Method and sources
Every amount and every time on this site comes from State Department pages read by a program anyone can run again, and is stored in a parameter file that automated tests compare with the latest reading. This page says what is read, when, and what happens when something changes.
| Data | Official source | Read on | Value used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application fees | Fee chart, October 2026 (PDF) | October 16, 2026 | $130 / $30 / $160; child $100 / $15 / $115 |
| Execution, expedite, delivery, file search | Fee chart and Passport Fees page | October 16, 2026 | $35 · $60 · $26.87 · $150 |
| Legal fee schedule | 22 CFR 22.1 (eCFR) | October 13, 2026 | $50 + $80 |
| Processing times | Get Your Processing Time, updated October 5, 2026 | October 16, 2026 | 4-6 wk routine, 2-3 wk expedited, mail ≤ 2 wk each way |
| Online and mail renewal rules | Renew Online / Renew by Mail pages | October 16, 2026 | age 25+, 1-year / 5-year window, 6 weeks; 15 years, age 16 |
| Expedite commitment | Expedited Service Fee Refund page | October 16, 2026 | 15 business days, OPM holidays excluded |
| Validity by destination | Consular Affairs country information (API) | October 15, 2026 | 26 destinations |
| Locations and statistics | Consular Affairs data service | October 16, 2026 | 14,321 locations; fiscal years to 2024 |
How the sources are read
travel.state.gov turns away automated readers with a Cloudflare protection, and we do not try to get around it. The same Bureau of Consular Affairs serves the same pages and the same fee PDF on adoptions.state.gov, which is open to programs: the reading is done there, and the citations on this site link to travel.state.gov. The legal fee schedule is read through the eCFR API, and the country pages, application locations and statistics through the public Consular Affairs API, cadataapi.state.gov.
The automatic check
A scheduled job reads everything again every week. If the published processing range changes, the new range goes into the calculator, the site is rebuilt and a written notice is kept. If a fee, a renewal rule or the entry text of a country changes, nothing is changed on its own: the tests fail, a notice is opened with the before and after, and a person reads the source again before anything is published.
How the date is computed
The earliest date adds only the shortest processing time and, if you paid for faster delivery, one day of return mail. The latest adds outbound mail at its published maximum (2 weeks), the longest processing time and return mail at its maximum (2 weeks, or 3 days with paid delivery). Online renewal has no outbound mail. An agency appointment has no date: the passport is issued at the agency when the appointment allows. The expedite refund deadline counts 15 business days, leaving out weekends and the federal holidays published by OPM.
What we do not do
We do not fill in or submit applications, sell expediting services, or ask for an email or phone number, and what you type in the calculators never leaves your browser. We are not affiliated with the Department of State. The Department decides your case: a rejected photo or a missing document lengthens any time shown here.