Quick answer

The Chicago Passport Agency is a State Department office at 101 Ida B. Wells Drive (formerly Congress Parkway), 9th Floor, in Chicago's South Loop. It's no longer at the Dearborn Street federal building that many websites still list. It sees applicants by appointment only, with international travel within 14 days (or a foreign visa needed within 28 days). It opens later on Thursdays, at 10:00 AM. If you can't get an appointment, 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.
  • Life-or-death emergencies follow the State Department's separate emergency process.

How to get an appointment

  1. Go to the State Department's Online Passport Appointment System, and enter your travel details. You can book for up to 7 people in your household.
  2. Confirm within 15 minutes, and watch for the confirmation email.
  3. Already applied? Call 1-877-487-2778 instead.

Appointments are free. Any fee to book one is a sign of fraud.

Thursday appointments start later, at 10:00 AM, so the window for a same-day passport is shorter that day.

If Chicago is full, the system may offer another agency, possibly in another state. Be prepared to travel to wherever an appointment is available, or consider a courier.

What to bring

  • Printed appointment confirmation, and printed proof of travel;
  • Your completed application form, unsigned if it's a DS-11;
  • Proof of U.S. citizenship and ID, plus photocopies;
  • One passport photo;
  • Your old passport, if you're renewing;
  • Payment: a credit card, debit card or contactless payment.
  • Replacing a lost or stolen passport? Also bring Form DS-64.
  • 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; the government fee paid in the wrong amount; and a missing letter of authorization when someone else is handling part of the process.

What the day is like

  • Go to the right building: 101 Ida B. Wells Drive, not Dearborn Street. Allow time for building security.
  • Arrive about 15 minutes early. Expect to wait after your appointment time: at busy agencies, a visit often takes several hours.
  • Same-day passports are possible, not guaranteed. Depending on your situation, it may be ready later.

Getting there

  • CTA trains: the Blue Line's LaSalle station and the Red Line's Harrison station are both a short walk away.
  • From O'Hare: the Blue Line runs directly from O'Hare to LaSalle station, about 45 minutes. Handy if you're flying in for your appointment.
  • From Midway: the Orange Line runs downtown to the Loop.
  • Metra: LaSalle Street Station is nearby, and Union Station is within walking distance.
  • Driving: downtown parking is expensive and limited. Use a paid garage nearby, and allow extra time for traffic.

When the agency isn't the right choice

  • You live outside the Chicago area. From downstate Illinois, Wisconsin or Indiana, the round trip can take most of a day.
  • You can't get an appointment, or the only one offered is in another state.
  • You can't take a weekday off.
  • Your trip is more than 14 days away. Use the State Department's expedited service, or a courier.
  • Your documents aren't complete, for example a missing birth certificate. Sort it out first.
  • A parent can't attend a child's appointment. You'll need their notarized DS-3053, or proof of sole custody.

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 on weekday mornings.
  • Your passport comes back in as little as 4 business days from when your documents reach us, and occasionally faster. No appointment and no trip downtown.
  • Customers anywhere ship their documents by FedEx with our prepaid label.

Tell us when you travel. We show you which service gets your passport back in time.Tell us when you travel. We show which service gets your passport back in time.

Allstate Passports & Visas is a private company and a registered passport courier, not a government agency. You can also apply directly with the U.S. Department of State.Private company and registered passport courier, not a government agency. You can also apply directly with the U.S. Department of State.

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.

Two real situations (no names):

  • Denied boarding: a traveler flying to Europe was turned away 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 didn't realize 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.

Passport options near you, including acceptance facilities and where to get a birth certificate, are on our Illinois and Chicago pages.

Questions

At 101 Ida B. Wells Drive (formerly 101 W. Congress Parkway), 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60605. It's no longer at the Kluczynski Federal Building on Dearborn Street, which many websites still list.