I’m Cindy Stuart, your Hillsborough County Clerk of Court and Comptroller.

My goal is to offer you convenient, 24/7 services online and in person.

OurHow to Apply for a Passport seminar will help prepare you and your family with the best information before you visit us at one of our Official Records locations in downtown Tampa, Plant City, or Brandon. 

We’re here to help—and make sure your customer experience is seamless.

Hi, my name is Lisa-Marie and I’m a deputy Clerk at the downtown Tampa Clerk’s office. I would like to take a moment to provide you with a few important key items needed to apply for your *new* passport at one of our three locations:

The Hillsborough Clerk’s Office accepts new passport applications at our Downtown Tampa, Brandon, and Plant City locations Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  Appointments are encouraged and can be made on our website, but we do accept walk-ins as well. 

In this video we are going to address:
Basic requirements when applying for a new passport
Specific needs for children
Payment information
Processing Times

Basic Requirements When Applying for a New Passport

All applicants need to present a completed passport application, proof of citizenship, and passport photos.  Adults need to provide government-issued identification as well. 

The DS-11 is a Department of State new passport application form, and is available online or in any of our three locations.  The application cannot contain any mistakes or scratch-outs and must be typed or printed in black ink. 

You will need to provide proof of citizenship. This can be a previously issued passport, an original or certified copy of a birth certificate, or a naturalization certificate. 

Adults will also need a valid government-issued ID, as well as two, 2X2 passport approved photos. These can be taken at certain Walgreens, CVS, and FedEx locations as well as at our offices for an additional fee of $15.00 per applicant.

Specific Requirements for Children 

When applying for a child, the parents mentioned on the birth certificate and the child must be present. If one parent is unable to be present, a Statement of Consent form must be filled out by the absent parent along with a copy of his or her government-issued ID, front and back. Please be sure to read the instructions on the form entirely to avoid any delay. The form, which can be found on the Department of State website or at one of our locations, must be either typed or printed in black ink and should contain no mistakes or scratch-outs.

Payment Information 

Two forms of payment are required:

The $35 Passport Acceptance Fee and the $15 photo fee (if you do not already have photos), which is paid to the Clerk
of the Circuit Court, can be made by cash, check, money order, or credit card.  We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover with a 3.5% service fee.

Payment to the U.S. Department of State can ONLY be made bycheck or money order.

You may obtain an accurate estimate of fees on travel-dot-state-dot-gov using the Fee Calculator.

Processing Times

Processing times change frequently. Please visit Travel-dot-state-dot-gov for the most accurate processing time. 

If your travel date is outside of the available processing time, please reach out to the Department of State at 1-877-487-2778 or NPIC@state.gov. 

If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact our office at 813-276-8100 ext. 7805 Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm or you may send an email to recording@hillsclerk.com. 

Thank you for watching. If you want to stay in touch with the Clerk’s office about upcoming Special Passport events we host on weekends and evenings, follow us at-hills-clerk. 

We’re here to help!

The U.S. Department of State provides detailed information in obtaining a passport. 

You can complete one online and print it or print it and complete by hand.  Find out how here.

Two forms of payment are required:

1. Payment of $35 (Passport Acceptance Fee) and $15 photo fee (if you do not already have photos) to the Clerk of the Circuit Court can be made by cash, check, money order, or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover - 3.5% service fee charged.

2. Payment to the U.S. Department of State must be made by check or money order only.

You can find more details on the exact requirements for passport photos on the U.S. Department of State website.

Passport Photo Taking Services in Hillsborough County:  You can now save time by having your passport photo taken at any of our locations when you present your application or you can bring your own passport photos with you to the appointment. 

Other options for obtaining Passport Photos:

• Certain Walgreens, CVS and FedEx locations that have photo departments.
• AAA offices
• The UPS Store
• Some U.S. Post Office locations
• Many professional photography studios provide passport photo services

NOTE: Always call ahead to these passport photo providers to see if the location you want to visit offers this service, if a technician will be on duty at the time you want to have your picture taken, and if an appointment is required.

The U.S. Department of State's website can help with passport renewals.

The U.S. State Department provides answers to commonly asked questions.  Find your answers here.

See Passport Fees for more information.

Call:     (813) 276-8100

Email:  Contact Us

Appointments and Walk-ins Welcome:   Downtown Tampa, Plant City and Brandon from 8 AM to 2:30 PM.   See wait times.  Make a passport appointment here. Browse a list of other passport application agencies and locations in Hillsborough County if these times are not convenient or you need a Passport Service the Clerk does not offer.