US Post Office

Line for passports is unreasonable. I arrived today to get a passport for my baby and found myself with 35 people ahead of me. With only 2 postal workers handling the queue (and 15 minute processing time), it would have taken over 4 hours for my number to be called. As my family wasn’t willing to wait that long (esp. with a baby!), we gave up and left; we”ll just pay for expedited service elsewhere.
Sadly, this office offers no appointments for passports nor any sort of express line. To top if off, it doesn’t even answer their phone!
Recommendation:
1. Don’t bother going here for passports unless you are both in a rush and don’t want to pay for expedited service. ($ 60 fee)
2. Just make an appointment at another post office/​city hall
2a. Post offices in general don’t pick their phone up. So to make an appointment, call USPS customer service, request passport help, bash the «0» key a dozen times to get to customer service (the system discourages chatting with a live person, but the hold time isn’t that long and they have a callback service) and request USPS customer service contact postal services for appointments. Generally, you can get an appointment 6 weeks out.
2b. SF passport agency will always take appointments if you pay expedited service fee.

This location offers non-​appointment visits for passport services and serves customers on a first come first serve system. Came on a Wednesday and was first in line at 6:30am. Getting here was a bit confusing as the GPS routed me to the opposite side of the business building. Thankfully the security guard gave me instructions on how to get to the right place. Once entered there will be a large parking lot — look for the sign that says Customer Parking Only.
Since I was the first one in line, I entered right when they opened 7:30am and got the first ticket number. I got out by 7:50am, which was incredibly fast and painless. Jose was the agent who took care of me and was very professional and even had a sense of humor, which I appreciated because dealing with government related tasks can be daunting at times.
After reading some of the reviews I was anticipating an unpleasant experience, but today’s visit was anything far from that. All the staff were really nice and are willing to answer your questions. As long as you come prepared with all the required documentations, wake up before everyone else does, you should be done with this process in no more than 30 minutes.
Get here as early as possible so you don’t have to wait for hours to get called. Be mindful that there may be only 2 staff members working at a time, so if there are a lot of families in the waiting room, expect to be there for a few hours especially during high season.
To expedite the entire process, here are a few suggestions: Have your passport photos taken at Walgreens or wherever to speed up the process, but you can also take it at this location. Make sure to print and fill out the DS11 Passport Form (Google this) before you arrive, although they have plenty of these forms at the check in desk. Also, make sure to have a valid form of identification, proof of U.S. citizenship, and any necessary documents (again refer to the website below to confirm as each case varies). The fees for applying for a general passport book costs $ 110 and another $ 25 for processing the order. The $ 110 payment must be in a form of a money order or personal check, but this office does sell money orders if you need them; however, the $ 25 processing fee can be paid in cash or debit/​credit card.
If you have general questions about applying for a passport, I recommend visiting
or calling their customer service number 1−888−407−4444. I was surprised at how friendly the phone agents were, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you need clarifications.
Happy Traveling!

Don’t go on a Saturday. Go during the week and in the middle of the day. I went on a Monday. Arrived just after 1 PM, had my passports done by 2:20 PM!
Do not forget your checkbook.
If you get your number, you can go to Huli Huli for lunch while you wait. It’s delish!

This is the place for walk-​in non-​emergency passport service. I arrived at 7:20am and was out by 8:45. There were about 15 groups in front of us. Overall I felt good about my experience. The staff was friendly, helpful, and sympathetic to the waiting.
Note: bathrooms access is very limited. There are no public restrooms but they will let you use the staff restroom on occasional breaks.

This review is for the passport facility within the post office. Came on a Saturday for the in-​person, no-​appointment passport service. We arrived at 7:10 am… and were number 59. They finally called our number at 11:45 am. Woefully understaffed, though the staff who were there were pleasant and thorough. Parking was plentiful.
Other things to note:
1) They only give 75 numbers out on Saturdays, so get there early! (FWIW, someone ahead of us in line got there at 6:30 am and were number 24.)
2) They lock the doors at noon and don’t let anyone in.
3) On average, they seem to process 12 – 15 passports per hour.

