San Francisco Passport Agency

UPDATE:
My sister did end up picking up my passport, but as luck would have it, she actually got robbed the same day! Two days before my flight!
Sooo the next day I got the chance to experience a walk in appointment and thankfully got my passport the same day. Sadly, this time the process took a lot longer at 4 ½ hours, but I was willing to do whatever it took to get my passport.
THE APPLICATION:
I came in on a Wednesday and although other reviewers said it’s not as busy compared to the other days I came in at 6 AM. I was the first person in line and people actually didn’t start coming in until 7/7:30 AM. They started accepting the people with reservations around 8:30 AM and the walk ins shortly after at 8:45 AM. I went into Window #3 applied and got the number #700. They started calling people at #600 so I was finally called after an hour. They told me to come back around 3:00 PM, when they start letting people in, and my pick up time was 3:30PM.
THE PICK UP:
I came back around 2:00 PM and there was already a group of people waiting. It was a little bit confusing whether or not to go in or wait outside again, so I went inside and talked to security who told us to wait in line outside of the building. A lot of people weren’t aware of this as some were waiting inside the building sitting down or waiting by the elevator so they had to go to the end of the line when time came. SO MAKE SURE to wait outside by the door for pick up! They let us in at 3:00 PM and you don’t get a number so you have to just wait in line to receive your passport inside.
OVERALL:
I am extremely happy with the process as everything went smoothly both times. They do accept walk ins, even though on the building and over the phone they might say they don’t. Thanks San Francisco Passport Agency!

If your like me stressed out about getting your passport on time & ended up here reading reviews, Just like most reviews this place seems to be very accurate when it comes to service & standards its a perfect example of what any government/​public service facility should be run «DMV Take Notes».
My appointment was at 9:00am I showed up at 8:30 am and was out the door by 9:00 less that 30 mins wow. The new office currently holds up to 20 window booths for faster service, clean office, very professional and friendly staff which made the whole process faster. Flight leaves in 10 days and I was able to get my passport the day after. As for same day passport when asked its usually if you fly out the same day or next morning for immediate emergency.
Also please remember to follow all the directions on the website & have all your papers filled out with all necessary documents and you should be out in no time.

I have to go here tomorrow morning and their phone number isn’t working I’m assuming because it’s a holiday today. Anyone know what I need to take with me? Is my birth certificate and photo I’d enough??? Please help

A quick question for all you guys — If i want to renew my passport for an emergency, can I walkin early in the day and get the passport the same day in the evening?

This might be the first review I’ve written but I was so impressed with this whole process that I had to write a positive review. I’m scheduled to fly out on Thursday morning and while packing on Monday night I took out my passport and realized, much to my dismay that it had expired in August of last year. After much research and many phone calls I decided to take my chances with showing up at the office without an appointment. I arrived around 7:40 AM and we were let into the building around 8:15. I was given a number and waited about 75 minutes to be helped. The agent was friendly and helpful and told me to return around 3:30 to pick up my passport. I’m still in disbelief that they got this done for me in the same day. Thank you to a well-​run government agency!

I had a flight in two weeks and I realized my passport was going to expire in 5 and a half months, not enough for the 6 month minimum travel requirement for some countries. I started freaking out and considered my options: Walk-​in at the SF office, mail it in, or appointment.
I made an appointment.
But it was scheduled two days before my flight!
Nervous, I called the agency call center (877) 487‑2778). I asked the operator whether I should just do a walk-​in and she convinced me that it would be much faster to just go in at my appointed time.
Boy was she right.
If time permits, an appointment is the way to go. As long as you have all your paperwork done correctly, you’ll be in an out in no time. My appointment time was 9:00am. I got to the building 8:30am, got into the appointment line, and was checked in by 8:42am. By 9:15 my ticket number was called and I was out the door around 9:20am. I wasn’t able to get my passport the day-​of like I had hoped for (I had to get it the next day between 12−4pm), but I was still very satisfied with how the whole process went down.
I asked a woman sitting next to me who did a walk-​in that day how her walk-​in experience was. She said she started waiting 7:00am and got in the same time I did, so around 8:42am. When she showed up at 7, there were already 10 people waiting there before her. Her ticket number was 100 more than mine and judging by how fast the numbers were moving, I would guess she had a 1 – 2 hours before being called. In all, I would imagine her experience waiting for a passport probably took 3 – 5 hours.
I went in on a Tuesday.
When I left the building, there was no line outside.

