Track your U.S. passport application status

Where to check your status

The official place to check is passportstatus.state.gov¹. Enter your details exactly as they are on your application. Updates also go to the email address you wrote on the form, so watch your inbox and your spam folder.

It can take 2 weeks² between the day you mail your application and the first "In Process" status. Until then, the site may not find your application yet. That alone does not mean something is wrong.

When the State Department writes to you

If the State Department asks for more information, follow the letter or email and respond within 90 days of its date.⁵

Read the letter or email carefully, send exactly what it asks for, and keep a copy of your answer. A photo that does not meet the rules is a common reason for a request: see Passport photo requirements.

When your passport and documents arrive

Your new passport arrives first. Your supporting documents, such as your old passport or birth certificate, come in a separate envelope up to 4 weeks³ later.

Check your new passport as soon as it arrives. To fix an error in your name, sex or place of birth, or a printing defect, mail Form DS-5504 with the passport, one photo and evidence of the error. Reported within 1 year, the new passport gets full validity; after that, it keeps the original expiration date.⁶ For details, read Passport name change.

Who to call

Call the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) at 1-877-487-2778⁴. Have your application details at hand when you call.

For a life-or-death emergency outside business hours, the number is 202-647-4000⁷.

If your trip is close

If you travel internationally soon, you can book an appointment at a passport agency or center once you are within 14 calendar days of your trip, or 28 days if you also need a foreign visa.⁸

Read Urgent travel: getting a passport fast for the next steps.

Step by step

Checklist

Keep this at hand

Print checklist

• Mailing receipt or tracking number
• A copy of the application and of everything you sent
• The email address you used on the form
• Your travel date, if you have one
• Any letter or email from the State Department, with its date
• Notes from each call: date, time and what you were told

Do and don't

Do

• Check your status only on the official site.
• Answer any request for information quickly and keep a copy.
• Check your new passport for mistakes as soon as it arrives.

Don't

• Don't pay a website to track or speed up your application. The State Department warns that websites or companies claiming to renew your passport online for you may be fraudulent, even with "Gov" in their name; official sites end in .gov.⁹
• Don't ignore a letter or email from the State Department.
• Don't worry if your status is not there in the first days after you mail your application.

Frequently asked questions