CALL
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC)
1-900-225-5674
1-888-362-8668
(credit card users with Visa, Mastercard, American Express)
The Department of State receives NO income from the NPIC.
- 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.
To Serve You Better
We opened The National Passport Information Center in 1996.
Passport Services