Quick answer

The Houston Passport Agency is a State Department office on the 4th floor of the George Thomas "Mickey" Leland Federal Building, 1919 Smith Street, in downtown Houston. It sees applicants by appointment only, with international travel within 14 days (or a foreign visa needed within 28 days). Some visitors are done quickly, but others spend most of the day, with pickup later in the afternoon, so plan accordingly. There's no visitor parking at the building. 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.

Persistence pays. Some visitors describe calling or checking many times before getting a slot. If Houston is full, Texas has two other agencies, in Dallas and El Paso, and the system may offer one of them. 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

From recurring themes in visitor reviews (Yelp 3.5 from about 240 reviews):

  • Experiences vary widely. Some visitors are in and out quickly, even renewing a passport the same morning as their flight. Others describe waiting most of the day.
  • Pickup is often later the same day. You may be asked to come back in a few hours, then wait again at pickup. Plan to stay downtown, and don't schedule anything else that day.
  • Security staff get repeated praise for being kind and explaining the process.
  • Arrive about 15 minutes early, and allow time for building security.
  • Same-day passports are possible, but not guaranteed.

Getting there

  • Location: downtown Houston, at 1919 Smith Street.
  • Parking: the building has no visitor parking, and the agency doesn't validate parking. The building's management says there are garages, surface lots and metered street parking on all sides within one block, and ADA parking next to the building. Parking costs add up if you're there all day.
  • Public transit: downtown is served by METRO buses and METRORail.
  • From the airports: George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) is about 22 miles north, and Hobby about 12 miles south-east.

When the agency isn't the right choice

  • You live outside the Houston area. From Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi or the Rio Grande Valley, the round trip can take most of a day, before any waiting.
  • You can't get an appointment, or the only one offered is in Dallas or El Paso.
  • You can't take a full 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, no parking, no day downtown.
  • Customers anywhere in Texas 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 Texas and Houston pages.

Questions

Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, by appointment only. Closed on weekends and federal holidays. Some listings show later opening times, but they're out of date.