire, you have to return it and it gets canceled.
No-Fee Passports for Command-Sponsored Dependents
If you’re going overseas on PCS orders, command-sponsored dependents also qualify for no-fee passports. Spouses and children listed on your orders can apply through the same DoD passport office on your installation, and every applicant, including small children, must appear in person at submission.
A dependent’s no-fee passport is endorsed for travel connected to the service member’s assignment. Like the service member’s official passport, it is not for personal vacations. If your family plans to travel Europe on leave while you’re stationed in Germany, everyone still needs a personal tourist passport with standard fees paid.
Why You Want Both a Personal and Official Passport
Federal regulations prohibit holding more than one valid passport of the same type, but a personal passport book and an official passport are different types. You can legally carry both.6eCFR. 22 CFR Part 51 – Passports
Living overseas is easier when you have the official passport for duty travel and a personal one for leave, weekend trips, and anything outside your orders. Service members who never got around to obtaining a personal passport while stationed abroad sometimes find themselves without any valid travel document at the moment they need one. Applying for a personal passport before you PCS avoids that problem.
How to Keep Personal Passport Costs Down
Since there’s no discount, the savings come from timing and product choice.
Renew on time. If you renew before your passport expires or within five years after, the renewal goes by mail or online with no acceptance fee, cutting $35 off the cost of a first-time application.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
Consider the card if it fits your travel. For driving into Canada or Mexico or cruising the Caribbean, the passport card at $30 (or $65 with the acceptance fee for a first-time applicant) handles the trip at a fraction of the book’s price. It just cannot be used to fly internationally.
Apply early. The $60 expedited fee and $22.05 fast delivery charge are avoidable with enough lead time. If you already know a PCS or a leave period is coming, submitting a personal passport application months ahead keeps those optional costs off your bill.
Online renewal is available if you’re 25 or older, your current passport was a 10-year book, it’s expiring within a year or expired less than five years ago, you’re not changing your name, and you’re located in a U.S. state or territory when you submit. The fee is the same $130.9U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport Online Service members stationed overseas cannot use it; renew through a U.S. embassy or consulate, or by mail with Form DS-82.