Passport Acceptance Offices in Ithaca, New York

Ithaca sits at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake in the heart of the Finger Lakes, and as the seat of Tompkins County it is where residents from the surrounding towns handle official business — including applying for a U.S. passport. Between a downtown county clerk’s office and a full-service post office on the north side, applicants here have two solid choices for submitting a first-time passport, a child’s passport, or a name-change application in person.

Which office fits you depends on where you are and what you need. The Tompkins County Clerk at 320 North Tioga Street sits right on the downtown Ithaca Commons, convenient if you are already handling deeds, court paperwork, or DMV business in the county building. The Ithaca Post Office at 757 Warren Rd, out toward the airport and the malls on the east side, is the natural stop if you are also mailing a package or renewing by mail. Both are acceptance facilities: they check your documents, witness your signature, and forward everything to the State Department. Neither issues the passport book on the spot.

Ithaca is a college town — Cornell University and Ithaca College together bring thousands of students who travel abroad for study, research, and family visits — so demand for first-time and renewal appointments climbs sharply before spring and summer breaks. Booking early matters. USPS acceptance is by appointment through the official USPS scheduler, and the county clerk keeps its own passport windows, so calling or booking ahead saves a wasted trip.

There is no passport agency in Ithaca itself. The nearest federal agency that issues passports directly is the Buffalo Passport Agency, about 108 miles northwest — roughly a two-hour drive — and it serves travelers with urgent, deadline-driven trips (typically within 14 days) by appointment only. For everyone else, the standard route is to apply at one of Ithaca’s local acceptance offices and let the application process by mail. See all passport acceptance offices across New York if you are traveling outside Tompkins County.

Bring proof of citizenship (a certified birth certificate or prior passport), a valid photo ID, a photocopy of that ID, and separate checks or money orders for the State Department and the acceptance fee — the two are paid differently. Passport photos are offered at some Ithaca locations but confirm before you go. For applicants across the county, our Ithaca passport guide lists the exact addresses and phone numbers for each office.