Passport Acceptance Offices in Alabama
Alabama's passport counters trace the same arc as the state itself, from the aerospace corridor of the north to the working docks of the Gulf.
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91 cities
📖 About Alabama
Alabama's passport counters trace the same arc as the state itself, from the aerospace corridor of the north to the working docks of the Gulf. Up in Huntsville, where Redstone Arsenal and NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center have engineered rockets since the von Braun era, Madison County's post offices and clerk windows accept applications alongside a workforce used to sending things a very long way from home. The same errand looks a little different in Mobile, where the state meets saltwater and Carnival sailings and container ships share a deep-water port.
In between sit the population centers most travelers already know: Birmingham, the state's largest city; Montgomery, the capital, home to Maxwell Air Force Base and Air University; plus Tuscaloosa, Auburn, Decatur, Hoover, and Dothan out in the Wiregrass. The military footprint runs deep here, with Redstone in the north, Maxwell in the middle, and the Army's aviation training base near Daleville anchoring the southeast, so a good share of these applications belong to service members, contractors, and families with orders in hand.
Whichever office you walk into, the routine is the same: an acceptance agent checks your documents, witnesses your signature on Form DS-11, and forwards everything to the State Department, which prints the book. What changes from town to town is the counter itself, so it helps to know which nearby office keeps passport hours before you make the drive. Browse by city below to find one close to you.
🗺️ Areas covered
📝 How applying works
Most passport acceptance offices are U.S. Post Offices, public libraries, and county or city clerk offices that act as official acceptance facilities. You apply in person using Form DS-11 if you are getting a passport for the first time, if your previous passport was lost, stolen, or damaged, if it was issued more than 15 years ago, or if you were under 16 when it was issued.
Fill out the form ahead of time but do not sign it — a passport agent must watch you sign. Some facilities accept walk-ins during set passport hours, while others require an appointment, so it is worth calling the office listed on your city’s page before you go.
🎒 What to bring
💳 Fees
| Service | To U.S. Dept. of State | To the facility |
|---|---|---|
| Adult passport book (age 16+) | $130 | $35 |
| Adult passport card (age 16+) | $30 | $35 |
| Adult book + card | $160 | $35 |
| Child passport book (under 16) | $100 | $35 |
| Child passport card (under 16) | $15 | $35 |
| Child book + card | $115 | $35 |
The application fee is paid to the U.S. Department of State; the $35 execution (acceptance) fee is paid to the facility where you apply. Expedited service adds $60, and faster return delivery is available for a small extra charge. Fees are set nationally and are the same at every acceptance office in the country.
⏱️ Processing times
As of 2026, routine passport applications take about 4–6 weeks to process, and expedited applications about 2–3 weeks, counted from the day the State Department receives your application. Add roughly 2 weeks for mailing on each end.
The busiest season runs from late winter through summer, so apply between October and December when you can. If you are traveling within 14 days, you will need an appointment at a regional passport agency rather than a local acceptance facility.
💡 Good to know
Alabama has no passport agency of any kind, so same-week emergencies mean leaving the state. Drivers from Birmingham (about 2 hours 15 minutes) and Montgomery (roughly 2 hours 35 minutes) usually head to the Atlanta Passport Agency, while the Gulf Coast around Mobile is closer to the New Orleans Passport Center at about 2 hours 20 minutes, versus more than four hours to Atlanta. Both are appointment-only and handle urgent international travel within 14 days, or 28 days when a foreign visa is also involved.
For everything that isn't an emergency, an acceptance office near you is the place to start. Hours vary widely, so it's worth a quick call before you go, and bring proof of citizenship, a photo ID, copies, and a compliant passport photo. Applicants under 16 need to appear with both parents or legal guardians, or provide the documentation that stands in for a missing parent's consent.