If you have an appointment, you don’t have to wait in the line downstairs, just show proof of your appointment at the door. A few people in line didn’t realize this and waited over an hour.
If you’re in line WITHOUT an appointment (like me), this is what you can expect: I got there at 10:30am this morning without an appointment, the Monday before Thanksgiving, and there were maybe 40 – 50 people in line outside. I got behind a couple guys and they said they had been there 30 minutes and they hadn’t even moved a foot. So I figured I better get something to eat and a big bottle of water since it looked to be an all-day’er with what looked like I might not even get in for an appointment today. However, I was lucky. I went across the street and got my food/​water and when I came back, I got behind the same guys. Luckily after about an hour the line started moving slowly, but steadily. By noon I was let inside to go up the elevator to the 5^th floor where there were about 100 people waiting. However, I forgot that I had a pocket knife on me, and when I went through the metal detector they saw it and told me I had to leave the building to get rid of it. Luckily they said I wouldn’t have to wait in line again. So I went outside, stuffed it in the bushes across the street and went right back up. This time the lady in front of me had some little scissors/​nail clippers on her keychain so she had to leave and do the same as me. Once I got in, they called about one number every 60 – 90 seconds or so to go up to one of the 13 windows. So if you’re waiting, you can roughly estimate how much time you have to wait that way. Once I went up to window #6, Jonathan helped me out and he was very pleasant… pretty much the opposite of a typical DMV worker. I was out of there at 2pm and there was no longer any line downstairs, just a few people at the metal detectors. I almost got up at 5:30am to get there a couple hours early, but I’m glad I didn’t. However, if you need your passport same day, you might want to get there an hour or two before they open. Now that I got my passport taken care of, I can plan my winter tropical get away…
Oh yeah, it’s San Francisco, so be sure to wear plenty of warmer than usual clothes if you’re waiting in line. Kids were shivering and saying «see mommy, I said we should have brought a blanket»… which made me laugh in sympathy for them. Also bring water, and food (but finish the food before you get in, as it’s not allowed inside), and bring a book as you’re not supposed to use your cell phone inside (however, I didn’t see anyone enforcing it). I hope this is helpful, as it’s what I wish I knew before going today.

Overall:
People there were nice and helpful. Helped me with my need to rush the passport for a trip next Tuesday.
After reading previous reviews, I decided to wait a bit past 6am. People trickled in to the line about every 20 minutes or so. When the doors opened, there were probably 15 people in line total. I’ve heard from others that the line is longer during summer time and also December.
Since I was a walk-​in, they tend to the appointments first which made sense. I was the first walkin and was served about after 7 people with appointments (10 – 15 min wait). Marc at the counter was helpful and said the day wasn’t as busy as usual. I can really tell you how long the wait was for the others after me.
Overall positive experience.

Having become a newly naturalized citizen, I made an appointment at the SF Passport Agency as I have to travel next weekend. Arrived at 95 Hawthorne around 8am this morning for 830am Appt. — line outside was short and those of us with Appointments we were ushered in by 815. Check in process was smooth, all staff were courteous and helpful, and I was out by 9am with my application processed and a will call ticket to pickup my passport in the next couple of days.
Obviously it benefits you having an appointment which is easy to arrange via the national helpline, and goes without saying having all your application and supporting docs in order, which is not difficult.

I usually hate anything that involves the bureaucracy, but the passport agency in SF is the one exception. If you come at the right time and have all your paperwork with you ahead of time, you can pay a little more to get your passport printed and ready to go in the same day. The staff and security is nice and accommodating and everything is pretty straight forward. There’s even TV’s around the room to keep you occupied while waiting which is something you don’t see everyday at your local DMV.
Just make sure you know what you want and do all your research for what you need ahead of time! I once didn’t have my passport photo on me when I was a kid and there was a restaurant that took passport photos in the back right down the street if you get desperate (I’m not sure if it’s there anymore though lol you’d probably just be better off going to Walgreens)
If you don’t know what you’re looking for when you go the staff is also patient enough to work with you through what you need! Happy travels!

