*Updated March 27, 2020*
The Department of State advises U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel at this time due to the global impact of COVID-19. Many areas throughout the world are now experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks and taking action that may limit traveler mobility, including quarantines and border restrictions. Even countries, jurisdictions, or areas where cases have not been reported may restrict travel without notice. You can find additional guidance about the Department's recommendations in response to COVID-19 here.
Change in Passport Services Operations
Due to public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, effective March 20, 2020, we are only able to offer service for customers with a qualified life-or-death emergency and who need a passport for immediate international travel within 72 hours.
Life-or-death emergencies are serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family (e.g. parent, child, spouse, sibling, aunt, uncle, etc) that require you to travel outside the United States within 72 hours (3 days). You must provide:
To make an appointment at a passport agency or center for a life-or-death emergency, you must call our National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 (1-888-874-7793 TDD/TTY) on Monday- Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm Eastern Time, except federal holidays or on Saturdays, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Eastern Time. Call 202-647-4000 outside of these hours to make an appointment.
If you applied and requested expedited service on or before March 19, 2020, we will honor our commitment of 2-3 weeks door-to-door for expedited service. If you applied in-person at a passport agency or center on or before March 19, 2020, the passport agency or center will contact you and ask if you want to pick-up your passport in person or have it mailed to you.
Customers in Puerto Rico should be aware that our San Juan Passport Agency is closed to the public until at least April 12, 2020.
Due to public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many passport application acceptance facilities, which include libraries, clerks of court, and post offices are not accepting U.S. passport applications at this time. As of March 25, 2020, post offices which are still accepting applications are requiring customers to make an online appointment to apply in person for a U.S. passport. If you need to apply in person for your U.S. passport, please contact the facility directly to confirm the status of its operations.
If you are applying for or renewing a U.S. passport on or after March 20, 2020, we will not offer expedited service and routine service may be delayed.
The status of our operations may change quickly. We will update this notice as the status changes.
Do you need to rush your passport? We can help you! Learn more about the service you should select based on when and why you are traveling internationally.
| Travel Date | Reason for Travel | Service | Processing Times | Next Steps? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right now | I have a life-or-death emergency | Life-or-Death Emergency Service | Within 72 hours | See our "Life-or- Death Emergencies" page to learn if you are eligible. |
| Less than 3 weeks | I have urgent international travel plans. | Expedited at an Agency or Center (suspended as of March 20, 2020) | 8 business days or less (suspended) | Make an appointment at a passport agency or center (bring proof of travel) |
| 3-8 weeks | (No reason needed) | Expedited (suspended as of March 20, 2020) | 2-3 weeks (suspended) | Expedite at an acceptance facility or expedite a renewal by mail |
| More than 8 weeks | (No reason needed) | Routine (may be delayed as of March 20, 2020) | 6-8 weeks (may be delayed) | Apply at an acceptance facility or renew by mail |
Select this option if your international travel date is in the next 3 to 8 weeks. Your application will be processed in 2-3 weeks.
You must use Form DS-11 when applying at an acceptance facility. If you need to renew your passport, you should use Form DS-82 and mail it to us. Here's how you expedite at an acceptance facility:
Select this option if your international travel date is in the next 3 to 8 weeks. Your application will be processed in 2-3 weeks.
Form DS-82 must be mailed in unless you have urgent international travel and are eligible to renew in-person at a passport agency or center. To find out if you are eligible to use Form DS-82, see our Renew a Passport page. Here's how to expedite a renewal by mail:
You may choose to pay for a 1-2 day delivery service for your application. When you pay for this service, you're not paying for your passport to be completed in 1-2 days. You're paying for your completed passport to be shipped to you 1-2 days after we print it.
If you need your passport for urgent international travel in the next 2 days, please make an appointment at a passport agency or center.
Passport expeditor/courier companies are private entities, some of which are registered at our passport agencies, and are allowed to submit expedited passport applications on behalf of customers. To learn more about passport and visa expeditor/courier companies, please visit our Passport Expeditor/Courier page.
Visit the Online Passport Appointment System.
Call 1-877-487-2778 or TDD/TTY 1-888-874-7793. Available 24/7. Se habla español.
