A passport acceptance facility is a post office, library, county office or similar site that checks your DS-11 application, witnesses your signature and sends it to the State Department, and it charges a separate $35 execution fee. It does not issue your passport.
Most first-time applicants, children and people who cannot renew by mail apply at an acceptance facility. The visit is short, but it goes wrong when you bring the wrong document, pay the wrong way or arrive without an appointment. This guide explains what these sites do, who must use one, what to bring, how to pay, how minors are handled, how to find a site and what mistakes cause rejections. The fee and payment details come from two acceptance facility pages, a public library system page and a university passport page, and the proof of citizenship and photo ID lists come from the university page. These are local pages, not the State Department itself, so confirm your own site’s rules and fees before you go. If you want the full overview first, start with our US passport guide, and for the other kind of office, read our passport office guide.
What Is a Passport Acceptance Facility?
It is an authorized site that accepts passport applications on behalf of the State Department, but it never makes the passport. The staff check your papers, watch you sign and mail the file.
The library page describes its branches as official US passport acceptance facilities, and the university page says all applicants must be present to apply. Typical sites include:
- Post offices.
- Public libraries.
- County clerks and courts.
- City halls and town offices.
- Some universities for their own communities.
After the visit, the State Department processes the application. If you need to follow your case, see our passport application status guide. Our passport application guide explains the whole process step by step.
Who Must Use an Acceptance Facility?
You must apply in person if you are a first-time applicant, under 16, replacing a lost or stolen passport, or not eligible to renew. Eligible adults can renew online or by mail instead.
The university page says all applicants must be present and that both first-time and in-person renewal applicants complete a DS-11 for each person. The library page adds that it does not process renewals, which can be done online or by mail. If your passport is eligible, a renewal avoids the visit altogether. See renew passport online and passport renewal.
A lost or stolen passport also needs the DS-11 in person. Our lost passport replacement guide covers that case.
What Does It Cost?
The application fee for an adult book is $130, the execution fee is $35 and the two go to different payees. Expedited service and delivery add more.
The two local pages give these amounts:
| Item | Amount | Notes |
| Adult passport book | $130 | Check or money order to the US Department of State |
| Child book (under 16) | $100 | Same payee |
| Passport card, adult | $30 | Book and card together: $160 |
| Passport card, child | $15 | Book and card together: $115 |
| Execution fee | $35 | Paid to the facility, per applicant |
| Expedited service | $60 extra | Added to the State Department fee |
| Return delivery, 1 to 3 days | $26.87 | Added to the State Department payment |
The university page says only one execution fee applies if you apply for both a book and a card. Photos cost extra where the site sells them: the university lists two prints for $17, and the library lists photo booths at $12.99. Our how much is a passport guide gives the full fee picture, and our expedited passport guide covers the faster option.
How Do You Pay?
Pay the State Department by check or money order and the facility by the method it accepts. The two payments are separate.
According to the local pages:
- State Department fee: Check or money order payable to the US Department of State. The university page says to write the applicant’s first and last name and date of birth on the front and nothing on the back.
- Execution fee: The library accepts cash, check or card, while the university accepts debit or credit card only. Cash is not accepted at the university.
- Photos and shipping: The university takes debit or credit card.
- Money orders: The library does not sell them. The university page says they are sold at supermarkets, convenience stores, post offices, banks and credit unions.
Because rules differ between sites, ask your facility how it wants each payment before you go. A missing check is one of the most common reasons for a wasted trip.
What Should You Bring?
Bring the DS-11, proof of citizenship with a photocopy, a photo ID with a photocopy, a 2 by 2 inch photo and your payments. Photocopies of citizenship documents are not accepted as proof.
The university page and the library page list these items:
- Form DS-11: One for each applicant, completed in black ink and printed on two separate pages at 8.5 by 11 inches, not front and back. Leave the signature until the agent tells you to sign.
- Proof of citizenship: A US birth certificate that meets the listed requirements, an undamaged US passport even if expired, a Certificate of Naturalization, a Certificate of Citizenship or a birth certificate abroad. Photocopies, Social Security cards and church or hospital announcements are not accepted.
- Photo ID: An in-state driver’s license, government employee ID, military ID, a valid US or foreign passport, or other listed IDs.
- Photocopies: A paper copy of the proof of citizenship and the ID, front and back. The library says the original is returned after the passport is issued.
- Photo: A color 2 by 2 inch passport photo. See our passport photo requirements guide.
- Payments: The check or money order and the execution fee.
The university page lists birth certificate rules in detail. A certificate must be issued by a city, county or state and show your full name, date and place of birth, your parents’ names, a registrar signature, a filing date and a seal. It also says certain abstract birth certificates are not accepted. If your birth certificate is unusual, ask the facility before you book. Our visa documents checklist tool helps you gather papers.
