• 1-900: Automated information is 35 cents per minute.
• 1-900: Operator assisted calls are $1.05 per minute.
  (Operators are available 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday - Friday, except Federal holidays; you must speak with an operator to check the status of a pending passport application.)
• 1-888: flat rate is $4.95/per call.

• TDD - 1-900-225-7778
• TDD - 1-888-498-3648

Why do I have to use a 1-900 or 1-888 number to get passport information?

• A fee-financed call center is the only way we can answer your calls.

I don't understand.

• By the mid-1990's we were unable to answer phones and issue passports because workload had increased over 70%, with no increase in dollars or staff.
  • Customers who called were treated poorly, they had to wait on-hold for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or more, usually on long-distance.

  • Disconnects were common due to an overburdened infrastructure.

• We chose to issue passports and find another way to answer your calls.

Do tax dollars pay for the National Passport Information Center?

• NO, The NPIC is a contractual operation funded by user fees.

• Rates are the same as other similar call centers.

• Passport fees go to the U.S. Treasury; they do not come to the Department of State.