US Department of State Vital Records Passport Agency - Sterling, Virginia

Abby R.

This organization allegedly mailed out my supporting documents on 2/10 after I received my passport in a timely manner. It is now 3/24 and I still have yet to receive the document, which happened to be my ORIGINAL birth certificate. All the bad reviews are true. The good reviews look fake, like something employees were forced to write to boost the rating. This is such a dangerous sociopolitical landscape to be cavalier with people's major documents. All they can offer is "reimbursement" that requires me to jump through several hoops. This is not a cohesive organization. All personnel is incompetent. They don't even provide tracking numbers for vital documents.

Katy G.

I need to write this review because I read these reviews and was very hesitant on what to do because I didn't want to be scammed or have to pay for my passport again. I just sent in what they asked of me and they never told me anything, I went onto a official passport website and it never said the passport was in the works but it eventually got sent to me in about 3-4 weeks. I think you just need to be very careful about reading what it says.
Make sure you have the following!!!!:

-a paper copy in black and white of the letter they have sent you along with the original they have sent you.
-put in whatever they have asked like your birth certificate AND a black and white copy (front and back). It has to be on 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper.
-If asked for you Social Security number, write it on the original letter they have sent you in the mail.

again, this information is all written on the letter they have given you but I understand it is a lot of information so be sure not to miss any and send the mail ASAP within 90 days.

Your letter should have came with an envelope, stick all this information in it and put a stamp on it and you should expect your passport soon! :))

Rahul S.

We had a timely processed experience. Applied first time passport application for minor on Jan 30th, 2025 via USPS.
Center received application on Feb 5th with status “Processing” on the website. We got our passport on Mar 2nd, just within a 4 weeks and original docs after a week in a separate mail.
Looks like it was smooth routine process under a timeline of 4-6 weeks.
Nice Job.

Seth C.

The reviews are so absolutely ridiculous, writing this just so you know, this agency only handles PASSPORT APPLICATION ACCEPTANCE. Literally their only job is to look over your application and send it to the appropriate government facility. It's not their fault the department of state got your address wrong or your passport is a week late. This facility is solely for accepting, verifing, and sending out the APPLICATION ONLY. Once they send the paper work out it's our of their control so all your negative reviews are off topic and will be reported. Ridiculous. Use your brain people.

dwayne G.

This place and entire system is a total shyt show. It’s like they’re holding American born citizens hostage here by not getting you your passport. I receive letter after letter claiming something is missing but when I call to address everything being sent I’m told the folks in this building have no way to be contacted as they aren’t sitting next to a phone or computer all day. However I can receive emails at 6am saying something is missing?

Sterling S.

I needed a copy for my crba, I followed all the instructions from their website, started the process on Octubre 3 2024 signing the form in front of a notarizer officer in US embassy in Guatemala city, then I need a usps postal money order, so I asked to a friend in USA to buy it for me and send it to Guatemala, total amount $121.36 usd including one day shipping so they can send me my 2x crba copies.
Then after I have all files I sent them via dhl from Guatemala to Sterling VA including the postal money order, then delivered on 31 October 2024 at sterling VA, on November 14 my postal money order was cashed, then on December 23 they sent me via UPS Next day air to Miami FL my 2x copies of my crba, so my recommendation is use dhl to get your files there regardless where you are, I can guarantee you that this works, I did all from Guatemala and I have all my copies, Thanks guys.

Jose P.

The citizen customer experience with the State Department and their Passport Agency has been abysmal. Even having sent every document 12 weeks early and paying for expedited shipping ($250+?), we could not get our passport in a timely manner. We also had to pay $50+ because of their internal issues to mail more documents and pictures to them. Our tax money is not being spent judiciously in this system. It was hard to find this place on Google Maps; I guess they want to hide themselves. Never seen a place have 1.5 average reviews. I completely understand, no idea how the rating is even that high. Happy to provide further details. Best wishes.

Grace L.

This agency has been no help to me. While I cannot blame the people on the phone, they would not email me what was wrong with my application until 1 week before my trip. I express mailed the needed documents and was told it would still be 2-3 weeks until the processed it and shipped it to my closest agency. 0/10