A first-time adult passport book in Illinois costs $165: a $130 application fee paid to the U.S. Department of State and a $35 execution fee paid to the local acceptance facility that processes your paperwork.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees A renewal by mail skips the execution fee and costs $130. Everything else, from passport cards to expedited service, builds off those two numbers.
Fee Breakdown by Applicant and Document
The federal application fee depends on who you are and what you’re getting. The $35 execution fee is a flat per-person charge that applies whenever you have to apply in person.
Adults age 16 and older applying for the first time pay:
- Passport book: $130 + $35 = $165
- Passport card: $30 + $35 = $65
- Book and card together: $160 + $35 = $195
Children under 16 pay a lower application fee because their passports are only valid for five years instead of ten, but the $35 execution fee still applies:
- Passport book: $100 + $35 = $135
- Passport card: $15 + $35 = $50
- Book and card together: $115 + $35 = $150
One thing worth knowing before you choose the cheaper card: the passport card can’t be used for international air travel. It’s a wallet-sized card for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and parts of the Caribbean.2U.S. Department of State. Get a Passport Card If you’re flying overseas, you need the book.
Renewal Costs
Renewing by mail with Form DS-82 is cheaper because no acceptance facility handles your application, so there’s no execution fee.3U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail You pay only the application fee:
- Passport book: $130
- Passport card: $30
- Book and card together: $160
You qualify to renew by mail only if your most recent passport can be submitted with the application, is undamaged beyond normal wear, was never reported lost or stolen, was issued within the last 15 years, and was issued when you were 16 or older. If any of those don’t fit, you have to apply in person with Form DS-11 and pay the $35 execution fee on top of the application fee.3U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail
What the $35 Execution Fee Covers
The execution fee is a separate charge paid directly to the acceptance facility, not to the Department of State. It pays for verifying your identity, witnessing your signature, and forwarding your application. First-time adult applicants, anyone who can’t renew by mail, and all minors have to pay it.4U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees for Acceptance Facilities
It’s charged per person, so a family of four submitting applications together owes $35 each. The amount doesn’t change based on whether you’re getting a book, a card, or both.
Faster Service Costs More
Routine processing currently takes four to six weeks. If you need it faster, expedited service adds $60 per application and brings processing down to roughly two to three weeks.5U.S. Department of State. Processing Times for U.S. Passports
Expedited service only speeds up the government’s review. To get your finished passport book back in the mail faster too, you can add $22.05 for one-to-three-day return delivery. The delivery upgrade is only available for passport books mailed to U.S. addresses, not for cards.6U.S. Department of State. How to Get My U.S. Passport Fast
Stacked together, a first-time adult passport book with expedited processing and fast return delivery comes to $130 + $35 + $60 + $22.05, or $247.05.
Extras That Can Add to Your Total
Passport photos aren’t included in any of the fees above. You have to bring a compliant 2-by-2-inch photo with your application.7U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos Retail pharmacies and shipping stores commonly charge around $15 to $18 for a pair of prints. Some acceptance facilities will take the photo on-site, but pricing and availability vary.
If a minor is applying with only one parent present, the absent parent generally needs to provide a notarized consent statement. That notarization usually runs $10 to $25.
If you don’t have a previous passport and can’t provide primary proof of U.S. citizenship, the Department of State charges a $150 file search fee to look up your citizenship records. It’s non-refundable even if the search finds nothing.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
How to Pay
You make two separate payments when applying in person, because the money goes to two different places.
The application fee goes to the U.S. Department of State. You can pay by check or money order made out to “U.S. Department of State,” or you can pay online in advance through Pay.gov using a debit card, credit card, PayPal, or Venmo.8Pay.gov. Fee for U.S. Passport Application Submitted at Acceptance Facility If you pay online, bring the Pay.gov confirmation printout to your appointment instead of a check.
The $35 execution fee is paid separately to the acceptance facility. Most locations take personal checks, cashier’s checks, money orders, or credit and debit cards, but policies vary by facility.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees Call ahead to confirm what the location accepts so you aren’t turned away at the counter.