How to Get a Passport in Memphis Tennessee : 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 Memphis residents are obtaining U.S. passports as international travel grows, especially among employees of large companies with a strong presence in the area. The Bluff City is best known as an entertainment and tourism center, drawing more than 11 million annual visitors to Elvis Presley’s Graceland, Sun Studios, the Blues Hall of Fame, and live music clubs on Beale Street. However, Memphis’s diversified economy is also driven by the agribusiness and technology, food and beverage processing, medical devices, transportation, and advanced manufacturing industries.

As Tennessee’s second-largest metropolitan area, Memphis’s economic engine has driven growth in the MidSouth region for decades. Three Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in Memphis (FedEx, International Paper and AutoZone), while two others rank in the Fortune 1000 (banker First Horizon National and metals manufacturer Mueller Industries). Other leading non-governmental employers include medical providers Methodist Le Bonheur Health Care, Baptist Memorial Healthcare, and St. Jude Children’s Research Center; and manufacturers Accredo Health Group, UTC-Carrier, and Smith &Nephew. Since many of these companies have offices around the world, they also send their Tennessee-based employees overseas for training and ongoing operations—all of whom require passports to make this international journey.

Tennessee has also become a major vehicle manufacturing hub in recent years, with new operations being added across the state. From 2012 to 2022, the Greater Memphis region’s automotive industry grew by more than 80%. The $3.7 billion sector included more than 1,150 companies and 18,000 employees. The Greater Memphis Economic Research Group projects the area’s automobile and auto parts manufacturing sector will grow 57% by 2027, including electric vehicle manufacturing increasing by more than 20%. Leading this grow is a $5.6 billion joint venture by Ford Motor Company and SK Innovation to build electric F-Series trucks and batteries at a new 3,600-acre campus near Memphis. The region is also a transportation and logistics center, with a shipping terminal on the Mississippi River, two interstates (I-55 and I-40), and five major railroads. Transportation/logistics companies Technicolor, XPO Logistics Supply Chain, UPS, and Deutsche Post DHL also rank among the area’s top employers.

The strong economy and growing population in the Memphis area also contribute to increased demand for new passports. Of Tennessee’s 6.9 million residents in 2022, some 628,000 lived in the city of Memphis while 1.3 million resided in the Memphis-Forrest City metropolitan statistical area. The Memphis MSA (traditionally known as the Midsouth region) covers 10 counties in three states: Fayette, Shelby, and Tipton counties in Tennessee; Benton, Desoto, Marshall, Tate, and Tunica counties of Mississippi; and Crittenden and St. Francis counties in Arkansas). In 2022 the U.S. Passport Agency issued 240,686 passports to residents of Tennessee, which was almost as many as 2018’s pre-COVID total of 244,552.

Memphis International Airport (BNA) is served by 10 carriers that average 80 passenger flights per day. The FedEx Superhub (which processes many of the company’s packages) is also located at BNA, helping Memphis rank as the world’s busiest or second-busiest cargo airport in recent years. Memphis is also home to numerous institutions of higher learning, including the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The Memphis MSA includes Baptist College of Health Sciences, Christian Brothers University, and Rhodes College. Many of these public, private, and religious schools also have study-abroad programs, such as those offered by the University of Memphis’s Center for International Education Services. Overall, the Memphis region’s strong economy and population growth means that more Tennessee residents have 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 Memphis, there are three options to obtain a new passport: visit a local passport acceptance facility; drive to the Passport Agency in Hot Springs, Arkansas, or New Orleans, Louisiana (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. Memphis residents can visit one of the local county courthouses that serve as a passport acceptance facility. One recommended location is the Desoto County Chancery Clerk's office (https://www.desotocountyms.gov/573/Passport-Services) in Hernando, Mississippi, about 25 miles south of Memphis. The office does not require an appointment. The courthouse will even take your passport photo for $15 per applicant, in addition to their $35 per person processing fee.

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).

Option 2: 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 office in Memphis, so the closest locations are the Arkansas Passport Agency in Hot Springs or the New Orleans Passport Center. The Arkansas office at 191 Office Park Drive is about a three-hour drive from Memphis, while the New Orleans office at 335 Canal Street is a 5.5-hour-plus drive or a nine-hour Amtrak ride. You can ONLY apply in person at a U.S. passport agency 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 Arkansas Passport Agency are available at (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies/arkansas.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.

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 ship that envelope 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 Atlanta, which is about a five-hour drive or one-hour flight from Memphis. 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.

Memphis area 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.