Passport 1-3 day delivery fee
The delivery fee buys speed on the last leg only, from the passport agency to your door, and only for a passport book.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Your passport should arrive between
November 15, 2026 – December 15, 2026
You pay $156.87 in total
| Application fee · DS-82 | $130 |
|---|---|
| 1-3 day return delivery | $26.87 |
| Check or money order to “U.S. Department of State” | $156.87 |
| Mail to the State Department | up to 2 weeks |
|---|---|
| Processing | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Mail back to you | 1 to 3 days |
| Last day to apply, routine, worst case | October 3, 2026 |
| Last day to apply, expedited, worst case | October 24, 2026 |
Tight: it arrives in time only if mail and processing are fast.
Official rule: routine service if you travel in 6 weeks or more.
How this was calculated
- Fees from the State Department chart “United States Passport Fees”, October 2026 edition, and 22 CFR 22.1 ($50 application + $80 security surcharge = $130 for an adult book).
- Times from the processing-time page updated October 5, 2026: routine 4 to 6 weeks, expedited 2 to 3 weeks, mail up to 2 weeks each way. The earliest date leaves mail out, the latest adds both legs.
- Not included: photos, the price of faster USPS mail to the State Department (set by the facility), and any private expediter fee.
Estimate from the State Department’s published fees and processing times. Mailing times vary and the Department decides each case. Independent site, not affiliated with the Department of State; we sell no expediting service. Method and sources
The 1-3 day return delivery option costs $26.87 per application on the State Department fee chart of October 2026, against $22.05 on the February 2026 chart, an increase of $4.82. It is added to the check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State, never paid to the acceptance facility. It ships the finished passport book within 1 to 3 days after the Department mails it, instead of a return leg that can take up to 2 weeks, so it can save up to 11 days. It does not shorten processing, which stays 4 to 6 weeks routine or 2 to 3 weeks expedited, and it does not speed up the trip of your application to the Department. It only applies to mailing addresses in the United States and is not available for a passport card alone, which always travels by First Class Mail. The Department asks you not to send a prepaid return envelope.
What the fee actually buys
A passport application makes three trips, and this fee touches only the last one. Your envelope still travels at the speed of the mail service you chose to reach the Department, up to 2 weeks with standard mail. Processing still takes the published range. What changes is the return: with the fee, the book leaves by a 1 to 3 day service instead of a trip that can last 2 weeks. The calculator above already includes it, and moves the latest date 11 days earlier when you switch it on.
When it is worth paying
It pays off when your trip falls inside the last two weeks of the worst case. If routine service ends safely before departure, the fee buys nothing. If the latest date lands a few days after departure, $26.87 can be enough to fix it without the $60 expedite fee; the expedite guide compares the two on your dates. To shorten the first leg as well, the acceptance facility can sell you USPS Priority Mail Express, at a price it sets.
The two editions of the fee in 2026
The table below comes from the State Department’s own fee charts. If you read a figure lower than $26.87 elsewhere, it comes from an older edition, and a check written for the old total is short.
The 1-3 day delivery fee in 2026
| Fee chart edition | 1-3 day delivery |
|---|---|
| February 2026 | $22.05 |
| October 2026 | $26.87 |