I gotta say, some of the reviews made me kind of nervous coming here. But thank god I got lucky and it was quick and easy.
First of all made a appointment! They help people with appointment first no matter what time the appointment is. So as long as there’s people in the appointment line, those will be helped first! I made an appointment at 10:30AM and speaking to some people in the appointment line there was at least 5 other 1030 appointment!
So if you do the Math, people without an appointment will be there for a while!
My sister’s passport didn’t come in after two month so we decided to go to the source and get it done. Made a appointment for 10:30AM took the elevator to the 5^th floor. Got thru security without a problem.
Waited in the appointment line for about five minutes then got a ticket to be called to the window. Numbers were being called from 669 and our number was 806 so I figure I might be there for a few hours like some Unilocalers had. Less then 15 mins later it jumped from 672 to 806! Went to the window and was helped by a the lady name Michelle Wong who was very friendly and helpful. Michelle had already pulled my sister’s passport application out. Made a copy of my sister’s California ID (which was missing so she couldn’t complete it) gave us a note to come back later in the day at 430pm to pick up the passport!
And because it took over 20 days and my sister still didn’t get her passport, we didn’t have to pay a extra $ 60 same day like some did! Maybe I came on a slow day and got lucky but either way I’m happy that the process was so simple and easy!
I was told to pick it up at 430pm but there were a few reviews from some Unilocalers that reported they got theirs ready by 4. Came back at 4pm and got our passport! Cancun here we come!
The only thing was I seen families sitting outside waiting. Because they don’t really let anyone in except the applicator go in by themselves or unless their underage then with a parent.
They’re very strict with people bringing in company. So if your company is unnecessary they’ll tell them to wait outside. That happened to our company but luckily right across the street is a Peet’s Coffee with free WiFi & with tons of seating!
***Bathroom
If your waiting outside and you need to use the rest room right next door to Peet’s Coffee is Macy’s they share the restroom with Peet’s Coffee and it’s clean! Open to the public and the security are super friendly!

I’ve always had a great experience here, especially when I didn’t have my passport a few days before I was to fly to El Salvador. They made it happen in less than 24 hours. My only complaint: I was using my phone for social networking purposes (as I was waiting for my number to be called) and the guard wanted to see my phone since there’s no photography allowed. I literally had to swipe through my camera roll to show him I didn’t take any photos. Other than that, a totally smooth process.

Daniel J’s review is on point. I was getting ready for a trip and lost my passport while moving to a new apartment. I arrived 6:06am on Friday June 26^th and I was about 8ish in line. By the time 7am rolled around there were tons more people behind me. There’s only one line until the guard comes out at around 8:15 and asks if you have an appointment or not. He’ll let people who have an appointment go to the door to file in. At around 10am the guard comes out again and asks when you’re leaving the country. He’ll ask for proof of travel. Depending on when you say you’re leaving he’ll give you a paper pass with an appointment time. I was leaving the next day and the two people in front of me were leaving the same day, they were given passes for 10:30am and he gave me a pass for 11am. I had enough time to go the the specialtys and get a snack and use the restroom at the macy’s building.
At 11am I went straight to the entrance and showed the guard my pass. I was allowed in, went through security, and checked in at the window. I waited about 45minutes until my number was called. I turned in all my paperwork and paid $ 195, I gave them my itinerary as proof I was traveling soon and I got a pass to come back at 4:30pm to pick up my passport.
Once you’re in the building it’s pretty efficient, there are many windows and the people are friendly and helpful. Do yourself a favor and have everything printed and filled out before going. They ask for a copy of the front and back of your driver’s license, read the website and requirements thoroughly before you go and you wont have any problems but you MUST GO EARLY.
It took a total of 6 hours and 5 of them were spent in line. Bring something to sit on, I brought an old yoga mat because it was easy to put in my carrier when I was done. I had my laptop, portable jetpack, 3 magazines, and a back up phone charger. Hey! It was worth it! While I was tired I didn’t feel bored. Good luck out there my fellow forgetful freddies!

I’ve been asked if you can really get your passport the same day because they have been told over the phone that there is no same day service. I think what the confusion may be is that there are no same day appointments. Also, the agency probably doesn’t advertise same day service because they don’t/can’t guarantee that you will get a passport the same day.
For those who have an appointment and want to get your passport the same day, it really depends on you appointment time and the number of people that need to get served that day. Like I said, the agency does not guarantee that it can turn around your paperwork the same day.
With that said, here are more tips:
Pro Tip 5: If you need to get your passport same day, make sure you bring proof that you are traveling soon. Bring a paper printout your itinerary.
Pro Tip 6: If you have an appointment and need to get your passport the same day, line up at least 30 minutes before your appointment time.
Pro Tip 7: You are reading this far because you are worried about getting a passport (new/​renewed) ASAP. As other reviewers have said before, if you need to get a passport the same day and don’t have an appointment, it’s worth your time to get up super early (before 6am) to stand in the stand-​by line to attempt to get your passport the same day. You wouldn’t be reading this if you have all the time in the world to mail in the paperwork and wait for the passport to come in the mail. You probably wouldn’t be reading this if you have an appointment well ahead of your travel date. Don’t go strolling in at 10am or whatever and wait in the stand-​by line and get upset/​mad if it doesn’t work out for you. Do yourself and everyone at the agency a favor and just get there early.
Pro Tip 8: Before the guard opens the door to let people in, the line that forms outside will include people with appointments and people without appointments. If you don’t have an appointment, stand your ground and don’t let people with appointments cut in line ahead of you. The guard will divide people based on appointments/​no appointments. You just want to make sure you want to stay as close to the front of the line as possible.
Pro Tip 9: Be nice to everyone you encounter at the agency including the guards and the people who check you in.
Pro Tip 10: If you’re going to stand in line early and wait for hours, dress in warm layers. It’s San Francisco; it’s cold in the morning.
Pro Tip 11: There’s a Specialty’s Café right across the street that opens at 6am if you want to get some coffee or goodies while you wait in line. (
)

