How Much Is a Passport? Book, Card and Renewal Fees for 2026
How much is a passport in 2026? A first-time US book is $165, a renewal $130, a card $65. Every fee, add-on and the $26.87 delivery rise.
The short answer
How much is a passport depends on whether it is your first. A first-time adult book costs $165: $130 to the State Department plus a $35 facility fee. Renewing online or by mail is $130 with no facility fee. A first adult passport card is $65, and a child’s book is $135. Expediting adds $60, and 1-3 day return delivery is $26.87 from 1 October 2026.
Most people find out what a passport costs at the counter, holding a form and the wrong kind of payment. The number rarely matches what a friend paid, because the price depends on your age, the document, and how you apply.
This guide sets out every US passport fee for 2026, checked against the State Department’s fee page on 2 October 2026. It also covers the add-ons that push the total higher, and the one fee that changed this week.
What you need before you pay anything
- Proof of citizenship: a certified birth certificate, naturalization certificate, or your previous US passport
- A physical photo ID: a driver’s license or other government ID, plus a photocopy
- One 2×2 inch color photo, taken in the last six months (a digital photo for online renewal)
- A check or money order payable to “U.S. Department of State” for the application fee
- A second payment method for the $35 facility fee, which each facility sets its own rules for
- A credit or debit card if you renew online, since that route takes cards only
The two-payment rule catches people most often. The State Department fee goes in one check, and the facility collects its $35 separately, often by card or cash. Our passport documents checklist covers the paperwork side in more detail.
How much is a passport for a first-time adult?
A first-time adult applies in person on Form DS-11, at a post office, clerk of court or library. That means two fees: the passport application fee to the State Department, and the $35 facility acceptance fee.
| Document | Application fee | Total with $35 |
|---|---|---|
| Adult book | $130 | $165 |
| Adult card | $30 | $65 |
| Adult book and card | $160 | $195 |
| Child book | $100 | $135 |
| Child card | $15 | $50 |
| Child book and card | $115 | $150 |
Each total includes one $35 facility fee. Fees per the State Department fee page, checked 2 October 2026. “Adult” means 16 or older.
The facility fee is charged once per application, not per document. Ordering a book and card together costs one $35 fee, which is why the State Department says you save $35 by applying for both at once.
Applicants aged 16 and 17 pay the adult fees but still apply in person on Form DS-11 for their first adult passport.
What is the U.S. passport renewal fee?
The U.S. passport renewal fee is $130 for a book, $30 for a card, and $160 for both. There is no $35 facility fee, because nobody at a counter handles a renewal. A post office should not charge you one for posting a DS-82.
| Renewal document | Mail or online fee |
|---|---|
| Book | $130 |
| Card | $30 |
| Book and card | $160 |
You can renew by mail if your last passport was issued within 15 years, when you were 16 or older, for 10 years. It must also be undamaged, never reported lost, and in your current name or backed by a marriage certificate or court order.
Online renewal costs the same but has tighter rules. You must be 25 or older and in a US state or territory. Your passport must expire within a year or have expired less than five years ago, and you cannot travel for six weeks, because online renewals cannot be expedited.
How much is a passport card, and is it enough?
A first-time adult passport card costs $65, or $30 to renew. It is the cheapest US passport document, and it does a narrower job. It covers land and sea entry from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and some Caribbean countries.
It is not valid for any international flight, including one to those same places. The State Department notes that both the book and the card count as an alternative to REAL ID on domestic flights, and TSA lists both as accepted ID.
For anyone who flies abroad, the card is an add-on, not a cheaper substitute. It suits people who drive across the Canadian or Mexican border, and works as a wallet ID that leaves the book at home. Our REAL ID guide explains when that matters.
What does a child’s passport cost?
A child under 16 always applies in person on Form DS-11, even if they held a passport before. Child passports last only five years and cannot be renewed, so every one costs the full first-time price.
A child’s book is $135 in total and a card is $50. Both parents or guardians must attend, or the absent one signs a notarized Form DS-3053, submitted within 90 days of signing. Our guide to getting a baby a passport covers the consent rules.
Spread across its validity, an adult book works out to $16.50 a year. A child’s book costs $27 a year, because the same trip to the counter buys only five years.
Which add-ons raise the cost?
The base fee is where the total starts, not where it ends. Three optional extras go to the State Department, and the facility may sell two more of its own.
| Add-on | Cost | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Expedited service | $60 | State Department |
| 1-3 day return delivery | $26.87 | State Department |
| File search | $150 | State Department |
| Passport photo | varies | Facility |
| Faster mail to the State Department | varies | Facility |
State Department fees checked 2 October 2026.
The $150 file search applies only when you cannot produce proof of citizenship and your record predates 1994. Return delivery is for books only, since cards always travel by First Class Mail.
