Delaware is the second-smallest state by area, and that shapes how passport services work here. Almost nobody lives far from a counter that accepts applications, yet getting a passport in downtown Wilmington feels different from doing it in a Sussex County farm town. Our directory lists 17 passport offices across the state, from Greenville on Kennett Pike to Dagsboro on Clayton Street. This page explains who really handles your application, what these offices can and cannot do, and how to pick the right one for your schedule.

How Passport Applications Work in Delaware

Passports are federal documents. The U.S. Department of State issues them, sets the fees, and decides who qualifies. No Delaware agency or county government controls that process. What the state has instead is a network of passport acceptance facilities: locations the State Department has authorized to verify your identity, witness your signature, and forward your application for processing.

Acceptance facilities across the country include post offices, some public libraries, and certain municipal or court offices. Delaware follows the same pattern. The staff at the counter cannot approve or deny a passport. They confirm that your paperwork is complete and that you are the person named on it. The real decision is made later at a State Department processing center.

That distinction matters when you plan. A local office cannot print a passport on the spot, rush your application, or excuse a missing document. If you need a passport in weeks rather than months, you pay for expedited service. For genuinely urgent international travel, the nearest regional passport agency is in Philadelphia, a short drive up I-95 from Wilmington. Those appointments are limited to documented, near-term travel or emergencies, and they are scheduled through the State Department rather than through a local office.

Delaware does play one indirect part. The Office of Vital Statistics, within the Division of Public Health at the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, issues certified Delaware birth certificates. For most first-time applicants born in the state, that certificate is the key proof of citizenship. Order it early. A hospital souvenir certificate or a photocopy will not be accepted.

Passport Offices in New Castle County: Wilmington, Newark, and Hockessin

New Castle County holds most of Delaware's residents and has seven listings in our database. Wilmington alone has three: the Rodney Sq Passport Office at 500 Delaware Avenue (302-656-0228), the Greenville Passport Office at 3801 Kennett Pike (302-652-5449), and the Talleyville Passport Office at 3911 Concord Pike (302-478-5753). Rodney Square sits in the downtown business and courts district, so it suits people who work in the city. Greenville and Talleyville serve the suburban north along Route 52 and US 202, where many commuters stop on the way home.

Farther west, the Hockessin Passport Office at 651 Valley Road (302-239-4240) covers the Hockessin area, and the Newark Passport Office at 401 Ogletown Road (302-737-5771) is a natural choice for University of Delaware students and staff who need a passport for study abroad. In the south of the county, the Middletown Passport Office at 298 East Main Street (302-378-3026) saves residents of one of Delaware's fastest-growing towns a drive up to Wilmington.

One naming quirk is worth knowing. The Wilmington Box Passport Office is located at 147 Quigley Boulevard in New Castle (302-323-2260), not in Wilmington proper. Always check the street address and city before you leave home.

Metro offices see the heaviest demand, especially from late winter through spring, when people book summer trips. Call ahead and ask whether the office takes appointments or walk-ins, and which days it handles passport applications.

Kent County and Sussex County: Dover, Georgetown, and the Beach Towns

Kent County has three listings. The Dover Passport Office is at 55 Loockerman Plaza (302-734-5822), the Felton Passport Office at 1 East Sewell Street (302-284-9826), and the Smyrna Passport Office at 13 South Market Street (302-653-9935). Dover is the state capital and home to Dover Air Force Base, so state employees and military families make up a good share of local applicants. Felton and Smyrna give farm communities and US 13 commuters a closer option than the capital.

Sussex County is Delaware's largest county by area, and it also has seven listings. Georgetown, the county seat, has an office at 115 South King Street (302-856-3647). Milford is at 110 Causey Avenue (302-422-5618), Millsboro at 100 Main Street (302-934-9226), Dagsboro at 28290 Clayton St (302-732-9404), and Seaford at 2001 Bridgeville Highway (302-628-3441). Along the coast, the Rehoboth Beach Passport Office is at 179 Rehoboth Avenue (302-227-8406), and the Ocean View Passport Office is at 35764 Atlantic Avenue in Millville (302-539-9466).

Rural and resort geography changes the way you plan. In inland Sussex, the closest office may be a twenty-minute drive, and smaller offices may keep shorter hours or have only one employee handling passport work. Around Rehoboth Beach and Ocean View, summer traffic on Route 1 and Coastal Highway can turn a quick errand into an hour. Applying outside the summer season is usually easier.

What to Bring to a Delaware Passport Acceptance Office

First-time applicants, anyone whose last passport was lost or issued long ago, and children under 16 must apply in person on Form DS-11. Do not sign the form until the acceptance agent tells you to. Bring the following:

At the time of writing, an adult passport book costs $130 as an application fee plus a $35 acceptance fee, and expedited handling adds $60. Fees change, so confirm the current schedule on the State Department's travel website before you write the check. Adult passports are valid for ten years; those issued to children under 16 are valid for five.

Some adults can skip the counter entirely. If your last passport was issued when you were 16 or older, is less than 15 years old, and is undamaged, you may be able to renew by mail or online instead.