I went there today really early super worried about getting my childrens’ passports taking care of for a last minute trip coming up. Since it was last minute, I could not get an appointment anywhere in less than 2 months and then another 2 months to process!!! So I had to come here and walk in. I came at 6:30am, an hour before they opened. I was 5^th in line. By the time they opened, another 8 more parties probably came. I thought the lines would be longer but perhaps it was because it was a weekday. My plan was to get in early so I could be at work by 10am. I could have done that except the notary my husband used was sloppy so I had to go back and have my husband see the notary again and then return!!!
They are super organized and super friendly. They must be taking meditation or something because they are so calming with all of us stressed from all the necessary paperwork for a minor and originals plus copies, notarized forms from spouse and the children too!
I hate how difficult and time consuming it has become to get a passport these days with no place to get an appointment. Prior to this visit I called several other post offices to make an appointment and none of hem answered the phone, so I had to go in in person to each one, wait in line (seeing how they just let the phone ring while I was there) and then find out appointments for passports take 1 to 2 ½ months advance notice! They all said I should go to Evans St as a walk-​in.
You do need all your paperwork filled out ahead of time and in black ink, Have copies and originals of birth certificates, old passports, make sure notary is not sloppy with the work and all documentation there. You can get your photo done there but I was in a rush so took mine from Walgreens.
The attitude of all the employees made what could have been a stressful day a much smoother situation. They do not make the rules on what is required but they do relay the information in a very friendly and caring manner where you do not stress out. I dealt with 3 different employees (first visit, return and payment person). All awesome. I would also add I recommend you bring checks so they can mail with each passport although you can buy a money order there if needed.

Great service to apply for passport here! The location was far from my home, but they accept «drop-​ins». Came here around 7 am and process starts at 7:30. Bring all your required documents and everything is efficient with friendly staffs. Totally recommend here.

Passport line: Thursday: in at 12:30, out at 13:35. Your mileage may greatly vary; the day before, nobody who came after 13:00 was served. They close at 15:30. The line is the longest in the morning.

Need passport. Came at 6:45am on Saturday for a passport and snagged a number 35. Heard there were people waiting in line since 3am! My number was called around 10:40am. I had all paperwork ready, so the in-​take process only took about 10 minutes. However, then had to get into another line to pay the processing fee and the wait time at the cashier line was very, very long. All due to people ahead of us with all sorts of problems.
Here’s a few FYI:
1) They ONLY give out 75 numbers on Saturdays. One lady who drove 2 hours to get there was turned away because she got there after 9am and the numbers were long given out.
2) Bring a checkbook! They will charge you for a money order for the passport fee. The processing fee which goes to the post office can be in cash.
3) Have all paperwork and photo ready. It will make things go faster for you and the employees.
4) Tiffany’s Café is 2 short blocks away (an easy walk). Coffee, pastries, and hot breakfast made to order.

While this isn’t the closest post office to my home, it is the easiest to get to. The number 44 bus stops *directly* outside the front door. I went there on tax return night (as everyone knows, this is the very best night to go to the post office) because they were open a few extra hours. I got there at 1730 and the door from behind the counter opened.
A postal clerk appeared with a roller cart, a stamp for hand-​cancellation, and stamps to sell. Anyone who didn’t want to wait in the considerable line could bring their envelope to this clerk, and she’d postmark it and accept it for mailing. She had no scale, but she (and I) could estimate the postage and she’d sell me the stamps to bring it up to snuff.
My only real issue? No self-​service center here … no scale in the public areas. This is a major post office, and this seems like a glaring omission.
⁷⁄₅ would come back again …

I came here at 6:40 on a Wednesday morning and I’ve got to say that I thought this place would be pretty bad considering their recent reviews. My wait time when I sat down to get my ticket was about 20 minutes. My purpose here was to apply for a passport since mine had expired a few years ago. I tried going to city hall but their appointments were all filled up. They directed me towards this place because you do not need an appointment here.
Overall, I didn’t have any troubles at all with JOSE. He was polite, answered my questions, and kept the process simple. :)
And to make things clear, The State of Department only accepts checks. The USPS place itself accepts cards and cash for the processing fee. So bring a check book/​money order!

Absolutely worst passport experience ever. The Chinese receptionist is the most horrid human being. They make you wait for 3 – 4 hours, then tell you that you are missing one document. But when you first arrive, the wicked Chinese lady tells you to just sit down and don’t ask any questions. Not only that, you literally have to beg in order to just use the restroom.
Why doesn’t that idiot Chinese lady with glasses just examine everyone’s document when they arrive? She’s the worst kind of power trip person ever. She even tells a 2 yr-old’s parent that his kid is crying too much. I would be crying too if I was confined in a depressing and boring waiting room for hours. And this lady just incessantly tells people to sit down, stop talking and treating everyone who crosses her path like a toddler. She’s so bad, I would be willing to lose one arm if I just don’t have to hear her screeching voice.
This post office and every post office that does passport service are all equally horrible. The one on Lombard doesn’t even bother picking up their phones. Consider that this is the only one in the city without an appointment, you don’t really have a choice.