Add the State Department extras to the same check as the application fee. The facility’s own extras are paid to the facility.
The delivery fee changed on 1 October 2026
The State Department raised 1-3 day return delivery from $23.36 to $26.87, a $3.51 increase, effective Thursday 1 October 2026. Its fee page and online renewal page both show the new figure.
Not every page has caught up. On 2 October 2026 the USPS passport page still listed $22.05, a figure two increases old, and the Orange County, Florida clerk still showed $23.36. Wake County, North Carolina and the University of Texas passport office already listed $26.87.
When two figures disagree, the State Department’s page wins, because that is who cashes the check. A check for the old amount can come back short.
What facilities charge on top
The $35 facility fee is fixed, but photos and outbound postage are not. These are what four facilities published on 2 October 2026:
| Facility | Photo | Faster outbound mail |
|---|---|---|
| USPS | $15 | Priority Mail Express |
| Wake County, NC | $12 | $31.76 |
| Orange County, FL | $15 | $35.90 |
| UT Austin | $17 for two | from $32.62 |
Orange County also adds a $3.50 surcharge when you pay its $35 fee by credit card. A drugstore photo can cost less, and a renewal by mail skips the facility entirely. Our passport office guide helps you find the nearest facility.
Is expedited service worth $60?
Routine processing takes 4 to 6 weeks and expedited takes 2 to 3, per the State Department’s processing page, updated 28 September 2026. Mail can add up to two weeks each way, so routine can run to 10 weeks door to door.
If expedited service misses 15 business days, you can ask for the $60 back. The application and facility fees are never refunded, even if no passport is issued.
Expediting earns its fee once travel is inside about 10 weeks. Further out, routine service costs $60 less and lands in time. Our expedited passport guide walks through the timing.
What if you need it within two weeks?
A passport agency appointment is for travel within 14 calendar days, or a foreign visa needed within 28 days. Booking is free, and the State Department warns that anyone charging for an appointment is likely a scam.
The visit is not free of extras, though. Agencies require the $60 expedited fee on top of the normal application fee, and they take cards and contactless payments.
A life-or-death emergency qualifies for an appointment up to two weeks before travel, when an immediate family member abroad has died, is dying, or is critically ill. Bring a death certificate or a signed hospital letter, plus proof of travel.
Costs that catch people out
- Losing a passport costs the full first-time price. A lost or stolen passport cannot be renewed; you apply again on DS-11 with Form DS-64, and pay the $165.
- A passport that never arrives has a 120-day window from its issue date to report it. After that, the law requires you to reapply and pay all fees again.
- Unofficial renewal sites charge extra on top of the $130. The only official online renewal is at opr.travel.state.gov.
- A wrong-amount check delays the application. The State Department fee calculator gives the exact figure before you write it.
Your fee was wrong or the passport is late
- Check the status online at passportstatus.state.gov before calling.
- Query a second facility fee. One $35 fee covers a book and card on the same DS-11.
- Request the $60 refund through the expedite refund form if expedited service ran past 15 business days. Refunds take up to six weeks.
- Call the National Passport Information Center at 877-487-2778, weekdays 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern, weekends 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Ask for an agency appointment if travel is now inside 14 days.
Frequently asked questions
In short
A first-time US passport book costs $165, a renewal $130, and a passport card $65 new or $30 to renew. Children pay $135 for a book every five years. Expediting adds $60, and return delivery rose to $26.87 on 1 October 2026.
Fees change without much notice, and this week proved it. This was checked against the State Department’s fee page on 2 October 2026; if something no longer matches what you were charged, tell us and we will correct it.
Sources
- US Department of State, Passport Fees
- US Department of State, Get Your Processing Time
- US Department of State, Renew Your Passport Online
- US Department of State, Renew Your Passport by Mail
- US Department of State, Compare a Passport Card and Book
- US Department of State, Apply for a Child Under 16
- US Department of State, Apply at 16 or 17
- US Department of State, Where to Apply
- US Department of State, Make an Appointment at a Passport Agency
- US Department of State, Life-or-Death Emergencies
- US Department of State, Expedited Service Fee Refund
- US Department of State, Citizenship Evidence and File Search
- US Department of State, Report a Lost or Stolen Passport
- US Department of State, Contact US Passports
- USPS, Passport Appointments, Renewals and Photo Services
- USPS Florida newsroom, passport fees and photo fee, April 2026
- TSA, Acceptable Identification at the Checkpoint
- Wake County Register of Deeds, Passport Fees
- Orange County Clerk of Courts, Passport Fees
- University of Texas at Austin, Passport Adult Applicants
- Texas Border Business, Price increase in expedited passport delivery service
