Quick answer
The Seattle Passport Agency is a U.S. State Department office in the Fifth and Yesler Building, 300 5th Avenue, Suite 600, in Pioneer Square. It sees applicants by appointment only, and only if you have international travel within 14 days (or need a foreign visa within 28 days). Appointments are free but scarce, and on the day expect to wait, often several hours. If you can't get an appointment, or can't easily get to Seattle, a registered courier can get your passport back in as little as 4 business days.
Who can get an appointment
- International travel within 14 calendar days, or a foreign visa needed within 28 days.
- Printed proof of travel, such as an airline ticket or itinerary.
- Domestic trips don't qualify, even if you need ID to fly. The agency confirms that a trip within the U.S. can't be seen.
- Life-or-death emergencies (a family member's serious illness or death abroad) follow the State Department's separate emergency process.
How to get an appointment
- Go to the State Department's Online Passport Appointment System, and enter your travel details to see whether you qualify. You can book for up to 7 people in your household.
- Confirm within 15 minutes. The system holds a slot for 15 minutes, and you'll get a confirmation email.
- Already applied? Call 1-877-487-2778 instead. If there's still time to issue your passport before your trip, they'll prioritize your application rather than book an appointment.
Appointments are free. The State Department says it isn't affiliated with any third-party booking service, and that any fee to book is a sign of fraud.
Appointments are scarce, especially from spring break through August. Reviewers describe checking the system for days without finding a slot. If Seattle is full, the system may offer another agency: be prepared to travel to wherever an appointment is available, which may not be the closest, and to spend a day or two doing it.
What to bring
From the State Department's list:
- Printed appointment confirmation, and printed proof of travel;
- Your completed application form, unsigned if it's a DS-11 (you sign in front of the agent);
- Proof of U.S. citizenship and ID, plus photocopies;
- One passport photo;
- Payment: a credit card, a debit card (not an ATM card), or contactless payment;
- Replacing a lost or stolen passport? Also bring Form DS-64, the statement about the lost passport.
- Applying for a child under 16? Both parents attend, or the parent who can't come signs a notarized Form DS-3053. See our guide: Statement of consent (DS-3053) →
The three mistakes our staff see most often:
- A form that isn't signed where it should be (renewal forms must be signed; a DS-11 is signed in front of the agent);
- The government fee check filled in wrong, or for the wrong amount;
- A missing letter of authorization, when someone else is handling part of the process for you.
What the day is really like
From the official page and recurring themes in public reviews:
- Security screening first. The building screens visitors at the door. Leave pocket knives and similar items at home, and wear shoes that are easy to take off.
- Arrive early. Many reviewers recommend arriving before your appointment.
- You take a number and wait. The agency says you might not be called exactly at your appointment time. Reviewers consistently describe waits of an hour or more after their slot, and 3 to 4 hours in total is common.
- Bring something to do. Reviewers mention limited seating and no Wi-Fi in the waiting area.
- Same-day passports are possible, not guaranteed. Many reviewers left with a passport the same day, but don't plan on it: depending on your situation, it may be ready later.
- Families: reviewers mention priority for families with babies, and a room for nursing mothers on request.
Getting there
The agency is in the Fifth and Yesler Building, at Fifth Avenue and Yesler Way, on the edge of Pioneer Square and the International District.
- Light rail: Pioneer Square station (under 3rd Avenue) and International District/Chinatown station are both under a 10-minute walk. City of Seattle maps show the agency next to the Pioneer Square transit station.
- From Sea-Tac Airport: Link light rail runs straight to both stations, in roughly 40 minutes. Handy if you're flying in for your appointment.
- By train: King Street Station (Amtrak and Sounder) is about half a mile away.
- Driving: there's no dedicated parking, but there are paid garages and lots within walking distance. Allow extra time: downtown traffic and parking can be slow on weekday mornings.
Coming from farther away? Some applicants drive or fly in from other states for an appointment, for example from Idaho. Before you book flights and a hotel, compare that cost, and a day or two away, with using a courier.
When the agency isn't the right choice
- You can't get an appointment, or the only one offered is in another state.
- You can't take a weekday off. The agency is open Monday to Friday only, and a visit can take most of a day.
- Your trip is more than 14 days away. You won't qualify for an appointment yet, so use the State Department's expedited service, or a courier.
- Your documents aren't complete, for example a missing birth certificate. The agency can't finish your application without them. Sort out the missing document first.
- A parent can't attend a child's appointment. You'll need a notarized DS-3053 from them, or proof of sole custody.
- You live far from Seattle, for example in eastern Washington, Alaska or Idaho. Flights, a hotel and a day or two away can cost more than a courier.
If you can't get an appointment: using a registered courier
As a registered passport courier since 1998, we submit applications at passport agencies every business day:
- Couriers hand-deliver applications to the agency on weekday mornings.
- Your passport comes back in as little as 4 business days from when your documents reach us, and some agencies are occasionally faster. No appointment, no trip to Seattle, no waiting room.
- Our office is in Redmond, about 16 miles from the agency. Customers anywhere can ship their documents by FedEx with our prepaid label.
When you don't need us: if your trip is 8 weeks or more away, the State Department's routine or expedited service is enough. Apply at an acceptance facility, or renew online if you're eligible.
Two real situations (no names):
- Denied boarding: a traveler flying to Europe was turned away at the airport, because their passport expired in less than 6 months. They moved their trip by 4 days, and we renewed the passport in 4 business days.
- Expired children's passports: a family arrived at the airport without realizing their children's passports had expired. Children's passports last 5 years, not 10. We renewed them in 4 business days and sent them by same-day airline cargo to their airport.
Passport options near you, including acceptance facilities and where to get a birth certificate, are on our Washington and Seattle pages.
Questions
No. The Seattle agency sees applicants by appointment only. Reviews describing walk-ins are out of date.
Through the State Department's Online Passport Appointment System, if you're traveling abroad within 14 days, or need a visa within 28 days. If you've already applied, call 1-877-487-2778. Appointments are free.
Often, yes, if you have an appointment and your documents are complete. But it isn't guaranteed, so don't plan on it.
Expect to wait after your appointment time. Reviewers commonly describe an hour or more, and 3 to 4 hours in total.
No. Agency appointments are only for international travel within 14 days, or a foreign visa within 28 days.
Cancel or change it as soon as you can, through the link in your confirmation email or by calling 1-877-487-2778, so the slot can go to someone else. If you miss it, you'll need to book a new one.
No. The applicant must attend, and the State Department checks that the person is the appointment holder. Appointments can't be transferred. If you can't go yourself, a registered courier can submit a renewal for you; first passports and children's passports need an in-person application at an acceptance facility first.
You can apply for one at the same time as your passport book, but the card is printed separately and mailed to you later. It won't be handed to you at the agency.
You'll need printed proof of international travel within 14 days to get an agency appointment. Without it, use the State Department's expedited service, or a courier.
The system may offer another agency, possibly in another state. Or a registered courier can submit your application for you, with your passport back in as little as 4 business days.