Bring water, a snack, sunblock and maybe a cushion to sit on! Husband got in line today at 6:50am (no appt), there were 20 ppl in line already! They didn’t let hardly anyone in til 1130am! He’s finally in & waiting to be called. So he’s been waiting 6 hours :(
We’re happy this place exists though. If he ends up with a passport at the end of the day it’s worth it. We leave on our trip thurs AM and he just realized last night his expired last month :((better he endure a terrible day of waiting than miss our trip!

I had quite the fucking ordeal today.
Totally not blaming SF Passport Agency because it’s not their fault I’m a dumbass (made international travel plans on 2 days notice before realizing my passport had expired in 2012) — but there are a few things I would suggest to make our experience a bit more pleasant.
— drink and churro vendors like the ones they have at baseball games. Hey man, it gets fucking hot if you’re out there for a while
— a food truck parked nearby
— an officer designated to pepper spray people who attempt to jump the line
— seating for the pregnant and elderly, as well as the lazy and tired
— phone charging stations
Basically, without an appointment, expect to spend the better part of your day standing in line outside, and once you do get in, you’ll be sitting for at least another hour. And that’s even if you get there 2 hours prior to opening like I did. I got there at 7 and left at 3:45.
All in all, a day away from the office with a battery-​dead smartphone and a fee of $ 170 was a small price to pay to be able to be by my family’s side on a day’s notice.

Well organized and respectful personnel.
I’ve made my appointment one week before and I’ve got a confirmation number. That’s important because you will be ahead of the «walk-​in» people.
The line go fast and the personnel is willing to help you if you have any question. Just be sure to bring all the paperwork required so they don’t send you back home to get it.
If you come from far away (like me… 4 hours); then you’ll get the passport the same afternoon.
Very efficient government office… I wish most of them would be like this one.

Due to my nature of work, I’m required to have my passport with me while on duty. This means I don’t have the luxury of mailing in my application for renewal/​name changes. Thanks to the many reviews, I knew just what to do when I arrived.
It’s true what they say: the walk-​in line is much shorter than the appointment line. I could not arrive early enough to be the first few in the walk-​in line, so I stuck with my appointment at 11am. I arrived just before 10am, and was out by 10:58! So, do come way earlier than your appointment time to wait through the long check-​in line. Appointments go to window #1, yes the one with the looooong line!
It’s 2:25p and there are already 8 – 10 people ahead of me in line waiting to pick up passports. Not too bad.
It’s 2:40 and now there are 15+ people behind me. Just shows you how quickly it fills up!
My passport wasn’t available by the time I got up to the window so I had to wait a bit longer for them to call my name. They did start calling names as the newly processed passports came out. I like that they didn’t make us all sit there for too long.
Overall, it was a looooong process. Be prepared. All the info on what you need for each situation (name change due to marriage, last minute travel, etc.) is on the website. I had my photos and form filled out before I got there so I didn’t have to scramble to get my docs in order.
Something that other Unilocalers mentioned that is super useful is not to wear items that will set off the security alarm. Belts, shoes with metal parts, jackets with heavy zippers or metal parts. They’ll make you go back and remove them while they let people behind you through. I saw this happen to quite few people.
If you can, try avoiding needing a last minute passport. It’s an all day affair!

