To get a passport in Iowa, first-time adult applicants fill out Form DS-11, gather a certified birth certificate, a photo ID, and a 2-by-2-inch passport photo, then apply in person at an acceptance facility such as a post office, public library, or county clerk’s office. The total cost for a first-time adult passport book is $165, and routine processing currently takes four to six weeks, plus mail transit time on each end.
Decide Between a Passport Book and a Passport Card
Sort this out before you fill out anything. The passport book is the standard booklet you need for any international air travel, and it works at every border crossing worldwide.
The passport card is a wallet-sized plastic card that only works for land and sea crossings between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and parts of the Caribbean. You cannot use it to fly to or from a foreign country. It does work as a federally accepted ID for domestic flights inside the United States. If you fly internationally, you need the book. You can also get both together for a small savings on the application fee.
Gather Your Documents
Download Form DS-11 from the State Department’s website and fill it out completely. Do not sign it. You’ll sign in front of the acceptance agent, under oath. The form asks for your full legal name, date and place of birth, Social Security number, emergency contact, and both parents’ full names along with their dates and places of birth and citizenship status.
Proof of U.S. Citizenship
You need one original or certified document. For most Iowa applicants that’s a certified birth certificate issued by the city, county, or state where you were born. It must show your full name, date and place of birth, your parents’ full names, the registrar’s signature, the issuing authority’s seal, and a filing date within one year of your birth. A delayed birth certificate (filed more than a year after birth) counts only as secondary evidence, and you may be asked for additional supporting documents.
Other accepted documents include a previous undamaged U.S. passport, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a Certificate of Naturalization, or a Certificate of Citizenship.
If you need to order an Iowa birth certificate, you can request one from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Bureau of Health Statistics) or from your county recorder’s office. Each certified copy costs $15. Iowa county recorders can issue copies for births recorded from 1986 to the present.
The acceptance agent sends your citizenship document to the State Department with your application. It comes back to you separately by mail after processing.
Photo ID
Bring a valid photo ID and a photocopy of the front and back on standard 8.5-by-11-inch paper. The agent keeps the copy and returns the original.
A single primary ID is enough on its own: an in-state driver’s license, a previous U.S. passport, a Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship, a government employee ID (city, county, state, or federal), a U.S. military ID, or a valid foreign passport. If you only have a learner’s permit, a temporary license, or a non-driver ID with a photo, the agent may ask for a second form of identification. Without any primary ID, you can present two secondary IDs, such as an out-of-state driver’s license, a Social Security card, a voter registration card, or a student ID.
Passport Photo
You need one recent color photo, 2 by 2 inches, taken within the last six months against a plain white or off-white background with no shadows. Keep a neutral expression, both eyes open, mouth closed. Take your glasses off, including prescription glasses. If a medical reason prevents that, include a signed note from your doctor. Many post offices, pharmacies, and shipping stores take passport photos for a small fee.
Apply in Person at an Iowa Acceptance Facility
First-time applicants, anyone under 16, and anyone whose previous passport was lost, stolen, damaged, or issued more than 15 years ago must apply in person using Form DS-11.
Iowa acceptance facilities include many post offices, public libraries, and county clerk offices. Find the closest one through the State Department’s facility locator at iafdb.travel.state.gov. Most locations require an appointment, so schedule one before you go.
At the appointment, bring the completed and unsigned DS-11, your citizenship document, your photo ID and its photocopy, your passport photo, and payment for both fees. The acceptance agent will review everything, place you under oath, and watch you sign the form. If you sign the DS-11 ahead of time, it’s invalid and you’ll have to redo it.
Passport Fees
Passport costs are split into two separate payments. The application fee goes to the U.S. Department of State. The execution fee goes to the acceptance facility that processes you in person.
- Adult passport book: $130 application fee
- Adult passport card: $30 application fee
- Adult book and card together: $160 application fee
- Child passport book (under 16): $100 application fee
- Child passport card: $15 application fee
- Child book and card together: $115 application fee
- Execution fee (in-person applications only): $35
- Expedited processing: $60
- 1-3 day delivery of the finished passport: $22.05
A first-time adult passport book with nothing added runs $165 total. Add expedited processing and priority shipping and you’re at $247.05.
The State Department accepts personal checks, certified checks, money orders, and credit cards for the application fee. Execution fee payment methods vary by facility, but most Iowa post offices take checks, money orders, and credit or debit cards. Prepare the two payments separately before your appointment.
Processing Times and Tracking
Routine processing currently takes four to six weeks. Expedited processing takes two to three weeks. Those windows cover only the State Department’s handling time. Add up to two more weeks for mail transit in each direction, so the real timeline from mailing day to mailbox is longer than the posted processing window suggests.
Check your status at passportstatus.state.gov using your last name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Updates typically don’t appear until several weeks after you apply, so checking the next day won’t show anything.
Your new passport comes by U.S. Priority Mail. Your original citizenship documents usually arrive in a separate mailing. Paid 1-3 day delivery only speeds up the finished passport, not the return of your documents.
If You Need It Faster
If you’re traveling in less than six weeks, pay the $60 expedited fee when you submit the application. If your trip is less than two weeks out and you have flight reservations, you can request an appointment at a regional passport agency for in-person urgent processing. The closest agencies to Iowa are in Minneapolis and Chicago.
For a life-or-death emergency, such as travel abroad because of the serious illness or death of an immediate family member within 14 days, call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 (TTY: 1-888-874-7793) to request an emergency appointment.
Renewing an Existing Passport by Mail
If you already have a passport, you may be able to skip the in-person visit and renew by mail using Form DS-82. You qualify only if all of the following are true:
- You can submit your most recent passport with the application (not lost, stolen, or damaged).
- You were at least 16 when it was issued.
- It was issued less than 15 years ago.
- It wasn’t limited to less than the normal 10-year validity.
Mail your completed DS-82, your most recent passport, a new photo, the application fee, and any name-change documentation (such as a certified marriage certificate or court order) to the address printed on the form. Your old passport comes back separately after your new one ships. Mail renewals skip the $35 execution fee because there’s no in-person appointment.
Getting a Passport for a Child Under 16
Children under 16 apply in person using Form DS-11, and both parents or legal guardians must appear at the acceptance facility with the child. This two-parent rule is a federal anti-abduction safeguard, and acceptance agents enforce it strictly.
If one parent can’t attend, that parent completes Form DS-3053 (Statement of Consent) in front of a notary public and provides a photocopy of the ID they showed the notary. Submit the notarized DS-3053 with the child’s application. If neither parent can appear, both submit a notarized DS-3053 for the adult who will bring the child.
When one parent genuinely can’t be located, Form DS-5525 (Statement of Exigent/Special Family Circumstances) explains the situation. Sole custody orders, death certificates, or court orders granting you authority to apply on the child’s behalf can also satisfy the consent requirement.
Replacing a Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Passport
Report a lost or stolen passport to the State Department right away. Reporting deactivates it so no one else can use it. File Form DS-64 online and mail it to the address on the form with a photocopy of your photo ID. Reporting alone doesn’t get you a replacement; you still have to apply in person with Form DS-11, fresh citizenship evidence, and a new photo. If you’re reporting the loss and applying at the same time, you can put the details about how the passport was lost or stolen directly on the DS-11 instead of filing a separate DS-64. Attach a police report if you filed one.
A damaged passport goes the same route. The State Department treats a passport as damaged if it has torn or cut pages, water damage, a malfunctioning chip, significant fading, or unauthorized markings. Apply in person with Form DS-11 and include a letter to the U.S. Department of State explaining how the damage happened.