Passport Acceptance Offices in Illinois
Illinois routes passport seekers through 503 acceptance offices spread over 329 cities and towns, and the map tilts hard toward the northeast.
🔎 Find an office near you
329 cities
📖 About Illinois
Illinois routes passport seekers through 503 acceptance offices spread over 329 cities and towns, and the map tilts hard toward the northeast. Chicago alone runs 42 of them, and the collar counties around it — DuPage, Kane, Will and their neighbors, where Naperville, Aurora and Rockford sit — fill in most of the rest of the busy corner of the state.
From there the network stretches downstate in a long line. The capital, Springfield, holds 13 offices; the university towns of Champaign-Urbana, Bloomington-Normal and Carbondale each anchor their own cluster; Peoria covers the river valley; and Rock Island ties into the Quad Cities on the Mississippi. Between those hubs, dozens of small-town post offices serve the farm country that fills the middle of Illinois.
One thing sets Illinois apart from most states: it is home to a federal passport agency of its own. The Chicago Passport Agency handles urgent, in-person cases not just for Illinois residents but for people across nearby states as well. For a routine renewal or a first passport, though, one of the acceptance offices below is the place to start.
🗺️ 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
Most acceptance offices are U.S. post offices, though some city clerks, libraries and county buildings take applications too. Many keep shorter passport hours than their lobby hours and handle applicants by appointment, so it pays to line one up before you drive out to a smaller town.
Applying for a child under 16 means both parents or legal guardians need to give their consent in person; when one cannot be there, a notarized Form DS-3053 stands in for them. Processing times are set nationally by the State Department rather than by any Illinois office, so a location in Chicago and one in Carbondale — roughly five hours apart — work on the same clock.