What Is the Passport File Search Fee and When Does It Apply

The passport file search fee is a $150 charge the U.S. Department of State collects when it has to search its records for a passport or Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) you previously received because you can’t submit that document, or any other proof of citizenship, with your current application.¹ It’s a last-resort fee. Most applicants never pay it, and even those who might can usually avoid it by tracking down a document first.

When You Actually Pay the $150

Two things have to be true for the file search to be on the table: you previously held a U.S. passport or CRBA, and you can’t produce it or any other citizenship evidence now.²

Whether you pay upfront depends on when the original document was issued:

If it was issued before 1994, pay the $150 with your application. The State Department has to search paper archives by hand.²
If it was issued in 1994 or later, don’t pay when you apply. The State Department searches its electronic database first at no charge, and only bills the $150 if that search fails and a manual search is needed.²

The fee is non-refundable. You’re paying for the search itself, not for finding a record, so a fruitless search doesn’t get your money back.¹ One waiver: the fee doesn’t apply if your passport was lost or stolen while you were abroad.

One thing the file search does not do: give you a copy of your old passport or CRBA. It only verifies your citizenship so a new passport can be issued.³

How to Avoid the Fee

No search is needed if you can submit any of the following as primary evidence of citizenship:²

A previously issued U.S. passport, even if expired
A certified U.S. birth certificate from a state vital records office
A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (Form FS-240)

If you’ve misplaced your birth certificate, ordering a replacement from the state vital records office is almost always cheaper than $150. Certified copies typically run $10 to $25. If your original document was a CRBA, you can request a copy from the State Department before you apply for a new passport.²

Secondary Evidence If You Were Born in the U.S.

If you were born in the United States and can’t get a standard birth certificate, the State Department accepts secondary evidence.² You’ll start with one of these:

A delayed birth certificate (filed more than one year after your birth) that lists the records used to create it and carries either the birth attendant’s signature or a parental affidavit
A Letter of No Record from the state where you were born, confirming no birth certificate is on file

With either one, submit early public or private records from the first five years of your life: baptism certificates, hospital birth records, census records, early school records, family Bible entries, doctor’s records of post-natal care. They should show your full name, date of birth, and place of birth.²

If you have a Letter of No Record but can only find one early record, you can add Form DS-10 (Birth Affidavit), signed by an older blood relative with knowledge of your birth.

How to Request a File Search

If you truly have no citizenship evidence but know you previously held a U.S. passport or CRBA, fill out the “Request for File Search and Verification of U.S. Citizenship” form and submit it with your passport application. The form asks for your full name, date of birth, place of birth, and any details you have about the earlier document: type (passport book, passport card, or CRBA), date of issue, and passport number if you know it. Signing it means you agree to pay the applicable fee.³

How to Pay

Accepted payment methods for the file search fee track the rules for other passport fees, and depend on where you apply:⁴

At a passport acceptance facility (post office, library, or government office), pay by check (personal, certified, cashier’s, or traveler’s) or money order made payable to “U.S. Department of State.” Write the applicant’s name and date of birth in the memo line.
At a passport agency, pay by credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover), debit card (Visa or Mastercard), or contactless payment such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. Agencies don’t accept checks or money orders.

The $35 acceptance fee charged by acceptance facilities is a separate payment to the facility itself, and its accepted payment methods can vary by location, so check ahead.⁴

What This Adds to Your Total Passport Cost

The $150 sits on top of the standard passport fees. For an adult applying in person, the base costs are:⁴

Passport book: $130 application fee plus $35 acceptance fee ($165 total)
Passport card: $30 application fee plus $35 acceptance fee ($65 total)
Book and card together: $160 application fee plus $35 acceptance fee ($195 total)
Expedited processing: add $60
1-to-3-day delivery: add $22.05

Adding a file search to a first-time adult passport book pushes the total to at least $315, and past $397 with expedited processing and fast delivery. If your travel date allows for it, spending a few weeks and $10 to $25 on a replacement birth certificate is almost always the better move.

1
eCFR. 22 CFR 22.1 Schedule of Fees
2
U.S. Department of State. Get Citizenship Evidence for a U.S. Passport
3
U.S. Department of State. Request for File Search and Verification of U.S. Citizenship
4
U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees