Quick answer

The New York Passport Agency is a State Department office in the Greater New York Federal Building, 376 Hudson Street, in Manhattan's Hudson Square, by the West Village. It sees applicants by appointment only, and only with international travel within 14 days (or a foreign visa needed within 28 days). Appointments are free but hard to get. Many visitors leave with a passport the same day, but plan for several hours, sometimes most of the 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 (a family member's serious illness or death abroad) 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. If there's still time, they'll prioritize your application rather than book an appointment.

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

Expect competition. New York is the most searched-for agency in the country, and visitors describe checking repeatedly before a slot opens. If New York is full, the system may offer another agency. Nearby options include Connecticut and Philadelphia. Be prepared to travel to wherever an appointment is available, and to spend a day or two doing it.

What to bring

  • 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;
  • Your old passport, if you're renewing;
  • Payment: a credit card, debit card or contactless payment only. No cash or checks.
  • 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.

How the day works

From the official page and visitors' accounts:

  1. Line up outside by appointment time. Staff check your printed confirmation and send you to the line for your time slot. Visitors describe separate lines for different times. Arrive about 15 minutes early, since there's a security check.
  2. Security screening at the federal building entrance.
  3. Document check and payment. You hand in your application and pay, then get a number.
  4. The waiting room. You go upstairs and wait for your number to be called (visitors mention the 10th floor).
  5. Pickup. Many people get their passport the same day, often by coming back later in the afternoon. It isn't guaranteed: depending on your situation, it may take longer.

Families with young children and people with disabilities sometimes found the process hard. The official page describes an accessible entrance on Hudson Street, with a wheelchair lift by security.

Getting there

  • Subway: the agency is one block from Houston Street station (1 train).
  • From New Jersey: PATH trains stop at Christopher Street, a short walk away. Some visitors from farther away park at a New Jersey train station and ride in, instead of driving into Manhattan.
  • Driving: metered parking on Varick and Hudson Streets, and paid garages nearby. Parking rates can change without notice, and Manhattan traffic is unpredictable, so allow extra time.
  • The entrance is at street level. The official photo currently shows sidewalk construction scaffolding in front of the building.

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.
  • Your trip is more than 14 days away. You won't qualify yet: use the State Department's expedited service, or a courier.
  • Your documents aren't complete, for example a missing birth certificate. In New York City, birth certificates come from the city's health department, not New York State. 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.
  • You live far from Manhattan, for example upstate or in another state. Travel, parking and a day 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 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 trip to Hudson Street, no waiting room.
  • 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 New York and New York City pages.

Questions

No. It sees applicants by appointment only. Information about walk-in lines is out of date.