The State Department is issuing a limited-edition U.S. passport — the "Patriot Passport" — to mark America's 250th anniversary. It carries custom cover artwork featuring President Trump at the Resolute Desk, and 250,000 are being made available across the country.
If you're here because you want one, or because you're worried your upcoming renewal will arrive with artwork you didn't ask for, here's the single most useful fact: the commemorative passport is optional, and you only receive one if you apply in person at a specific commemorative appointment. Everything else — including every application sent by mail — produces a standard-design passport.
What the Patriot Passport actually is
A real, fully valid passport. Per the State Department it has all the same advanced security features as the standard U.S. passport. It is a normal travel document, not a souvenir.
Custom artwork on the front, back, and inside covers. That's the only difference. The interior visa pages are unchanged.
26 pages — the same as the standard passport book.
Limited to 250,000 books.
One detail worth knowing if you travel heavily: the 52-page large-format book is not available in the commemorative design. Large books use the existing artwork. You can have the extra pages or the commemorative covers — not both.
The four ways you will NOT get one
This is the part most coverage skips, and it's the part that actually decides what lands in your mailbox. In the State Department's own words, you will not receive a "Patriot Passport" if you:
Apply online
Mail in your application
Apply at an acceptance facility (the post office or clerk's office counter most people use)
Apply at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad
In other words: the standard-design passport is still the default for the overwhelming majority of applicants. You have to go out of your way to get the commemorative one — it is not something that happens to you by accident.
How to get one, if you want one
There are two routes, and both require an in-person appointment that can only be booked by phone. Appointments for these cannot be made online.
Option 1 — the Washington Passport Agency in Washington, D.C., which has been issuing them from the start. Call 1-877-487-2778 and select option 9 to check availability.
Option 2 — a commemorative passport application event at a passport agency or center near you. The State Department is running these as one-day events at agencies nationwide, with the first wave beginning Saturday, August 8, 2026 in cities including Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Stamford, and Centennial, Colorado — followed by others on later dates. Same number, same option 9.
Because the event list is rolling and fills up, check the State Department's own Passport 250 page at travel.state.gov for the current schedule rather than relying on any list published elsewhere — including this one.
What it costs, and which form you file
There is no commemorative surcharge. Applications follow the State Department's established schedule of passport fees, and use the established forms — DS-82 (renewal by eligibility) or DS-11 (first-time and in-person cases) — exactly as a normal application would.
The real cost is logistical: a phone-booked appointment, at a specific place, on a specific day. If you don't live near one of the participating agencies, that's a trip.
What this means if you're applying through us
Straight answer, because people are asking: a passport obtained through our office will be a standard-design U.S. passport, not the commemorative edition.
That's not a limitation we can work around with a faster service tier or a phone call. The commemorative passport is issued only to applicants who appear in person at one of the State Department's own commemorative appointments, booked by the applicant. If having the Patriot Passport specifically matters to you, the routes above are the way — and you should book early, because 250,000 is a small number spread across a country of 340 million.
If what you actually need is a passport in hand, quickly and correctly, that's the part we do. Call us at (708) 360-7277 and we'll tell you the realistic timeline for your situation. Not sure whether you even qualify to renew by mail? Start with routine vs. expedited service, or what can stop you from getting a passport.
Get My Passports is a private company that provides passport and visa application assistance and courier coordination where available. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. The commemorative passport program is run entirely by the U.S. Department of State, which controls eligibility, availability, appointments, and issuance. Details above reflect the State Department's published information as of July 31, 2026 and can change — confirm the current schedule and requirements at travel.state.gov before making travel or appointment plans.
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