Passport Acceptance Offices in Burlington, Iowa

Burlington sits on the west bank of the Mississippi River in the far southeast corner of Iowa, and it is the seat of Des Moines County. For a river town of its size it is well served for passports: two genuine acceptance points operate within a couple of blocks of each other along North Main Street downtown, so most residents of the county can handle a first-time application without a long drive.

The choice between them is mostly about convenience. The downtown post office is the familiar option for anyone already mailing packages, while the Des Moines County Recorder's Office in the courthouse tends to suit people who want on-site photos and a quick call ahead to confirm a clerk is free. Both take DS-11 applications for adults and children and forward everything to the U.S. Department of State.

Iowa has no regional passport agency of its own. For genuinely urgent, in-person same-week service you would travel to the Chicago Passport Agency, roughly four hours east. Fees, the documents to bring and current processing times are uniform across Iowa, so we post them once on our Iowa passport guide; read it first.

Both Burlington acceptance points sit within one block on North Main Street, so if one has no openings the other is a short walk away. Bring a check or money order for the State Department fee and a separate payment for the local execution fee. If you still need a passport photo, both offices can take one on site for a small charge, which saves a stop. For the full fee schedule and what to bring, see the statewide Iowa overview.