Quick answer

The Philadelphia Passport Agency is a State Department office in the Robert N.C. Nix Federal Building at 9th and Chestnut Streets, in Center City, a few blocks from Independence Hall. Use the 9th Street entrance (Suite 100). It's no longer at the Custom House on Chestnut Street in Old City, as some older listings say. It sees applicants by appointment only, with international travel within 14 days (or a foreign visa needed within 28 days). 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 Philadelphia is full, the system may offer another agency in the region, such as New York, Washington or Connecticut. 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

  • Use the 9th Street entrance.
  • Arrive about 15 minutes early, and allow time for building security.
  • Expect to wait after your appointment time, and same-day passports are possible, but not guaranteed.

Getting there

  • From Pennsylvania: SEPTA, as the official page recommends. The Market-Frankford Line stops at 8th Street, and regional rail at Jefferson Station, both a short walk away.
  • From New Jersey: PATCO trains run to 8th and Market, about a block away.
  • Driving: metered spaces on nearby streets, plus parking lots and garages close to the agency. Fees can change without notice.
  • Landmarks: the agency is a few blocks from Independence Hall, in Center City.

When the agency isn't the right choice

  • You live far from Philadelphia. From Harrisburg, Pittsburgh or Delaware, the round trip can take most of a day.
  • 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 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 Pennsylvania and Philadelphia pages.

Questions

In the Robert N.C. Nix Federal Building at 9th and Chestnut Streets (9th Street entrance, Suite 100), Philadelphia, PA 19107. It's no longer at the U.S. Custom House on Chestnut Street, which some older listings show.