How Do Minors Apply?
Children under 16 apply in person with the parent or parents listed on the birth certificate, and 16 and 17 year olds need one parent. Both parents are normally involved for under-16 applications.
The library page says the parent or parents and the child listed on the birth certificate must be present, and that if one parent cannot attend you should contact an acceptance agent for instructions. The university page says applicants aged 16 and 17 need one parent to accompany them, and that parent must submit their own ID. The child fee is $100 for the book. Plan the visit around both parents’ calendars, and ask the passport acceptance facility what it needs if one parent is absent. Bring the child’s original birth certificate and the child’s photo too, since a child must usually be present for the photo check and the signature step.
How Long Does the Visit Take?
The library page says each application takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Add time for photos and payments.
Appointments are common. The library page says to request one online or by phone, and the other library page says its passport services are by appointment only. Some sites also add time if you use a courier or hand-carry service. After the visit, the State Department processes the application on its own timeline, which our how long does it take to get a passport guide explains. Our visa processing time calculator helps you work backward from your trip.
How Do You Find a Facility?
Search the State Department’s acceptance facility locator, then check the site’s own page for hours, appointments and payment rules. Local rules vary, so treat each passport acceptance facility as its own small office with its own hours and habits.
A good order is:
- Find nearby sites through the State Department’s official locator.
- Check each site’s hours and whether it needs an appointment.
- Ask whether it offers photos and what it charges.
- Confirm how to pay the execution fee.
- Confirm what the site needs for minors or unusual documents.
Post offices, libraries and clerk offices often have different appointment systems. If one site has no openings, check another in a nearby town. If your trip is within 14 days, a facility is not the right place. Read our passport office guide for agency appointments instead.
What About Third-Party Services?
Some facilities accept applications from a courier only for urgent travel, so a courier is not a shortcut for routine cases. The library page says courier applications are accepted only if you are traveling within 14 calendar days.
The same page says hand-carry service adds 30 minutes per application. If you use a courier company, check that it is a recognized service and that your facility accepts its packages. Never pay a site that promises a passport in a day, and never give your documents to someone who is not an acceptance agent or a recognized courier.
How Do You Spot a Passport Acceptance Scam?
A real facility never promises approval, never asks for payment to a personal account and never charges the State Department fee itself. The State Department fee goes by check or money order to the Department.
Be careful when a seller:
- Calls itself a passport office but charges a large service fee.
- Asks you to pay the State Department fee in cash or to a person.
- Guarantees a delivery date.
- Offers to sign your application for you.
- Cannot show that it is an official acceptance facility.
When in doubt, use the State Department locator and avoid sites you reach through ads.
What Happens After You Leave?
The facility sends your application to the State Department, which processes it and mails the passport and your proof documents. You do not collect anything at the site.
The library page says the original citizenship document is returned after the passport is issued, so expect your documents to arrive separately from the passport. Keep the receipt for your payment and any tracking details the facility gives you. If weeks pass with no news, use the status tool described in our passport application status guide. If your trip is closer than the normal timeline allows, move to expedited service or an urgent agency appointment instead of waiting.
What Mistakes Cause Problems?
Photocopied citizenship proof, wrong payment and missing parents cause most failed visits. Check each point first.
- Bringing a photocopy of a birth certificate instead of the original.
- Printing the DS-11 front and back on one sheet.
- Signing the form before the agent tells you to.
- Paying the execution fee in a form the site does not take.
- Writing on the back of the State Department check.
- Arriving without an appointment.
- Bringing a minor without the required parent.
- Using a photo that does not meet the rules.
When unsure, call the facility before you go. For related topics, see our guides on passport name change and passport card vs book.
FAQs
Does a post office issue my passport?
No. It checks your DS-11 and documents and sends the application to the State Department, which issues the passport.
How much is the execution fee?
$35 per applicant, paid to the facility, according to two local acceptance facility pages. Only one fee applies for a book and card together.
Do I need an appointment?
Often yes. Both pages say to request an appointment online or by phone, so check your site before you go.
What documents do I bring?
The DS-11, proof of citizenship with a photocopy, photo ID with a photocopy, a 2 by 2 inch photo and your payments.
Can I pay with cash?
Not for the State Department fee, which needs a check or money order. The facility fee depends on the site.
Do both parents need to attend for a child?
Normally yes for under-16 applications. If one parent cannot attend, contact the facility for instructions.
Conclusion
A passport acceptance facility checks your application, witnesses your signature and sends it on for a $35 execution fee. Bring the DS-11, original citizenship proof with a copy, photo ID with a copy, a photo and two separate payments. Book an appointment, bring both parents for a child under 16 and confirm payment rules with your site. Use a facility for first passports and replacements, and use a passport agency only for urgent travel.
