Notes on how to get a US Passport in San Francisco
Do you meet the requirements to renew by mail? Lucky you!
Otherwise, you'll have to apply in person...here are the places you can do that in San Francisco:
Need your passport in less than the routine processing time (10 weeks as of 2023) for upcoming international travel?
San Francisco Passport Agency
M-F 8-4
450 Golden Gate Ave (Phillip Burton Federal Building), 3rd Floor, Suite 3-2501
Call for appointment 877-487-2778 M-F 8-10 and Sat 10-3 Eastern (in other words, M-F 5-7 / Sat 7-12 Pacific)
note that they'll only give you an appointment if you have proof of travel within 2 weeks (or need a visa within 4 weeks)
...you may or may not need an appointment though (there are some reports that they'll accept walk-ins)
Yelp reviews recommend getting there ~30 minutes before your appointment time...they also recommend getting there ~6 AM if you don't have an appointment
Typical turn-around time is 8 business days, but for imminent, ticketed international travel they can usually get you the passport sooner
it's not unheard of to even apply & receive your passport the same day
Note: costs $60 extra for Expedited Service
Full list at https://iafdb.travel.state.gov)
As of 2023, pretty much everywhere requires an appointment with the USPS
appointments open up at midnight for 30 days out (so you typically can only get an appointment 30 days in advance)
SF P&DC Finance Post Office (Hunter's Point)
1300 Evans Ave
By appointment only M-F 7:30-12:30 / 1:30 - 5:30 and Sat 7-1
415-550-5211
Saturdays are the most busy day, and they only accept 75 applications on that day—so get there early (before they open at 7 AM to be sure of getting a number)
as of 2023 they NO LONGER ACCEPT DROP-INs except those who sign up first thing in the morning (apparently you have to show up around ~7 AM on weekdays)
Yelp reviews have more
Marina Post Office
2055 Lombard St
By appointment only M-Th/Sat 10-3
415-351-1875
Yelp reviews suggest that they never pick up their phone to allow you to make an appointment, and if you go in person they're usually booked over a month...and sure enough, when I called in April 2016, they didn't pick up their phone
Noe Valley Post Office
4083 24th St (@ Castro)
By appointment only during M-F 10-3:30, Sat 10-2
415-821-3914 or 415-821-3863
Excelsior Post Office
15 Onondaga Ave (between Alamany & Mission, just south of Ocean Ave)
415-334-1057
By appointment only during M-F 10-3, Sat 9:30-1:30
San Francisco Treasurer/Tax Collector --> as of 2023 no longer accepts passport applications
Daly City Post Office
By appointment only M-F 10-1, 2-4
South San Francisco City Clerk
by appointment only (link)
it looks like appointments open up ~2 months in advance? their website says to "check daily"
As of 2023, Nancy Pelosi's SF Constituent Services office was able to work with the USPS to get earlier appointments; dial 415-556-4862, then 3 for case work, then 1 for passports
We also had some friends who worked with various Senators' offices to sort out some last-minute passport issues
Passport photos
Note the State Department's requirements
many drugstores do this pretty quickly/easily
have a young child who needs photos? both our friends and we liked www.notaryphotolivescanshipping.com on Mission & Cesar Chavez
Filled-out application (you can fill it out online and print the PDF, or fill it out by hand)
Child under 16: both parents and the child
If only 1 parent can come, the other can do a notarized consent form
Proof of citizenship and identification
Usually a certified birth certificate or old passport
Checkbook (you often need two checks, one for the State Department and one for the "execution fee", which goes to the place you apply)
at the Passport Agency you can also use credit cards