How to Get a Passport in Huntsville Alabama : visasupply.com

Editor's Note: U.S. passports are currently taking up to seven weeks to process using the government's expedited service. It is possible to get a passport in less time by scheduling an appointment with the Passport Agency by calling 877-487-2778 and appearing in person at their office.

A growing number of Alabama residents in the Huntsville area are obtaining U.S. passports as international travel rebounds, especially among employees of large companies with a strong presence in the area. The city’s primary industries—aerospace, defense, information technology, and advanced manufacturing—are driven by Fortune 500 companies and startups whose influence and footprint spans the globe.

Huntsville was an agricultural trading center and the “Watercress Capital of the World” before the Space Race industry transformed it into “The Rocket City” in the late Twentieth Century. Dr. Warner and his team of aerospace engineers came to Huntsville in 1950 to develop the rockets that would take America’s first satellite into space and put the first humans on the moon. Today private and military aerospace technology companies drive the local economy, including NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal, and Cummings Research Center—the second largest such center in the United States and fourth largest in the world. Marshall and Redstone are the largest and third-largest employer in the area, with The Boeing Company, Northrop Grumman Corporation, and Lockheed Martin Corporation ranking in the Top 20. The sector’s history also inspired the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Alabama’s most popular tourist attraction and home to the world-famous Space Camp program.

Manufacturing and logistics are also important factors in the North Alabama economy. SmartAsset ranked Huntsville the sixth best metropolitan area to work in manufacturing (https://huntsvillebusinessjournal.com/lead/2021/12/06/huntsville-ranks-6-among-best-places-to-work-in-manufacturing). “The area’s manufacturing sector is made up of over 220 companies with 32,000 employees,” the report noted. “Many of those workers {are} being trained and developing the skills needed to perform technology-based precision manufacturing.” Toyota Motor Manufacturing opened its Huntsville plant in 2003 to manufacture engines for Toyota vehicles, while Mazda Toyota Manufacturing opened in 2021 to produce SUVs and pickups for both companies as part of a joint venture. Each facility employs more than 2,000 people, placing both companies among Huntsville’s Top 20 employers. Meanwhile, the Navistar Powertrain Manufacturing Plant provides components for Navistar heavy-duty vehicles. More than 25 biotech firms are also located in Huntsville, with many located at Cummings Research Park. Meanwhile, Meta (Facebook’s parent) opened a $1.5 billion data center in North Huntsville Industrial Park and plans to expand the facility. Other Top 10 employers also include software developer Hexagon and research development firms Dynetics and SAIC.

The state of Alabama’s strong economy and growing population are also contributing factors to the increased demand for new passports. The city of Huntsville ranks as the state’s largest city and anchors its second-largest metropolitan area. Of Alabama’s five million residents, some 220,000 live in the city of Huntsville; 407,000 in Huntsville/Madison County; and nearly 515,000 in the Huntsville-Decatur metropolitan statistical area (Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, and Morgan counties). In 2022 the U.S. Passport Agency issued 141,571 passports to Alabama residents as travel rebounded from pandemic-era lows of 2020 (84,990) and 2021 (82,749).

Huntsville International Airport (BHM) is the largest commercial airport in Northern Alabama, serving more than 1.2 million passengers annually. Carriers such as Delta, American, and United serve 13 domestic destinations. The metro area also has four major higher education institutions: the University of Alabama at Huntsville, Alabama A&M University, Oakwood University, and J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College. Programs such as those administered by the University of Alabama-Huntsville’s Office of International Services provide study-abroad and international exchange programs, boosting passport demand. Overall, the Huntsville region’s strong economy and population growth provide more Alabama residents with the means to travel internationally for business and/or pleasure.

To travel abroad, adults (ages 16 and up) need a U.S. passport. The passport is good for 10 years, after which it must be renewed. To obtain a new passport or renew an existing one, you will have to appear in person at an authorized passport acceptance facility. Employees at these government facilities will verify your identity and your documentation. You will also have to appear in person if:

You previously held a child’s passport (only good for five years);
Your passport expired more than five years ago; or
Your passport has been lost or damaged.

In Huntsville, there are three options to obtain a new passport: visit a local passport acceptance facility; drive to a federal Passport Agency in Atlanta, New Orleans, or Hot Springs (Arkansas) (by appointment only); or, in certain circumstances, use a private passport service such as Visa Supply to expedite delivery.

(NOTE: If you already have an adult passport in your possession that is in good condition, and it expired less than five years ago (or has yet to expire and you wish to renew), click here to learn how to renew a passport: https://www.visasupply.com/passports-and-visas-101/post/passport-renewal-in-atlanta.

