
That option is not available to applicants for passport cards alone, though. They can also pay an additional $19.53 for one- to two-day delivery. Travelers who waited until the last minute can pay a $60 fee to expedite their passports. For children younger than 16, application fees run $100 for a passport book, $15 for a passport card and $115 for both, with a $35 acceptance fee for each option. Those 16 and older who are renewing their passports need to pay the same application fees but do not have to pay an acceptance fee. The acceptance fee is $35 for each option. Application fees cost $130 for a passport book, $30 for a passport card and $160 for both, according to the State Department. Travelers 16 and up applying for a passport for the first time have to pay an application fee and an acceptance fee. Those processing times do not include mailing times, and it may take as long as two weeks for applications sent by mail to get to a passport agency or center, according to the State Department's website. "However, the volume of applications we have received during periods this year has outpaced records set by last year's volume by more than 30 percent." "Processing times are cyclical and rise and fall based on seasonal demand," the State Department's Office of the Spokesperson said in the release. Where can I travel without a passport? Check out these 6 destinations
PASSPORT PROCESSING TIME HOW TO
How long is a US passport valid? Here's what to know – and how to renew it Processing times had risen to between eight and 11 weeks for routine service and five to seven weeks for expedited service earlier this year, though they are still below levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, when travelers could expect to wait about four months for routine service. The processing times apply to new applications on March 24 or later. Expedited service, meanwhile, will take seven to nine weeks. passport applications will now take 10 to 13 weeks, the State Department said in a news release Friday.

Planning ahead for summer trips this year may help travelers find deals, but those leaving the country need to prepare for another reason: U.S.
