A first-time adult passport book in Texas costs $165: a $130 federal application fee plus a $35 execution fee paid to the acceptance facility that takes your application.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees Every passport fee is set by the U.S. Department of State, so the passport cost in Texas is the same in Houston, El Paso, or a rural post office. What changes your total is the document type, the applicant’s age, whether you’re a first-time applicant or renewing, and whether you pay to speed things up.
What a First-Time Application Costs
The State Department charges a flat application fee based on the document and the applicant’s age:
- Adult passport book (16 and older): $130
- Child passport book (under 16): $100
- Adult passport card: $30
- Child passport card: $15
- Adult book and card together: $160
- Child book and card together: $115
Add the $35 execution fee on top of each of those if you’re applying in person on Form DS-11.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees First-time applicants, all minors, and anyone replacing a lost, stolen, or damaged passport must apply in person, so the execution fee is unavoidable in those cases.2U.S. Department of State. Application for a U.S. Passport
The passport card is much cheaper, but it only works for land and sea crossings into Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. It cannot be used for international air travel. If you plan to fly, you need the book.
Texas has hundreds of acceptance facilities, including county clerk offices, post offices, and university passport centers. The State Department’s locator at iafdb.travel.state.gov searches by ZIP code and shows which locations also take photos on-site.3U.S. Department of State. Passport Acceptance Facility Search
What a Renewal Costs
An adult renewing a passport book pays $130 with no execution fee, saving $35 against a first-time application. A card renewal is $30.1U.S. Department of State. Passport Fees
You can renew by mail on Form DS-82 if your most recent passport was issued when you were 16 or older, was issued within the last 15 years, is undamaged, has never been reported lost or stolen, and was issued in your current name (or you can document the change).4U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport by Mail Online renewal is also available, but only if you’re 25 or older, have the physical passport in hand, aren’t changing any personal information, and can wait for routine processing.5U.S. Department of State. Renew Your Passport Online Either way the fee is $130 for a book or $30 for a card.
Children’s passports are a recurring expense. A child’s book costs $100 plus the $35 execution fee every time, and it expires after five years. An adult book is valid for ten years.6U.S. Department of State. Apply for Your Passport as a 16-17 Year Old Over a ten-year span a child’s passport runs $270, versus $165 for a single adult passport covering the same decade.
Expedited Processing and Faster Delivery
Standard processing currently takes about four to six weeks, not counting mailing time. Expedited processing adds $60 per application and shortens that window to roughly two to three weeks. You can request it on any application type.7U.S. Department of State. How to Get My U.S. Passport Fast
Separately, $22.05 buys 1-to-3-day delivery of a finished passport book to a U.S. address. Passport cards ship by regular first-class mail at no extra charge.8U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees
Stacked up, a first-time adult book with expedited processing and fast delivery comes to $247.05: $130 application, $35 execution, $60 expedite, and $22.05 delivery.
Photos and Other Side Costs
Every application needs a 2-by-2-inch color photo taken within the last six months against a white or off-white background, with no eyeglasses and no digital filters.9U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Photos Pharmacies, shipping stores, and some post offices typically charge between $8 and $20 for a printed set. Many Texas acceptance facilities offer photos on-site at similar prices. A compliant photo taken at home and printed at a retail kiosk runs under a dollar.
First-time applicants also need a certified birth certificate if they don’t already have one. State vital records offices usually charge $10 to $30, more for rush processing.
How You Pay in Person
At an acceptance facility you make two separate payments. The federal application fee, plus any expedite or fast-delivery charge, has to be paid by check or money order made out to “U.S. Department of State.” Credit and debit cards are not accepted for that portion.10United States Postal Service. Passport Application and Passport Renewal The $35 execution fee goes to the facility itself and can usually be paid by credit card, debit card, cash, check, or money order, though accepted methods vary. Call ahead to confirm.
Ask for a receipt covering the execution fee. Once the sealed package leaves the facility, the processing clock starts.
Fees Are Non-Refundable
Both the application fee and the execution fee are kept by law even if a passport is not issued.11U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 8 FAM 602.2 Passport Fees If your application is denied for missing documents, identity problems, or incomplete information, you pay again when you reapply. Before your appointment, confirm you have your certified birth certificate or previous passport, a valid photo ID, your completed DS-11, your passport photo, and both forms of payment.
When Tax Debt Can Block Your Passport
Paying the fee isn’t always enough. Under the FAST Act, the IRS certifies seriously delinquent federal tax debt to the State Department, which then denies new applications and can revoke existing passports. The threshold is $66,000 in assessed, legally enforceable federal tax debt including penalties and interest, adjusted annually for inflation.12Internal Revenue Service. Revocation or Denial of Passport in Cases of Certain Unpaid Taxes
Every applicant must also provide a Social Security number. The State Department can deny the application if it’s missing or incorrect,13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC 2714a and the IRS imposes a separate $500 penalty for leaving a taxpayer identification number off a passport application.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 6039E