How Much Does a Passport Cost?

If you’re applying for your first passport — or it’s just been a while since you’ve renewed your passport — you might be surprised when it comes time to pay your fee. Yes, when submitting a passport application, you do have to pay a fee. In fact, you have to pay two separate fees in some cases. 

Here’s what you need to know.

Application Fees vs. Execution Fees

There are two fees you’ll pay when applying for a new passport for the first time, or for a passport card instead of a book (which are two different things). The application fee is paid to the Department of State. The execution fee is paid to the acceptance facility, where you submit your first application in person. Acceptance facilities include post offices, libraries, and clerk offices. 

When you renew a passport via mail, there’s no need to visit an acceptance facility in person. As such, you’ll only pay the application fee (or any other fee charged by the Department of State, such as an expediting fee). 

How Much Does a Passport Cost?

So how do these costs add up, and what can you expect to pay? Here’s how passport costs break down.

First-Time Adults

Adults applying for their first passport book (traditionally just called a passport) will pay $165. 

Adults applying for their first-time passport card will pay $65. While a passport card is much cheaper than a passport book, it only allows you to travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. It also only allows you to travel by land or sea, not air. (If you already have a passport book and want a card, you can apply for the card at a lower rate, $30.) 

You can also apply for a first-time passport book and card simultaneously for $195. 

Renewing Adults

As mentioned, if you’re renewing your passport and do not need to visit an acceptance facility in person, you’ll pay only the fee to the Department of State. 

• Renewing an adult passport book is $130
• Renewing an adult passport card is $30
• Renewing both simultaneously is $160

First-Time Minors

Getting a passport for the first time as a minor under the age of 16 is more of a process, but it is cheaper. 

• First-time minor passport books are $135
• First-time minor passport cards are $50
• First-time minor passport books and cards together are $150

There are no renewal fees for minors because minors cannot renew their passports. They must apply for a new passport every time their old passport expires.

Extra Fees

You can also pay extra fees to the Department of State for additional services, such as…

• Expedited processing
• One to two-day delivery (this service is only available to U.S. addresses and only for passport books, not cards)
• File search services (this fee is only necessary if you can’t prove your citizenship or you need to verify a previous passport or consular report of birth abroad) 

The expedited processing fee is $60 per application. 

The one to two-day delivery fee is $19.53 per application.

The file search fee is $150. 

It’s worth noting, before you shell out money for expedited processing, that expedited doesn’t necessarily mean fast. 

As of October 2023, passport processing times were 8 to 11 weeks, with expedited processing taking anywhere from five to seven weeks. If you need a passport urgently, you can make an appointment at a passport agency or center to get your passport sooner than five weeks. There’s no extra fee for these appointments. However, appointments are only available if you need a passport for urgent travel (within 14 calendar days) or have a life-or-death emergency and must travel internationally within three business days.

Extra Fees for Changing or Correcting a Passport

You’ll also need to pay fees to change or correct your passport. However, these fees will vary depending on why you’re changing your passport. Expect to pay, on average, about the same as you might when renewing a passport in most cases. 

If, on the rare occasion, there is a data or printing error on the passport that is the fault of the Department of State, they’ll issue you a new passport for free. 

How to Pay Passport Fees 

If applying for a passport for the first time at an acceptance facility (or applying for a passport for a child at an acceptance facility), you’ll include a check or money order for the Department of State’s fees within your application. You’ll pay the acceptance facility’s fees by card, check, cash or money order, depending on the facility’s preferences. 

If renewing your passport by mail, you’ll send the fee along with your application as a check or money order to the Department of State. 

Complete Table of Passport Fees

Passport Type	Total Fees
First-Time Adult Passport Book	$165
First-Time Adult Passport Card	$65
First-Time Adult Passport Book & Card	$195
First-Time Adult Passport Card (for Current Book Holders)	$30
Adult Passport Book Renewal	$130
Adult Passport Card Renewal	$30
Adult Passport Book & Card Simultaneous Renewal	$160
Minor Passport Book	$135
Minor Passport Card	$50
Minor Passport Book & Card	$150

Featured Image: Phil Dengler / The Vacationer