Montana covers about 147,000 square miles and has just 56 counties, so the nearest place to apply for a U.S. passport can be a short drive or a long one. Our directory lists 70 passport acceptance offices across the state, from the Butte Passport Office on Dewey Boulevard to the Dawson County office in Glendive. This page explains how those offices work, who runs them, and how to plan a visit before you book travel.

Who Handles Passport Applications in Montana

A passport is a federal document. The U.S. Department of State issues every one of them, and no Montana state agency decides whether you get one. What happens locally is called acceptance. A trained employee checks your identity, watches you sign the application, and forwards it to the State Department for processing. The places that do this are known as passport acceptance facilities.

In Montana, most acceptance facilities are public offices. Many county Clerks of District Court take applications, and some post offices and libraries do as well. You can see the pattern in the listings: Park County in Livingston, Ravalli County in Hamilton, Deer Lodge County in Anaconda and Fallon County in Baker are all county-run counters. Each site sets its own schedule, so hours, appointment rules and accepted payment types can differ from one town to the next.

That local control is the main thing to understand. The State Department sets the rules on documents and fees, but each office decides when its passport window is open. Courthouse clerks also handle court filings, so passport hours may be narrower than the building's general hours. Call before you drive, especially if you are crossing a few hundred miles of open country to get there.

Passport Offices in Montana: Cities, Courthouses and Small-Town Counters

The larger cities offer the most choice. The Missoula Passport Office at 1100 West Kent Avenue, the Billings Passport Office at 841 South 26th Street in Yellowstone County, and the Bozeman Passport Office at 2201 Baxter Lane each serve a wide regional population. The Great Falls Passport Office at 215 1st Avenue North and the Kalispell Passport Office at 350 North Meridian Road play the same role for north-central and northwest Montana. Ask about appointments early, because busy offices fill their calendars before spring break and summer travel.

The Gallatin County area has three listings in our database. One is the Belgrade Passport Office at 96 N Weaver St (406-388-4490), in the town that hosts Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport. Students at Montana State University and the area's fast-growing workforce keep this part of the state busy, so a second option in Belgrade is useful when Bozeman is booked.

Northwest Montana is well covered. Flathead County has four listings, including Kalispell and the Bigfork Passport Office at 265 Holt Drive (406-837-4479). Just south, Lake County has three, among them the Polson Passport Office at 105 4th Avenue East (406-883-2088) at the southern end of Flathead Lake. In the Bitterroot Valley, the Ravalli County Passport Office at 205 Bedford Street in Hamilton (406-375-6214) serves one of the more populated corners of western Montana. In southwest Montana, the Butte Passport Office at 701 Dewey Boulevard (406-494-2107) sits in Silver Bow County.

Rural Montana looks different. In places like Broadus (Powder River County, 1 Main Street, Courthouse Square), Circle (McCone County), Chinook (Blaine County), Big Timber (Sweet Grass County) and Conrad (Pondera County), the passport counter is usually a courthouse office. Staffs are small, so service can pause if the clerk is out or in court. Eastern Montana residents in Dawson County can use the office at 207 West Bell Street in Glendive. Our listing shows no phone number for that office, so call the county courthouse to confirm hours.

Border Country and Glacier: Why Many Montanans Want a Passport Card

Montana shares a long border with Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia, and many residents cross it for shopping, hockey games, family visits and trips around Glacier National Park. Along the Hi-Line, the Havre Passport Office at 115 3rd Street (406-265-5581), the Liberty County Passport Office at 111 1st Street East in Chester (406-759-5615) and the Glacier County Passport Office at 512 East Main Street in Cut Bank (406-873-5063) are the closest counters for border communities.

For these travelers, the passport card is worth a look. It costs less than the passport book and works for entering the United States by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. It cannot be used for international air travel. If your plans include a flight out of Missoula International, Billings Logan International, Glacier Park International near Kalispell, Great Falls International or Bozeman Yellowstone International, you need the book. Many families apply for both so that one document covers every kind of trip.

What to Bring to a Montana Passport Appointment

Most delays happen because an applicant arrives with the wrong paperwork. A first-time adult application, or any application that cannot be renewed by mail, generally requires the following:

If your most recent passport was issued when you were 16 or older, less than 15 years ago, and is undamaged, you may be able to renew without visiting any office. Mail-in renewals use Form DS-82, and the State Department has also opened online renewal for some eligible applicants. Check its current rules before you decide to make the trip.

