How Much Does a US Passport Cost?

Having a passport is a must if you want to go on a vacation to another country for crossing international borders entirely. Although it's not certainly free, the exact passport fee you can expect to pay may not always be obvious. One of the most common questions people have when they apply for a passport is "How much does a passport cost?" However, the answer to this question depends on a few different factors.

Cost is an important factor when considering what passport service to select from. Just as each passport application differs from the other, their charges vary too. Passport fees are subject to change so before you apply, check for the most current passport prices.

How Much Does a Passport Cost?

Passport fees depend on how quickly you need your passport and the specific passport type needed. That is to say, if you want to shorten your processing time (expedited passport), a different price will be charged compared to when applying for a regular service (routine passport). Expediting a passport through a 3rd party hand courier can range from as fast as 1-2 weeks to as slow as 8 weeks or longer.

Furthermore, when calculating how much it will cost to get a US passport. Applicants often take into consideration only the required fees paid to the US government. However, there are additional expenses that one might have to pay to get a passport that is often dismissed. Meanwhile, this article explains in full detail all the possible expenses involved in obtaining a United States passport so you can have a better understanding of the total cost. Read on to learn how much it costs to get a passport.

General Passport Fees

General passport fees apply to most passport applications. There are only two required fees. And one is the application fee. Moreover, the amount you pay depends on how old you are and whether you want a passport book, a card, or both. These are applications for renewed passports for adults with US citizenship. The application process is straightforward, and most passports will be issued within 8 to 11 weeks of applying.

The list below shows the application fees for various kinds of passports:

• Passport Book: $130 application fee
• Passport Card: $30
• Book & Card: $160 application fee.

For general passport applications, the State Department allows applications to be made via mail. However, you must submit your application within 5 years of the expiry of your old passport. Furthermore, you must still have your old passport in a usable state.

Meanwhile, the second is the execution fee which is only required when submitting form DS-11 to get a new passport or replace a lost, stolen, or damaged passport. However, this fee is not required when applying for a renewal using form DS-82.

Expedited Passport Fees

Moreover, there are times that it might be necessary to get a passport faster than the usual processing time. If you are faced with a tight schedule, you can apply for accelerated processing of your passport application. You can pay an additional fee to expedite the processing of a passport application form. This reduces the processing time by several weeks. These fees are charged in addition to the standard fee for a given passport application.

Expedited service can be requested when applying in person at a local facility, by mail for renewals, or at a regional passport agency. Moreover, another way to accelerate the delivery of your new passport is to request 1-2 day delivery. But this is only available for passport books.

However, here's the list of the fees for various expedited passport services:

Expedited Processing Service: $60. However, this is primarily for applicants in the United States but is also available for eligible US citizens living in Canada (by mail only). Moreover, this service can be requested when applying in person at a local facility, by mail for renewals, or at a regional passport agency.
1-2 Day Delivery: $18.32. You will receive your passport 1-2 days after it is issued, faster than normal mail. Passport cards are sent via First Class Mail. If you need your travel document quickly, you will probably want to pay for this service. Pay this fee using the same method as the application fee. Do not use an envelope with prepaid postage.

Circumstantial Passport Fees

These fees apply to special cases. The following sections will help explain how much a passport costs.

Aged 16 or Older and Applying for the First Time

Applicants aged 16 and older are eligible for adult passports. They will need to pay two fees — an application fee and an acceptance fee. The list below shows the fees for applying for various kinds of passports.

Passport Book:

• Application fee: $130
• Acceptance (execution) fee: $35

Passport Card:

• Application fee: $30
• Acceptance (execution) fee: $35

Passport Book and Card:

• Application fee: $160
• Acceptance (execution) fee: $35

Moreover, if it is your first time applying for an adult passport, then you must submit your application in person at a passport acceptance facility or dedicated Passport Agency. Applications by mail are only allowed when renewing adult passports.

Aged 16 or Older, Renewing

Adult renewal applicants (16 and older) residing in the United States must apply by mail. Most applicants aged 16-17 must apply in person using Form DS-11 because their previous passport was issued before they turned age 16.

The application fees for renewing an adult passport are listed below:

Passport Book:

• Application fee: $130

Passport Card:

• Application fee: $30

Passport Book and Card:

• Application fee: $160

However, these fees only apply for renewing an adult passport. If your previous passport was a child's passport, then it cannot be renewed. You will have to apply for a new adult passport.

Moreover, to renew your passport by mail, you must submit your application within 5 years of the expiry of your old passport. Also, you must still have your old passport in a usable, undamaged state.

Changing or Correcting a Passport

Moreover, keep in mind that the biographical details in your passport must match your legal identity. Therefore, any misspellings or incorrect information can cause problems when, for instance, buying air tickets.

Also, you may need to change the details in your passport if you get married or change your legal name. So, in this case, you need to apply for a new passport with relevant changes made.

Furthermore, the list below shows the costs for applying to make changes or corrections to your passport.

• Name Change: Same fees as passport renewal. Moreover, you can also use the free calculator to learn how much you owe.
• Correct Data Error: $0 You do not have to pay if a processing or printing error causes information on your passport to be incorrect, or unreadable.

Passport Fee Payment Methods

However, the State Department allows you to pay your passport application fee in several different ways. However, the specific payment methods available depend on how and where you are submitting your passport application.

The list below summarizes the allowed passport fee payment methods under various circumstances.

• In-person (at a passport acceptance facility such as a library or post office):
  • Check or money order for the application fee
  • Check, cash, money order, and credit card for acceptance (execution fee), paid separately to the acceptance facility. Accepted methods vary by facility, check before applying.
• In-person (at a dedicated Passport Agency):
  • Credit and debit cards (Visa and Mastercard)
  • Prepaid credit cards
  • Check or money order
  • Cash
• By mail:
  • Check or money order for application. No execution fee is charged.

Meanwhile, you cannot pay passport application fees online at the moment, regardless of where or how you submit your application.

Final Thoughts How Much Does a Passport Cost?

In conclusion, we will still end it with the same question, how much does a passport cost? Again it depends on the many variables we have listed above. The lowest possible price would be about $50 for the renewal of a passport card for an adult. This would include the application fee, passport photo, and postage.

On other hand, the highest amount an applicant might spend to get a passport could reach about $750 or more. However, we hope this article was helpful. By now you should better understand all the expenses involved in getting a passport and can more accurately calculate what it will cost you whether you apply by mail, at an application acceptance facility, at a regional agency, or through a reliable passport courier service.