How to Reschedule Your Passport Appointment

How to reschedule depends on where you booked

The way you reschedule your passport appointment depends entirely on which office you booked with and what type of appointment it is. If you made your appointment through the State Department's official appointment system at passports.state.gov, you reschedule online through that same system. If you booked at a local passport acceptance facility — a post office, library, or county clerk's office — you contact that specific location directly.

The State Department handles routine passport renewals and new passports for adults at their regional passport agencies. Local acceptance facilities handle first-time passports for minors and some adult applications. Knowing which one you used is your first step, because the reschedule process is different for each.

Key Takeaways

• State Department appointments made at passports.state.gov are rescheduled online through your account on that same website.
• Appointments at post offices, libraries, and county offices are rescheduled by calling or visiting that specific location directly.
• You can usually reschedule to a different date at the same location, but availability depends on how far out you need to move your appointment.
• If you cannot reschedule online or by phone, you may need to cancel and rebook, which means losing your current time slot.
• Rescheduling does not change your processing time or fees — you still pay the same amount and wait the same number of days after your appointment.

Rescheduling through passports.state.gov

Log into your account at passports.state.gov using the same email and password you used to book the appointment. Once you are logged in, you will see your scheduled appointment listed under "My Appointments" or a similar section. Click on the appointment and look for a "Reschedule" or "Change Date" button.

The system will show you available dates and times at your original location. If no dates work for you, some locations have limited availability weeks out, which means you may see only a few options. You can select a new date and time, and the system will confirm the change immediately. You will receive a confirmation email with your new appointment details.

If the reschedule button does not appear or the system says rescheduling is not available, your appointment may be too close to the current date, or the location may have no open slots. In that case, you will need to cancel the appointment and create a new one, which means you lose your current time slot and have to search for availability again from scratch.

Rescheduling at post offices and local acceptance facilities

Call the specific post office, library, or county office where you have your appointment. Have your confirmation number or appointment details ready when you call. Ask the staff member whether they can reschedule you to a different date at that same location.

Many local facilities allow rescheduling by phone, but some require you to cancel in person or online and rebook separately. If they cannot reschedule you directly, ask what the cancellation process is and whether you need to do anything before rebooking. Some facilities have online scheduling systems of their own, separate from the State Department's system, so you may need to log into that facility's website instead.

If you cannot reach the facility by phone, visit in person during their business hours. Bring your confirmation number or appointment letter. Staff can reschedule you on the spot if slots are available, or they can tell you what your options are.

What happens to your fees and processing time

Rescheduling does not change what you pay or how long your passport takes to arrive. You already paid your passport fee and execution fee when you booked the original appointment. Those fees stay the same whether you keep the appointment or reschedule it.

Processing time is measured from the day of your appointment, not from the day you book. So if you reschedule from next week to three weeks from now, your passport will still take the standard number of days (routine, expedited, or emergency) to arrive after your new appointment date. Rescheduling does not speed up or slow down the process.

If you need to reschedule far in the future

Some locations do not allow you to reschedule more than a certain number of weeks ahead. If you need to move your appointment to a date several months away, you may not be able to do it through the reschedule function. In that case, you will need to cancel your current appointment and book a new one when you are closer to your preferred date.

Cancelling an appointment does not refund your fees. You keep your payment on file and use it toward your new appointment. If you cancel and do not rebook within a certain period, the State Department may hold your payment for a limited time before it expires. Check your confirmation email for the specific policy at your location.

Rescheduling when the location has no availability

If the system shows no available dates at your original location, you have two options: wait and check back later, or choose a different location if one is nearby.

Passport agencies and acceptance facilities release appointment slots on a rolling basis. If you check the system and see no openings, slots may appear in the next few days or weeks as cancellations come through. You can check back every few days, or some locations allow you to join a waitlist or notification system.

If a different location is within reasonable distance, you can cancel your current appointment and book at the new location instead. This means starting the search from scratch, but you may find availability sooner. Keep in mind that some locations are busier than others, so a location 20 minutes away might have much shorter wait times than the one you originally chose.

What to do if rescheduling is not working

If the online system will not let you reschedule and you cannot reach the facility by phone, try visiting in person. Bring your confirmation number and appointment letter. Staff can often reschedule you on the spot even if the online system is not cooperating.

If the location tells you that rescheduling is not possible, ask whether you can cancel and immediately rebook for a different date. Some facilities have this as a workaround when the reschedule function is not available. You will lose your current time slot, but you can secure a new one right away.

If you are still stuck, contact the State Department's passport information line at 1-877-487-2778. They can tell you whether rescheduling is possible for your specific appointment and what your next step should be. Have your confirmation number ready.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reschedule my appointment to a different location?

Not through the reschedule function — that only moves your date at the same location. If you need a different location, you must cancel your current appointment and book a new one at the location you want. You keep your fees on file and use them toward the new appointment.

What if I reschedule and then need to cancel?

You can cancel a rescheduled appointment the same way you would cancel any appointment. If you cancel through the State Department system, your fees stay on file. If you cancel at a local facility, ask their specific cancellation policy, as it varies by location.

Will rescheduling delay my passport?

No. Processing time starts from the day of your appointment, not the day you book. If you reschedule from next week to next month, your passport will still take the same number of days to arrive after your new appointment date.

Can I reschedule if my appointment is tomorrow?

Probably not through the online system — most locations do not allow rescheduling within a few days of the appointment. Call the facility directly or visit in person to ask. If they cannot reschedule, you may need to keep the appointment or cancel and rebook for a later date.

Do I need to bring anything different to a rescheduled appointment?

No. Bring the same documents you would have brought to your original appointment. Your confirmation letter will have the new date and time, but the required documents do not change.