We got here at 6:40 on a Saturday morning to apply for passport for the first time. As we joined the line there were about 20 ppl ahead of us.
At 7:00 the line started to move forward, and we got a number between 10 – 15. There were 3 officers working, but it took them an hour to process 10 numbers… Finally our turn came around 8:10 and we were done by 8:30.
To speed up a little up for just yourself or others, get everything ready before you head to post office. Fill out the forms and bring all the required docs and people. Even though they could help make photo copies of ID, it takes a few minutes at minimum.
Please save seats for people who need them. I could hardly find a desk to write though I needed to, didn’t get a place to sit down for the couple hours in the office. Seats are very limited.
Considering this office to be the only we can find openning on saturday, we are still very happy with it.

Update: Passport office hours are 7:30am to 3:30pm M-​F, 7:00am to 12:00pm Saturday, closed Sunday.
Arrived at 7:45am on a Saturday on received ticket 60 out of 75 for the day. Tickets are one per party. Individuals who come together don’t need separate tickets.
The information posted on the lobby window states the office opens at 8:00am, as does the USPS website. We were surprised to find the office open and a room full of people before the listed open time. Lowering my rating a star for the hours not published accurately.

It’s SO UNCLEAR! I get there at 11:30 I am told they are closed. Wait, it says on the sign there 12:30. I got a blank stare from the Asian woman…
Another worker that just so happen to pass by said, «oh! they’re full. Come back Monday». Ok…
The door to the Passport office was closed, window covered. No one was in there Ugh! I hate when businesses basically operate when they feel like it. My sister will just go to our branch and set up an appointment. Thank God I already have mines!

I don’t know what this place would be like if I wasn’t on top of it. GET HERE EARLY! Early if you come on Saturday, from what I hear the weekdays are better.
They issue around 100 tickets a day.
We showed up around 6:55.
We were 16.
They called us at 735.
We were out by 745.
The guy In the front of the line got here at 6:30. He was out at 7:20.
Don’t ask how long, they don’t know.
I called the day before, 7 times. They finally picked up and gave me some information. They open at 7am, don’t take appointments and if you don’t get here early is going to take longer. The workers are nice
On my way out I see this family with a 14 year old roll in at 7:45, it’s going to take them hours, I feel bad but hey, you got to be on it.
It really pays to get there early.

This reveiw is for the Passport Center
Consider what time you go. If it is on a Saturday then it will be crowded. This is common sense. I went on a Friday around two and waited about 10 minutes. I believe this is the only Post Office that dies passports no matter what the websites says. Don’t waste your time calling all the PO’s listed, I already did. I also heard the experience is pleasant at the Daley City Town Hall
Tips:
Lost Passport:
If your trip is longer the 2 weeks away, then you should come here. Otherwise seek advice from the passport website.
Fill out forms 64 and 11 online. Print them both out and bring them with you. Bring a checkbook for faster service otherwise you will have to buy a money order with debit or credit. They take photos there. Drivers lisc, birth certificate.
Pro tip:
Bring headphones unless you want to hear the life story being explained to the agents. Interesting, but not every bodies cup of tea.

Passport Only
I make it a point to not go to places like the DMV first thing in the morning (unless you have an appointment)…Wait around lunchtime. That’s what I did when I came here to renew my passport. I signed in on the clipboard, the person at the front desk asked the nature of my passport visit. She gave me a form to fill out and I waited about 10 minutes. Easy peasy.
The place… looks like a government facility. Spartan and depressing looking. The people that helped me were certainly able and friendly to help. Just make sure you have your checkbook.

Probably the most inefficient branch of the federal government. This is literally the definition of inefficiency.
The roads to get here are horrible and the entrance to get into the facilities have huge bumps so be careful with your car.
If you’re going to the passport center, they only accept cash, check, or money order. Even though it says they accept cards on the website, they don’t.

FOR PASSPORT:
Came in on Tuesday around noon. The office was absolutely empty, so the whole process took 10 minutes. Quick & easy.