Quick answer

The San Francisco Passport Agency is a State Department office at 450 Golden Gate Avenue, 3rd Floor, Suite #3-2501, in the federal building at Civic Center. It's no longer on Hawthorne Street, as many websites still say. 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 9:30 AM, and there's no public 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.

Thursday appointments start later, at 9:30 AM.

If San Francisco is full, the system may offer another agency in California, such as Los Angeles or San Diego. 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 the official page and visitors' accounts:

  1. Arrive at the Golden Gate Avenue entrance 15 minutes early. Expect a line of people waiting to get into the building.
  2. Security screening. You must show government ID to enter the building. Don't bring weapons, pepper spray or sharp objects.
  3. Check in at the information window with your appointment confirmation number.
  4. Wait in the lobby until your number is called. You might not be called exactly at your appointment time.
  5. Same-day passports are possible, but not guaranteed.

Getting there

  • BART: Civic Center/UN Plaza station is three blocks away, according to the official page. Muni Metro and buses also stop at Civic Center.
  • From SFO: BART runs directly from the airport to Civic Center/UN Plaza.
  • Driving: there's no public parking at 450 Golden Gate. The official page lists garages at 355 McAllister Street and 376 Larkin Street. Fees can change without notice.
  • The neighborhood: Civic Center and the nearby Tenderloin can be busy and rough around the edges, so take the usual big-city precautions with your bag and documents.

When the agency isn't the right choice

  • You live outside the Bay Area. From Sacramento, Fresno or the North Coast, 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 California and San Francisco pages.

Questions

At 450 Golden Gate Avenue, 3rd Floor, Suite #3-2501, San Francisco, CA 94102, in the federal building at Civic Center. It's no longer at 95 Hawthorne Street, which many websites still list.