Passport Acceptance Offices in Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis, Maryland's sailing-loving capital on the Chesapeake Bay, gives residents two distinct ways to apply for a U.S. passport. Which one fits you depends mostly on whether you want photos handled in the same visit and which side of Spa Creek is easier to reach.

Downtown applicants and anyone already visiting the courthouse can use the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Clerk on Church Circle, an appointed acceptance agent open for passport work Tuesday through Thursday. Families who also need a passport photo may prefer the Eastport Station post office across the creek, where photos are taken on site by appointment.

Annapolis is the seat of Anne Arundel County, and neither office issues passports directly; each verifies your paperwork and forwards it for federal processing. If your travel is only days away, the closest in-person federal option is the Washington Passport Agency in Washington, D.C., roughly 35 miles and about a 50-minute drive west (longer at rush hour), and it requires an appointment for urgent cases.

For applicants elsewhere in the state, the Maryland passport directory lists more acceptance locations by city.

Both Annapolis offices accept first-time and minor applications; children under 16 need both parents or guardians present with proof of the relationship. The Church Circle courthouse desk does not shoot photos, while Eastport does, so match the office to what you still need to get done. Weekday mornings tend to be calmer at each.