Applying for or renewing a passport typically means waiting four to six weeks to receive the passport. Through the State Department's online system, the progress of an application can be tracked soon after its submission if a few details about the applicant are provided. The system also can be used to determine whether someone has applied for a passport. All that is required is the person's last name, date of birth and the last four digits of his Social Security number.

Check Online

Log on to the State Department's passport website, travel.state.gov.

Select the "Application Status" link on the left side of the page. With the applicant's last name, date of birth and last four digits of his Social Security number at hand, select "Check Application Status."

Check the box indicating that you agree to the Privacy and Computer Fraud and Abuse Acts Notices and Disclaimers. Select "Submit."

Enter the relevant information and select "Submit." The next page should bring up the status of a passport application. If it has been five to seven days since the initial application and a status shows up, that person has applied for a passport. If it has been longer than five to seven days and there is no status, it is likely that the person has not applied.

Call Customer Service

Call Customer Service at 877-487-2778 if you have checked the website and found no status but wish to double-check that no passport application has been filed.

Navigate through the automated prompts until you reach a customer service agent.

Provide the customer service agent with the applicant's last name, date of birth and the last four digits of his Social Security number. If the agent cannot find information about the applicant a week after submission, the applicant has not filed an application for a passport.

Tip

  • Once you have determined that a passport application has been filed, you can log on to the website and sign up for automated status updates that will be sent to you via e-mail with each updated step.

About the Author

Madeleine Baber has been writing professionally since 2002. She specializes in art, travel, cultural anthropology, language, theater and religion. Baber holds a Bachelor of Arts in religious studies from Millsaps College and a Master of Arts in art history from Richmond University in London.

Photo Credits

  • Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
SHARE