Timing Your Visit and Choosing the Closest Counter

Because Delaware is compact, you can compare several offices without much extra driving. A Dover resident, for example, may find the Smyrna or Felton counter quicker than the capital if lines are long. Phone first, ask about wait times, and confirm office hours for passport services, which are often narrower than the hours the building is open.

Allow plenty of time before travel. Many countries require at least six months of validity remaining on your passport, and routine processing can take several weeks. Apply well before booking nonrefundable tickets. Once your application is submitted, you can track its status online with the State Department.

If something goes wrong, such as a lost passport or a name mismatch, start with the acceptance office that took your application, then contact the State Department directly.

Passport acceptance facilities in Delaware are distributed across post offices, county clerks' offices, and public libraries, providing residents with accessible locations to submit passport applications without traveling to a regional agency. Delaware residents with urgent travel needs may also have access to a regional passport agency for in-person expedited service.

Passport Offices locations are available in 15 cities across Delaware. They are spread across 3 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of passport offices include Wilmington, Dover, Milford, reflecting larger populations and greater volumes of international travelers requiring passport services.

Residents of Delaware should verify that their chosen acceptance facility accepts walk-ins or requires an appointment, as policies vary by location. Processing times fluctuate with seasonal demand, so applying several months before planned international travel is strongly advised.

Passport Offices by Counties

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Residents of Delaware applying for a passport should complete their application form in advance, gather all required documents including proof of citizenship and a compliant passport photo, and confirm whether their chosen facility requires an appointment. Many passport renewal applicants in Delaware can mail their DS-82 form directly to a processing center, avoiding an in-person visit altogether.

Browse Passport Offices by county across Delaware to find the nearest location.

Passport Planning Across Delaware's Three Counties

Delaware has only three counties, and each one has a different pattern of passport demand. New Castle County offices handle the volume from Wilmington's suburbs and the Newark university community. Kent County counters in Dover, Smyrna, and Felton see government workers, military families, and residents of surrounding farm areas. In Sussex County, the spread from Seaford and Georgetown to Rehoboth Beach means distance and season matter more than anything else.

You are not tied to the county where you live. The State Department lets you apply at any authorized acceptance facility in the country, so a Newark resident working in Dover can stop at the Dover Passport Office at lunch. Most people find a Delaware office close enough that crossing into Pennsylvania or Maryland is unnecessary.

Before you go, write down the office name, street address, and phone number from our listings, and call to confirm hours. Bring original documents, not scans, and keep photocopies for yourself. A short call can save a second trip, especially if you are driving from the southern end of the state.

Delaware Passport Questions Answered

No. Passport acceptance facilities are authorized by the federal government, not by a county, so you can use any of them regardless of where you live. Many Delawareans choose an office near work instead of home. A Middletown resident who commutes to Wilmington might use the Rodney Sq Passport Office downtown, while someone living in Millsboro but working in Georgetown could stop at the South King Street location. The only practical limits are each office's hours and appointment rules, so call before you go. Bring your documents in original form, and plan for a possible short wait during the busy spring travel months.

Certified Delaware birth certificates come from the Office of Vital Statistics, part of the Division of Public Health at the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. Eligibility rules apply, so you generally need to be the person named, or a close relative or legal representative, and you will need to show identification. Ask the office about current ordering options and processing times, since they change. Make sure the copy is a certified one with a raised or multicolored seal, because acceptance agents turn away photocopies and hospital keepsake certificates. If you were born in another state, request the certificate from that state's vital records office instead.

Yes, within limits. At any Delaware acceptance office you can request expedited service for an additional fee, currently $60, and you can pay extra for faster delivery of the finished passport. That speeds up processing but does not make it instant. If you must travel internationally within a couple of weeks, or face a life-or-death emergency abroad, you can seek an urgent appointment at a regional passport agency. The closest one to Delaware is in Philadelphia. You book through the State Department, and you must show proof of your travel plans. Local offices cannot issue same-day passports.

Delaware residents pay the same federal fees as everyone else. For a first-time adult passport book, the State Department application fee has been $130, and the acceptance facility charges its own $35 fee on top of that. A passport card costs less, and children under 16 pay a lower application fee for a book. Optional extras include expedited handling and faster return delivery. You normally pay the application fee by check or money order and the acceptance fee separately, and some offices accept cards or cash for their portion. Fees can change, so check the State Department's current fee table and ask your chosen office which payment types it takes.

Children under 16 must apply in person, and both parents or guardians generally need to appear with the child. If one parent cannot come, bring a signed and notarized consent statement from that parent, along with a photocopy of the front and back of their ID. You will also need the child's certified birth certificate showing the parents' names, proof of your own identity, a 2-by-2-inch photo, and the DS-11 form. A child's passport is valid for five years, so plan on renewing sooner than you would for an adult. Call your chosen Delaware office ahead, because some prefer appointments for family applications.

It depends on the office, and policies can change without notice. Some locations take walk-ins during set hours for passport services, while others schedule appointments or limit passport days to certain parts of the week. Our listings give each office's phone number, such as 302-734-5822 for Dover or 302-856-3647 for Georgetown, so you can ask directly. When you call, ask about hours for passport applications, how long a visit typically takes, whether they take photos on site, and which payment methods they accept. Do this even if the building is open all day, since passport service is often available for only part of it.