Wanna Get Away? Dallas Passport Day Filled Fast — But There’s Another Chance Next Week

From Staff Reports

If your summer travel plans are heating up but your expired passport’s still buried in a drawer, there’s some hope. The City of Dallas is hosting Passport Day today, May 29, at Dallas City Hall — and while those coveted appointment slots filled up fast, there’s good news: another opportunity is already lined up for June 7.

Expedited passport appointments can be hard to come by, so the city is stepping in to host faster, local options with the Dallas Passport Agency.

The surge in demand is no surprise. In 2024, the U.S. State Department issued a record 24.5 million passports to U.S. residents — half a million more than last year’s record-breaking totals. As a result, 2024 passport waiting times averaged 6 to 8 weeks. During the pandemic, those waiting periods ballooned to 12 to 18 weeks.

But late last year, the State Department launched its new Online Passport Renewal (OPR) system, which allows applicants to securely renew their passports without putting anything in the mail — “A major modernization of government services for the benefit of the American people,” officials said in a release.

As a result, wait times hit a current all-time low of 4-6 weeks. Still, you don’t want to gamble your international vacation on your passport arriving in time.

The May 29 event will feature onsite expedited processing through the Dallas Passport Agency. It includes 2–3 week delivery in the cost, with adult applications running $225, minor applications at $195, and renewals at $190. The event will take place in the Flag Room at City Hall, and everyone — even minors — must be present with all the required documents. (Yes, that means a passport photo, photo ID and copies, citizenship evidence, and payment via card or money order.)

But if you didn’t land a slot for that, don’t panic.

The Dallas Passport Agency will host a second event on Saturday, June 7, this time at the Earle Cabell Federal Building downtown (1100 Commerce Street, Suite 1120). Doors open at 8 a.m., and they’ll accept the first 400 applicants in line. It’s a one-day window, but it’s a golden one — especially for those who missed out on May 29 or haven’t been able to score an expedited appointment elsewhere.

This time, it’s walk-in only: no appointments, no registrations, just early arrivals. The agency will offer both routine and expedited service (the latter costs an additional $60), and though no passports will be handed out on the spot, applications will be accepted for processing. That means your documents move forward without the long lag or uncertainty that often comes with mailing things in or fighting the appointment backlog.

Pro tip: Fill out your application online ahead of time (but don’t sign it), bring your passport photo, proof of citizenship, valid photo ID with a photocopy, and be ready to pay. Credit cards are preferred.

P.S. By the way, speaking of passports, let’s file this under an interesting tidbit. We’ve all learned to ignore spam messages about unpaid toll notices, failed package delivery attempts, or bogus fraud alerts. But if you got a letter from the State Department asking you to take a passport survey at PassportPlanning.com, this one’s actually legit, officials say. “We send letters every month to some customers inviting them to complete a survey. Your input helps us estimate demand for passports and manage our workload.”