U.S. Passport Application Services

A United States passport is an official travel document issued exclusively by the U.S. Department of State to verified U.S. citizens and eligible non-citizen nationals. It’s a definitive certification of your personal identity and nationality.

For U.S. citizens, possessing a valid U.S. passport is federally required to travel internationally by air, sea, or land. You United States passport also allows you to re-enter the United States safely without delays.

Routine processing for a standard U.S. passport application currently takes approximately 6 to 8 weeks to complete. If you require faster service, expedited processing is available for an additional $60 government fee and typically reduces the timeline to 2 to 3 weeks.

It’s important to note that these published timeframes only reflect the period your application is physically at a passport agency, and don’t include transit times in the mail.

A standard U.S. passport issued to an adult applicant who is 16 years of age or older is valid for 10 years from the official issue date. U.S. passports issued to minors under the age of 16 expire after 5 years.

It’s highly recommended to begin the renewal process roughly six months before your passport officially expires.

Yes, a valid, undamaged United States passport book or passport card is universally considered primary legal evidence of U.S. citizenship.

The State Department rigorously verifies your background before issuing a passport, meaning it can be used for formal employment verification processes, local voter registration, and applying for various federal benefits. A valid passport serves virtually anywhere that official, government-backed proof of U.S. citizenship and personal identity is legally required.

Yes, all modern U.S. passports issued to citizens since the year 2007 are fully biometric. They’re sometimes referred to as e-passports.

Biometric passports contain a small, highly secure Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) electronic chip embedded directly into the back cover. This chip securely stores all of the passport holder's printed personal information, along with a high-resolution digital image of their face to prevent counterfeiting and identity fraud.

The sole issuing authority for all United States passports is the federal U.S. Department of State. This applies to all types of passports, including standard tourist books, passport cards, and official diplomatic passports.

When you’re filling out domestic or international travel forms, visa applications, or employment documents that specifically ask for the passport's issuing authority, you should always write "United States Department of State" or simply abbreviate it as "U.S. Department of State."

To apply for a new U.S. passport, you must physically provide five types of documentation at an acceptance facility. These include:

The fastest routine method to get a passport is to pay the additional $60 government expedite fee, which accelerates standard processing times down to just 2 to 3 weeks.

If you’re facing an extreme emergency abroad or you have urgent international travel booked within the next 14 days, you can contact the National Passport Information Center to schedule a highly specialized, in-person appointment directly at a regional passport agency.