How Much Does a Passport Cost

A passport is a very important document which is issued by governments to their citizens for touring foreign countries. Passport is actually a proof of your identity and the country to which you belong in a foreign country which you visit. The diplomatic passport, camouflage passport, alien's passport, emergency passport, official passport and the family passport are some of the types of passports. For getting a passport, you need to submit the dully filled application form along with all the necessary documents to your passport office.

What is the Cost of Getting a Passport?

The cost of getting a passport would be USD 100 for all those who are above sixteen years of age. Now, let us understand the breakdown of this total: around USD 75 will go to the State Department Authority and the rest USD 25 will be the processing or execution fee. This is the fee which you would have to pay if you are applying for a passport for the first time. The answer to the question - 'how much does a passport cost' is, USD 75 for all those who are applying for the renewal of their expired passports. For the people who wish to obtain the passport very quickly, the expedite service is available, for which you will have to pay USD 80 more, apart from the normal passport fees which is charged for the same. If you are less than sixteen years of age and wish to apply for a passport, then you will have to pay USD 60 to the State Department and USD 25 as the execution fee. Thus, the total charge for the minors will be USD 85.

You should remember that applying for a passport card will also cost you. If you have completed 16 years of age, then you will have to pay USD 20 for the application fee and USD 25 for the execution fee while those below the age of 16 will have to shell out USD 10 as the application fee and the same USD 25 as execution fee. We all know that photo identity and birth certificate are important documents for getting a passport. In case you are unable to produce these documents, then you will have to pay a USD 150 file search fee so that it is proved that you are an American citizen.

How to Get a Passport?

In order to get a passport, you need to collect all important documents such as your age proof, residence proof, proof of citizenship, etc. Get the form from the passport office and fill it carefully without making any sort of mistakes. If you have not completed sixteen years of age, then you will require notarized permission to apply for a passport. You can expect to get your passport quickly if you send it through express mail. You will also have to sign the documents in front of the officers in the passport office. Under certain circumstances, it is said that getting a passport in just a single day is also possible. Many of us might think that this is just a lie, but it is true in some cases. However, for this procedure to be successful, you need to be well aware of the procedure and the norms and follow them properly. The first step in this procedure is to go to your local passport office and explain to them why you need a passport so urgently. If your reason is found to be authentic and genuine, you will surely get the passport after filling up the form. In these cases, the passport might be sent to the address of the person who has applied for it or the person might have to collect it from the concerned authority in the passport office. While applying for a passport, you should take help of a knowledgeable person, preferably someone from the passport office so that you do not make any mistakes in completing the necessary formalities.

Hopefully, this article has cleared all your doubts related to how much does a passport cost and how to get a passport. It would be advisable to apply for the passport even when you don't need it assuming that you may need it sometime in the future, in order to avoid last minute hassles.