I didn’t think it was possible, but it was!
Less than a week ago, I received a call from a friend telling me that we have been chosen to dance for Groove Cruise in Miami!
For those of you who don’t know, it’s like EDC (a giant rave) on cruise ship to the Bahamas!
Of course I was going to do it! This is the biggest show I will ever perform for!
But.
No passport.
Crap.
Luckily, San Francisco has an official Passport Agency owned by the US Department of State. As long as you can collect all the required documents, you can get your passport in as little as 1 day! Booyah!
Things you need:
–Passport Photos
–ID (like a Driver’s License)
–Proof of Citizenship (Like an old passport or birth certificate)
–Copy of your old passport and ID’s front and back
–Proof of itinerary (Like a flight itinerary)
–Confirmation # (If you have an appointment)
-$$$$$ (Check, credit card… you think it’s gonna be cheap?!)
–An early to bed, early to rise, and screw-​all-​your-​other-​plans plan.
You have to get there EARLY. I had an appointment at 10am, I came at 8:30am on a Tuesday. No line. Only 6 numbers ahead of me. In and out in 18 minutes!
Pickup is at 3pm. BE EARLY. The line is long for this too! But it also moves fast. But took me a bit longer at around 45 minutes (including waiting for the office to open).
DON’T BE LATE. The office closes around 3:45−4pm. If you miss it, then well, you either have to come back the next day or miss your trip!
Passport is now safely stowed away in my purse and I’m ready for my flight.
MIAMI OR BUST 2015! WOOOHOO! THANKS OBAMA!

EXPIRED PASSPORT? NEED TO TRAVEL SAME DAY, NEXT DAY (or Two)? Have no fear, you’re in good hands!
My mom was traveling out of the country on Thursday. She started packing on Monday night and realized her passport expired! Tuesday was Veterans Day so the agency was closed! Wednesday was her only option to get a same day renewal in person.
What you’ll need to bring for a renewal of your old passport:
FILLED RENEWAL FORM (do NOT sign until told to at your processing window)
EXPIRED PASSPORT
2 RECENT PHOTOS
DRIVER’s LICENSE
ITINERARY
$ 170 CASH/​CREDIT
They always recommend making an appointment but with just a day’s time, there’s no way you’ll get a suitable date and time that will work best for you. Hence, for all you WILL CALL WALK IN PEOPLE, this is what I recommend:
Parking sucks! You don’t have to pay the meters until 9am BUT, parking is such a hassle and so costly in the city! Just take bart and get off at New Montgomery (a 4.5 block 6 minute walk)!
Get there early! The windows open at 8:30am but they start letting people check in a little after 8! I got there at 7:30am and was 4^th in line. Some people can be super cocky because they’ve «been there before» but ignore them because they can be so rude. Will call, appointments, whatever you’re there for, there’s still 1 line to enter the building.
You take the elevator up to the 5^th floor. There, you go through TSA STYLE security clearance. Don’t wear/​bring anything that you wouldn’t want to wear/​bring to the airport… Take your jackets off. Don’t wear boots because the metal zips on those seem to set off the Machines. Put your ring of keys and cell phone chargers in the boxes (those tend to be questionable items that need clearance).
Once you enter, you’ll see 3 check-​in windows: #1 appointment (those who have made appointments for that day beforehand), #2 will call/​pickup (for pickup of your passports), #3 walk-​in (didn’t make an appointment but would like to get same day service). I went to #3 and gave the rep the passport, 2^nd photo, itinerary, and driver’s license and told him I needed to get a passport renewal and pick up same day for a flight the next morning.
I got a number and was 3^rd in the walk-​in # line. For every 3 appointment numbers, one walk-​in number was called to a window. I waited roughly 30 minutes from the time the windows started operating (8:30 am sharp). At 9am, our number was called and we handed the rep everything that the checkin rep clipped together. She gave us a will call receipt for pickup at 3:30pm and no earlier. Got out of the agency at 9:15am and had ~6 hours to kill. Time can go by quick or slow depending on how you make use of your time. I ate breakfast on Polk, shopped on Market/​Powell, and visited Muji on 5^th.
I came back to the agency at 3pm and oh boy were there a ton of people. I think at this point, everyone is trying to make it in before they close at 4pm… so they only admit 1 person per party. If you have a receipt for will call pickup or an appt time, you’re allowed to enter the building. When you go up to the 5^th, you check-​in at window #2 and they direct you to a long line that runs all the way around to window #13. Everyone is picking up their passports from windows #4−6. You just need to hand them your receipt and sign for it once it’s your turn at the window.
Overall, the process isn’t painful and you get your passport the same day given will call situations/​flights within a few days. It seems to «happen a lot», though, if I were to go anywhere, the first thing I’d check is if my passport expired or not. $ 60 vs $ 170!
Please, it’ll be a pain to get up super early and to Bart it but you DON’T want to spend 1.5 hours with the rest of the morning commute stuck in traffic, you’ll save a bundle on gas & parking fees AND if you get to the agency early, your waiting time is less!
Good luck & safe travels my friend!