A first-time adult US passport book costs $165: a $130 application fee to the State Department plus a $35 execution fee to the facility that takes your application. An adult renewing by mail or online pays $130 and skips the execution fee. Everything else in the US passport fees schedule builds on those two numbers, and the total climbs once you add expedited processing, faster delivery, or a passport card.
First-Time Adult Fees
If you’ve never held a US passport, or your old one doesn’t qualify for renewal, you apply in person on Form DS-11. The passport book, which is valid for all international travel including flights, costs $130 in application fees plus the $35 execution fee, for $165 total.1U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees
A passport card is a wallet-sized document for land and sea crossings between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and certain Caribbean countries. It cannot be used for international air travel, though TSA accepts it as ID for domestic flights.2U.S. Department of State. Get a Passport Card A first-time card costs $30 in application fees plus the $35 execution fee, totaling $65.
Ordering both together costs $160 in application fees plus a single $35 execution fee, for $195 total. You pay the execution fee only once even when you’re getting two documents.1U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees
Renewal Fees
Renewing is cheaper because you don’t pay the $35 execution fee. You qualify to renew by mail on Form DS-82, or online in some cases, if your most recent passport was issued when you were 16 or older, is undamaged, and either hasn’t expired or expired less than five years ago.3U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
The application fees are the same as for a first-timer: $130 for a book, $30 for a card, $160 for both. Because there’s no acceptance facility involved, a book renewal costs $130 rather than $165.
Online Renewal
The State Department offers online renewal to applicants who are 25 or older, aren’t changing their name or other personal information, have their current passport in hand, and won’t travel internationally for at least six weeks. Online renewal is available only with routine processing; you can’t add expedited service.4U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport Online
Fees match mail renewal. The practical difference is payment: online renewal takes credit or debit cards, which a paper renewal by mail does not. One limitation to know before you start: you can only renew the type of document you already hold. If you have a book and want to add a card, renew by mail instead.
Child Fees (Under 16)
Children under 16 apply in person with a parent or guardian on Form DS-11. Their passports are valid for five years rather than the ten adults get, and the fees are lower.5USAGov. Get a Passport for a Minor Under 18
- Passport book: $100 application fee plus $35 execution fee, $135 total
- Passport card: $15 application fee plus $35 execution fee, $50 total
- Book and card together: $115 application fee plus $35 execution fee, $150 total
Because the documents expire every five years, a child who gets a first passport at age 2 will need three renewals before turning 16, each costing $135 or more for a book. Applicants who are 16 or 17 pay adult fees ($130 for a book) but still apply in person on DS-11, since they can’t renew by mail without a previous passport issued at 16 or older.3U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
Expedited Processing and Faster Delivery
Routine processing currently takes four to six weeks. Expedited service brings that to two to three weeks and costs an extra $60 on top of the application fee.6U.S. Department of State. Processing Times for U.S. Passports You can also pay $22.05 for 1–3 day delivery of the finished book to a US address. That delivery upgrade applies only to books, not cards.1U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees
Stacked together, the numbers add up fast. A first-time adult who wants a book, expedited service, and fast delivery pays $130 plus $35 plus $60 plus $22.05, or $247.05.
Why There Are Two Payments
The $35 execution fee is separate from the application fee and goes to the acceptance facility itself, usually a post office, public library, or clerk of court. It covers verifying your identity, administering the oath, and sending your application to the State Department.7U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 8 FAM 602.2 Passport Fees
You pay it whenever you apply on Form DS-11, which covers all first-time applicants, all children under 16, and anyone whose old passport is too old or damaged to qualify for renewal. Adults renewing on DS-82 by mail or online don’t pay it, and that alone is the biggest reason renewals cost less.
Because the two fees go to different entities, you make two separate payments at your appointment. The application fee goes to the U.S. Department of State; the execution fee is paid to the facility. A single combined check will not work.
Less Common Fees
File Search
If you can’t produce proof of citizenship such as a birth certificate or naturalization paperwork and need the State Department to search its records for a previously issued passport or consular report of birth abroad, you’ll pay a $150 file search fee.3U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees You submit a written request for the search with your DS-11. It stacks on top of everything else.
Name Changes and Corrections
If your legal name changed within a year of your passport being issued, you can update the passport at no charge using Form DS-5504, though the $60 expedite fee still applies if you want it faster. If more than a year has passed since either the passport was issued or the name change became legal, you apply for a new passport at full price on DS-82 or DS-11, depending on your eligibility.8U.S. Department of State. Name Change for U.S. Passport or Correct a Printing or Data Error
Printing errors and data mistakes made by the State Department are corrected free on DS-5504 as long as the passport is still valid.
How to Pay
Payment rules depend on where and how you apply, and getting them wrong can hold up your application.
At an acceptance facility, the application fee has to be paid by check or money order made out to “U.S. Department of State,” with the applicant’s full name and date of birth in the memo. The execution fee is paid separately to the facility, and most facilities accept credit cards, debit cards, cash, or checks for that portion.3U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
By mail, you send a check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State with your DS-82. Online renewals are paid by credit or debit card.
At passport agencies (the in-person offices for people with imminent travel), the rules flip. Agencies accept only credit cards, debit cards, and contactless payments like Apple Pay or Google Pay. They do not accept checks, cash, or money orders.
Refunds
Passport fees are almost entirely non-refundable. The application fee and security surcharge are processing fees the State Department keeps whether or not your passport is issued.7U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 8 FAM 602.2 Passport Fees If your application is denied for insufficient documentation, the money is gone. The execution fee is generally non-refundable as well.
Two exceptions are worth knowing. If you paid for expedited service and the State Department didn’t actually process your application faster than routine timelines, you can request a refund of the $60 expedite fee in writing. Overpayments, such as fees submitted twice due to a system error, are also refundable.