Passport Acceptance Offices in Virginia
Virginia stretches across three very different worlds, and its 430 acceptance offices follow the population.
🔎 Find an office near you
193 cities
📖 About Virginia
Virginia stretches across three very different worlds, and its 430 acceptance offices follow the population. In the north, Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax sit inside the Washington, D.C. metro, packed with federal workers and the sprawl of Fort Belvoir and the Pentagon. Along the coast, Hampton Roads anchors the naval hub around Norfolk, home to the world's largest naval station, along with Virginia Beach and Newport News. Inland, Richmond, the capital, gives way to the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge.
Virginia Beach carries the heaviest concentration with 28 offices, followed closely by Fort Belvoir with 27 and Norfolk with 26. Arlington adds 21, and Richmond, Alexandria, Chesapeake, Newport News, and Hampton round out the busiest clusters. Nearly all of these counters live inside neighborhood post offices, though clerks, courthouses, and libraries also accept applications across the Commonwealth.
One quirk sets Virginia apart from every other state: it splits its map into 95 counties and 38 independent cities that answer to no county at all. That means Norfolk, Richmond, and Virginia Beach stand on their own, so when you search for an office, look up the city itself rather than a surrounding county.
🗺️ 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
Virginia's independent-city system trips up a lot of searches: cities such as Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Richmond, Alexandria, Chesapeake, and Newport News are not inside any county, so treat each city as its own jurisdiction when you hunt for an office. Fairfax, Arlington, and Loudoun, on the other hand, are true counties.
Because so many offices sit on military installations like Fort Belvoir, Norfolk Naval Station, Quantico, and Langley, access can require base credentials. If you don't have a military ID, aim for a civilian post office in the nearest town instead. Bring the correct fee and, for a child under 16, both parents or legal guardians.