Planning Around Montana Distances and Seasons

Processing times are set by the State Department and change through the year, so check its posted estimates before you apply. Expedited service costs extra. Urgent in-person appointments at a regional passport agency are limited to documented, imminent travel, and there is no agency in Montana, so that option means traveling out of state.

The practical answer is to apply early. Winter storms can close mountain passes and stretches of interstate, and summer brings visitor traffic and full calendars at county offices. Call the office you plan to use, confirm that passport acceptance is available that day, and ask whether walk-ins are taken. Where our listing shows no phone number, as with the Jefferson County Passport Office at 201 West Centennial Avenue in Boulder, call the county courthouse main line instead.

Passport acceptance facilities in Montana 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. Montana 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 61 cities across Montana. They are spread across 49 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of passport offices include Missoula, Havre, Glendive, reflecting larger populations and greater volumes of international travelers requiring passport services.

Residents of Montana 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

B
C
D
F
G
H
J
L
M
P
R
S
T
V
W
Y

Residents of Montana 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 Montana can mail their DS-82 form directly to a processing center, avoiding an in-person visit altogether.

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

Local Notes for Montana Passport Applicants

Montana's passport network follows its county seats. Most listings sit in or near a courthouse, so if you live in a small town, your county's own office is often the closest and the easiest to reach. Consolidated governments add a wrinkle. Butte and Silver Bow County share one government, and Anaconda and Deer Lodge County do the same, so the Deer Lodge County Passport Office at 800 Main Street in Anaconda (406-563-4040) is a county-city counter in one building.

Along the Yellowstone River, the Park County Passport Office at 414 East Callender Street in Livingston (406-222-4125) serves residents in that part of the state, and the Stillwater County Passport Office at 400 East 3rd Avenue North in Columbus (406-322-8030) covers the next county east. Out on the plains, the Fallon County Passport Office at 10 West Fallon Avenue in Baker (406-778-7114) is one of the few options near the North Dakota line.

Before you go, check three things: that the office takes passport applications on the day you plan to visit, that you have both payments ready, and that your photo meets the State Department's size and background rules. Doing so avoids a second trip, which matters when the next nearest office may be an hour or more away.

Montana Passport Office Questions Answered

No. Passports are issued only by the U.S. Department of State. Montana offices, such as the Missoula Passport Office, the Great Falls Passport Office and county courthouse counters, are acceptance facilities. Staff verify your identity, witness your signature on Form DS-11, collect your documents and payment, and send the package to the federal government. They cannot approve an application, print a passport or tell you exactly when it will arrive. For questions about a pending application, you must contact the State Department directly with the details from your receipt.

You pay two separate charges. The State Department's application fee for a first adult passport book is currently $130, paid by check or money order to the U.S. Department of State. The facility then charges a separate $35 execution fee. Some offices accept cash, cards or checks for that second fee, and others have narrower options, so ask when you call. Photos, expedited service and return shipping can add cost. Fees change from time to time, so confirm the current amounts on the State Department's travel website before you go.

Start with your own county seat. Our database covers 48 counties, and many courthouses accept applications, including Powder River County in Broadus, McCone County in Circle, Blaine County in Chinook and Powell County in Deer Lodge. Call the courthouse and ask whether the Clerk of District Court takes passports and on which days. If your county has no listing, check neighboring county seats and the larger cities nearby. Always confirm hours by phone, because small offices may close for court sessions or staff absences.

Begin at a local acceptance facility and pay the State Department's expedite fee, which shortens processing but does not guarantee a date. Urgent appointments at a regional passport agency require proof of travel within a short window, and Montana has no such agency, so that route means going out of state. Because Montana is so large, the best protection is to apply early. Ask the office whether it can mail your application with trackable service, and keep your receipt so you can follow your application's progress.

U.S. citizens age 16 and older generally need a passport book, a passport card or another approved border document to return to the United States by land. The passport card is a lower-cost choice for people who cross at Montana ports of entry but do not fly abroad. Children under 16 can usually return by land with proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, but rules can change. Check with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Canadian authorities before travel, and bring documents for every family member.

Often yes. If your most recent passport was issued when you were 16 or older, was issued within the past 15 years, is undamaged and is in your current name or can be linked to it, you may renew by mail with Form DS-82. Online renewal is also available to some applicants. In those cases you do not need to visit a facility in Butte, Kalispell or elsewhere. Children under 16 must apply in person, and so must anyone whose old passport was lost, stolen or issued long ago.