Passport Fee Calculator

A first U.S. passport book costs $165 for an adult: $130 to the U.S. Department of State and $35 to the acceptance facility. Renewing costs $130, by mail or online, with no facility fee. A child’s book is $135 ($100 + $35). Expedited service adds $60, and 1–3 day return delivery $23.36.

How to use it

Pick who the passport is for, whether you want a book, a card or both, and the passport you have now. If you have one, type when it expires and answer three yes/no questions: the calculator works out whether you can renew online, by mail, or must apply in person, and gives the reason in the State Department’s own words. Open Faster service, a trip date, more people for expedited service, the 1–3 day return, how many people, and the day you travel: it adds the fees, multiplies them, and says when to apply by.

The fees

The first number goes to the U.S. Department of State, the $35 execution fee to the acceptance facility (a post office, library or county office): “When you apply for a passport using Form DS-11, you will need to pay 2 fees: one to the U.S. Department of State and one to the facility where you submit your application.” The amounts are the law’s: the Schedule of Fees for Consular Services, 22 CFR 22.1, charges a book at 16 or older as a $50 application fee plus the $80 security surcharge, and under 16 as $20 plus $80. On top: expedited service $60 per application, 1–3 day return delivery $23.36 (“We do not offer this service if you are applying for a passport card only.”), and $150 for a file search if you cannot show proof of citizenship. “We cannot refund the passport application fee and the execution fee.”

Online, by mail, or in person?

The cheaper ways skip the $35 facility fee, but not everyone may use them. By mail (Form DS-82), the State Department’s conditions include: “Your passport has never been reported lost or stolen.” “Your passport was issued within the last 15 years.” “Your passport was issued when you were age 16 or older and was valid for 10 years.” Online, it adds: “You are age 25 or older.” “It must be expiring within 1 year or have expired less than 5 years ago.” “You are not traveling for at least 6 weeks from the date you will submit your application.” And: “Online renewals cannot be expedited.” Children always apply in person: “You cannot renew a passport for a child under age 16.” The only official online renewal is the State Department’s own: “The only official, authorized place to renew your U.S. passport online is opr.travel.state.gov.”

Worked examples

A family of four, first passports. Two adults at $165 and two children at $135: $600, that is $460 in application fees to the State Department ($130, $130, $100, $100) and four $35 facility fees. With the calculator: 2 people at 16 or older, then 2 under 16.

Renewing in a hurry by mail. A book renewal with expedited service and 1–3 day return: $130 + $60 + $23.36 = $213.36, one check, no facility fee, and up to 7 weeks door to door.

Renewing online. An adult of 25 or older whose passport expires within the year, not traveling for 6 weeks: $130 by card, no expedited option, up to 8 weeks (4–6 weeks of processing and up to 2 weeks for it to reach you).

Just a card for driving to Canada or Mexico. A first card is $65 ($30 + $35); renewing one is $30.

Common mistakes

• One payment for everything. In person, the State Department’s fee and the facility’s $35 are paid separately, often by different methods.
• Paying the $35 to renew by mail. “Postal employees should not charge you a $35 fee or review your form and documents before you mail them.”
• Expediting an online renewal. It cannot be done; renew by mail to pay for speed.
• Renewing a child’s passport. A passport issued under 16 cannot be renewed, even after the child turns 16: apply in person.
• Buying only the card for a flight. The card is for land and sea: the law lets you present it “when entering the United States from contiguous territory or adjacent islands at land or sea ports-of-entry”, and for Mexico the State Department says “You can’t use a U.S. passport card to board a plane at the airport.”

Plan the trip

Check first that your passport is valid long enough for your trip, and whether your trip needs a passport at all: some Caribbean islands take a birth certificate. Before a first trip abroad, read International Travel Tips for First-Timers, and keep what to do if you lose your passport abroad handy.