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Passports
 
August 13, 2010

Please see “Passport Delivery or Pick Up” section below for details regarding our new courier delivery service, effective August 16, 2010.

 

Passport services require appointments, which are available for American citizens Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm.  We are closed on the last Wednesday of every month and on American and Indian holidays.

Please arrive fifteen minutes before your appointment to clear security.  Mobile phones, electronic devices other restricted items are not permitted inside the Consulate. 

    
Online application tips:

 

    

  • Complete the address fields completely. If you are in India, your passport will not be sent back to the United States. When you drop off your application, you can designate if you wish to pick it up or have it sent to you by registered mail to an address in India.
  • If completing an application without a social security number, you may enter all zeroes as a placeholder.
  • Expedite fee: You do not need to select the "expedite fee" option; passports printed for citizens abroad are automatically expedited.
  • Please fill out the emergency contact information even though it is not required to submit the application.
  • Print the form but please do not use two-sided printing.
  • Unless renewing by mail, only sign the forms in the presence of a consular officer.
  • Passport applications should be printed and supporting documents prepared before you come to your appointment. 

For more information on required documents and the application process, choose your service: Lost or Stolen Passport


Fees

Complete fee information is available here. If applying in person, you may pay with cash dollars, cash rupees (at the current exchange rate), demand draft or a major U.S. credit card. Personal checks are not accepted. 

Passport Processing Time

Except in emergencies, passports are printed in the United States and take approximately two to three weeks.  Please consider this timeline when renewing or applying for passports. You will receive an automated email when your passport is ready.

Passport Delivery or Pick Up

If you opt to pick up your passport, you may do so between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding the last Wednesday of the month and American and Indian holidays. You do not need an appointment to pick up your passport.

The U.S. Consulate is pleased to provide courier delivery services for U.S. passports, effective August 16, 2010.  All passports which are not picked up at the Consulate must be delivered through VFS courier services. This service will allow for timely tracking and delivery of your passports.  Please read carefully the instructions below so as to arrive at your appointment prepared.

  1. Prior to your appointment at the Chennai Consulate, obtain a demand draft in the amount of Rs. 166 per passport service drawn in favor of “VFS Global services Private Ltd”, payable at Chennai.  We cannot accept cash for this service.
  2. At the appointment, you will be asked to provide the VFS demand draft and courier slip for each individual applicant.  You may access the VFS courier slip on their website at: https://www.vfs-usa.co.in/USIndia/uspassportservices.html.
  3. Passports will still be printed in the U.S., so overall processing time will remain between two and four weeks.  However, once the ACS unit provides your new passport to VFS, you will be able to check the status of your passport by entering your old passport number at the VFS website.  Please click here to track your passport.
  4. You will receive a receipt from VFS with the return of your passport. 

Questions?

Please email chennaics@state.gov

General information about U.S. passports, including applying for a U.S. Passport from outside the United States is available here.

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