Passport Acceptance Offices in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania stretches between two great cities pinned to opposite corners of the map: Philadelphia in the southeast, at the heart of the Delaware Valley, and Pittsburgh far to the west, where the Allegheny and Monong…
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280 cities
📖 About Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania stretches between two great cities pinned to opposite corners of the map: Philadelphia in the southeast, at the heart of the Delaware Valley, and Pittsburgh far to the west, where the Allegheny and Monongahela meet to form the Ohio at the Three Rivers. In between sit the capital at Harrisburg, the Lehigh Valley around Allentown and Bethlehem, the Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish farm country near Lancaster, and the long Appalachian ridges and rural stretches locals call "the T." Across all of it, 439 acceptance offices in some 280 communities take passport applications.
Most of these offices are ordinary U.S. Post Offices, along with a scattering of county clerks and public libraries. The heaviest concentrations follow the population: Philadelphia counts more than thirty, Pittsburgh over twenty, with strong clusters in Harrisburg, Allentown, Erie, Scranton, Lancaster, Reading, Chambersburg, and Coraopolis. Whichever office you choose, the routine is the same. Staff witness your signature, verify your identity and citizenship documents, and forward everything to a federal processing center; they do not decide how fast the booklet comes back.
Pennsylvania holds a distinction most states lack: it hosts one of the nation's public passport agencies, the Philadelphia Passport Agency inside the historic U.S. Custom House on Chestnut Street. That office serves travelers with urgent trips, but it sits in the southeastern corner of the state. Someone in Erie or Pittsburgh faces a drive of roughly five hours to reach it, so the fastest option for western Pennsylvania is usually a nearby acceptance office plus expedited mail service rather than a trip east.
🗺️ 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
Bring an original or certified citizenship document (a certified birth certificate or a prior passport) plus a government-issued photo ID, and leave both unstapled. Many post offices handle applications by appointment, so it is worth booking a slot rather than walking in. Passport photos are offered at some but not all offices; a nearby pharmacy or big-box store can take one if yours cannot. Pay the two fees separately: a check or money order to the U.S. Department of State for the application, and a card or cash to the office for the execution fee.