Option 1: Appear at an Acceptance Facility

The most common way to obtain a passport is visiting a passport acceptance facility. This link allows you to find the closest facility to your home or office: https://iafdb.travel.state.gov. Alabama residents can visit one of the local county courthouses that serve as a passport acceptance facility such as the Madison County Probate Court at the courthouse, 100 North Side Square: https://www.madisoncountyal.gov/departments/probate-judge/passports. The court takes appointments on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while Tuesdays and Thursdays are “first come, first served.” To schedule an appointment, call 256-532-1058 or email passports@madisoncountyal.gov.

The basic form for a new passport (DS-11) is available online at https://pptform.state.gov/. You can complete the form online and then print it out, and take with you to the acceptance facility. (Do NOT sign the passport form in advance, as the government agent must witness your signature.) You may also fill out the DS-11 form by hand at the passport acceptance facility.

You will submit supporting documentation along with form DS-11. The required documents include:

Your long-form birth certificate or a government-certified copy of that certificate. {If you need to order a new copy of your birth certificate, we recommend using VitalChek (https://www.vitalchek.com), a private company with an easy-to-use process and less expensive rates.}
For naturalized citizens, their original certificate of naturalization.
State-issued driver’s license.
One photo that meets all passport image criteria, and properly attached to the application. (See https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/photos.html.)
A check or money payable to the U.S. Department of State. The basic passport fee is $130. Additional charges apply for expedited service and other options. For a full list of fees, please visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/how-apply/fees.html.
Another $35 payable via check, money order, cash or debit card to be paid to the passport acceptance facility for the identity verification process. (Check with the specific facility for the exact forms of payment they accept.)

Passport acceptance facilities are government offices but they do not actually issue the passport. These facilities will verify your documents and forward them to the State Department’s Passport Agency. The normal turnaround time for renewals by mail is eight to eleven weeks. Expedited service within seven weeks is available for an added fee. You can also pay extra for return delivery in two days (rather than the typical first-class mailing).

Option2: Apply in Person at a U.S. Passport Agency

If you need to travel within the next month, you will need to apply in person at a federal passport office. There is no federal passport office in Huntsville, so the closest locations are the U.S. Passport Agency in Atlanta, the New Orleans Passport Center, or the Arkansas Passport Center in Hot Springs. The downtown Atlanta office at 230 Peachtree Street is less than a four-hour drive from Huntsville, while the New Orleans office at 335 Canal Street and the Hot Springs center at 191 Office Park Drive are both about 6.5 hours away. You can ONLY apply in person here if you can prove the need to travel within the next two weeks – or four weeks if you are traveling to a country that requires a visa. You will need to fill out Form DS-11 and make an appointment directly with either office by calling 877-487-2778. Note that the agencies are busy during the summer travel season and around the holidays, so give yourself plenty of lead time.

For your appointment, bring the identification listed above, as well as:

Your appointment confirmation number
Proof of travel plans, such as your flight itinerary, hotel reservation or cruise tickets
One passport photo
Methods of payment. The agency takes major credit cards, debit cards, cash, checks and money orders. In addition to normal costs, there is an additional $60 expediting fee.

Contact information, directions and other details about the Atlanta Passport Agency are available at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies/atlanta.html. The link that shows the details about the New Orleans Passport Agency is https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies/new-orleans.html, while the Hot Springs Passport Agency information can be found at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies/arkansas.html

Visiting the Passport Agency is more expensive and may be less convenient than using an acceptance facility when you factor in the added costs for transportation and your time. However, if you need a passport quickly, it is worth the extra effort. Unlike a passport acceptance facility, the Passport Agency can issue your new passport – often on the same day or the following day.

Option 3: Use a Private Passport Service

The third option is to use a private passport expediter such as Visa Supply to speed up the turnaround time. For this option, you still need to visit a passport acceptance facility so a government official can verify your identity and documents. Normally the facility can only forward your documents to the State Department for processing. However, if you are using a courier service such as Visa Supply, the acceptance facility will seal your documents in an envelope and return them to you. You will then take that envelope back to our office so we can ship it to one of our couriers in San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, or Washington, D.C., so we can expedite your passport application.

Our office is located in Sandy Springs, which is about a four-hour drive from Huntsville. If you want Visa Supply to help you, it is usually better to visit our office in-person so we can take your passport photo; help you prepare your DS-11 application; plus review your documentation. You can take these documents to the DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court in Decatur (about a 30-minute drive from our office), and then return the sealed envelope to Visa Supply so we can expedite your application with the Passport Agency.

Since Visa Supply is a private company, we charge a fee for our services (in addition to the government’s $190 expedite fee for a passport book). Beyond the convenience of using our office, we make sure your application form is filled out correctly. We also take your passport photo and will ensure that it meets the government’s specifications. Our basic service starts at $100. Customers receive their new passport (along with the old one) within seven weeks; for additional fees we can also get passports renewed in as fast as one week. Please call us for the latest details.

Huntsville residents with questions about obtaining a new U.S. passport can schedule a telephone call through our website. Our free consultation will explain the process of getting a passport and help you understand the different options for getting a passport based on your international travel plans.