Passport for 16 and 17 year olds
From the 16th birthday the State Department charges the adult price and issues a 10-year passport, but a teen still applies in person.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Age 16 or 17: what you pay
$165
Arrives between November 14, 2026 and December 26, 2026
| Application fee · DS-11 | $130 |
|---|---|
| Execution (acceptance) fee | $35 |
| Check or money order to “U.S. Department of State” | $130 |
| Separate payment to the acceptance facility | $35 |
| Total | $165 |
| Mail to the State Department | up to 2 weeks |
|---|---|
| Processing | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Mail back to you | up to 2 weeks |
| Last day to apply, routine, worst case | November 6, 2026 |
| Last day to apply, expedited, worst case | November 27, 2026 |
Arrives before your trip even with the slowest published times.
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
A teenager aged 16 or 17 applying for a first adult passport pays exactly what an adult pays: $130 for a book, $30 for a card or $160 for both, to the U.S. Department of State, plus the $35 execution fee to the acceptance facility, so $165 for a book. That is $30 more than the $135 a 15-year-old pays, but the passport lasts 10 years instead of 5, which makes it the cheapest passport per year of validity at any age. The application is Form DS-11, in person, and the teen must show that one parent or guardian is aware of it: the parent comes along and signs, writes a signed note, appears as the emergency contact on the form, or pays the fee with a check in the parent’s name. Without an acceptable photo ID of their own, a parent with ID signs the application with them.
Same price as an adult, different paperwork
The fee schedule draws its line at 16: the book fee jumps from $100 to $130 and validity doubles. The rest of the file looks like a child’s. The teen brings citizenship evidence such as a certified birth certificate, a photocopy of it on single-sided letter paper, a photo ID and its copy, and one photo that the agent staples. The first adult passport can never be a renewal, even if the teen held child passports before: the DS-82 is closed to passports issued before 16.
Four ways to prove a parent knows
The State Department accepts any one of four signs. A parent applies with the teen, shows ID and signs the DS-11. Or the teen brings a note signed by the parent with a photocopy of that parent’s ID. Or a parent is listed in the emergency contact section of the form. Or the fee check bears the parent’s name. If none of these makes it clear, the Department may ask for the notarized Form DS-3053.
A passport that lasts into adulthood
Issued at 16, the passport expires at 26. That timing matters: from 25 the holder becomes eligible for online renewal, and at 26 the passport can still be renewed by mail because it was issued at 16. Count the months a destination wants, though; the validity checker does it for 24 countries.