Quick answer

The Los Angeles Passport Agency is a State Department office in the West L.A. Federal Building, 11000 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1000, at Wilshire and Veteran Avenue in Westwood. It sees applicants by appointment only, with international travel within 14 days (or a foreign visa needed within 28 days). It opens early, at 7:00 AM. Visitors who arrive fully prepared often describe it as a smooth process, and many get their passport the same day. 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.

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

What to bring

Preparation is the most common advice in visitors' reviews:

  • 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, and any name change document, such as a marriage certificate;
  • 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

From recurring themes in visitor reviews (Yelp 3.9 from about 471 reviews):

  • Come fully prepared. Visitors with complete documents and copies describe the process as smooth, even "a breeze", and many say the staff were helpful, some mentioning individual employees by name.
  • Arrive early. Some visitors who arrived at opening time had their passport in about 2 hours.
  • Pickup is scheduled. If your passport isn't ready while you wait, you'll get a pickup time. Missed it? The agency has said you can come back another day during opening hours.
  • Same-day passports are common, but not guaranteed.
  • The lower ratings mostly reflect long waits and difficulty getting appointments.

Getting there

  • Location: the federal building is on Wilshire Boulevard at Veteran Avenue in Westwood, next to the I-405 and near UCLA.
  • Driving: Westwood and the 405 are often congested, especially in the morning, so allow plenty of extra time.
  • Public transit: Metro buses run along Wilshire Boulevard. The Metro D Line extension toward Westwood is under construction.

When the agency isn't the right choice

  • You live outside the L.A. area. From San Diego, the Inland Empire or the Central Coast, the drive alone can take hours each way.
  • You can't get an appointment, or the only one offered is in another city.
  • 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 drive to Westwood.
  • 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 California and Los Angeles pages.

Questions

Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, by appointment only. Closed on weekends and federal holidays.