Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office: Passport Office in Des Moines IA
Handicap Accessible (ADA): Yes
Passport Photos: Yes, the Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office takes passport photographs onsite - Please review our guide to Passport Photos. If you want your passport photos taken before you go to the acceptance agent, here is a list of places to get passport photos in Des Moines.
Des Moines Passport Office: Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office Location Overview
Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office is an acceptance agent/passport office. For passport service in Des Moines, IA you can go here for passport help. Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office is a Court facility that is able to witness your signature and seal your passport documents - standard processing is 4-8 weeks. This office DOES NOT issue passports, they will send your passport forms directly to a regional passport facility. There are 2 other passport acceptance agent offices located in Des Moines. Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office is located in County, Iowa.About Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office
Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office is not a passport issuance facility and you will NOT receive a passport on-site there. This facility is an acceptance agent, the Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office is sort of like a special notary for the Department of State / Passport Agency in which they can "Witness" your signature and officially "Seal" your application and documents. There is a separate $35 fee for this that is paid at the time of sealing.
Needs to visit an acceptance agent
New Passports Application (Child or Adult)
Lost / Damaged Passport Replacement
Doesn't need to visit an acceptance agent
Passport Renewal
Passport Name Change Application
Passport Processing Times at Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office
Standard Processing - Because of Covid-19, the current processing times are 10-12 weeks after submitting an application.
Expedited Processing - You can pay an extra $60 when sealing your documents at Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office to get your passport quicker, typically in 4-6 weeks.
Emergency Processing - (NOT AVAILABLE at Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office): If you have proof of travel within 3 days you can request an emergency appointment at one of the regional passport offices close to Des Moines. Also see our info about 3rd-party passport expediters.
Nearest Regional Passport Offices to Des Moines, IA
Chicago Passport Agency - 269.1 Miles
Arkansas Passport Center - 427.3 Miles
Detroit Passport Agency - 473.9 Miles
Passport Services Offered at Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office
Passport Forms - If you need to pick up a physical pre-printed application that you can fill out by hand, the Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office will have pre-printed passport forms. You may also get passport forms from our website and print them on your own printer.
Passport Document Sealing / Passport Application Signature Witness - Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office is an official Acceptance Agent as appointed by the Department of State. Certain municipal and postal employees at this location are authorized to "Witness" your signature (kind of like a notary).
NOTE: not required for passport renewals
Acceptance Agent fee is $35 (see more about Acceptance Agent Fees)
4-6 week passport expediting / 10-12-week standard passport service - These are the standard processing times for passports at any acceptance agent.
Passport Photos - They can take and print your passport photos on site, typically $10-15.
Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office Service Area Radius
This passport office is located in - Polk County and serves the passport needs for residents of other nearby zipcodes including: 50309, 50393, 50333, 50318, 50302, 50308, 50307, 50336, 50368, 50305, 50304, 50391, 50392, 50983, 50982, 50319, 50340, 50359, 50360
Frequently asked questions
Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office does not issue passports, they are sent to a central processing facility, it will take at a minimum of 4 weeks if using expedited service and up to 12 weeks for standard processing.
It's about 540 miles roundtrip, so it is pretty far from Des Moines to Chicago Passport Agency, the closest passport issuing agency. You might want to consider using a passport expediting service to save you the time of going there yourself.
Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office is an acceptance agent, Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office does not issue passports – they do however charge the standard $35 acceptance agent fee to seal your documents, this is only required for new or replacement passport applications; renewals do not need to be sealed and thus no acceptance agent fee is required. Please see our detailed information on passport fees.
If by walk-in service you mean get your passport there at Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office? Then no. They do not issue passports, you can get walk-in passport issuance at a regional passport facility only, not local acceptance agent facilities; passport are sent to a central processing location.
If you have your expired or soon-to-be expired passport, it is in good condition and the validity period on your expired passport was for 10-years, then you do not even need to visit an acceptance agent. You can do your application online, print-it and send it in with new passport photos, the old passport, and the required passport fees. See our guide about passport renewals to renew your passport yourself.
No, they are acceptance agents and have nothing to do with the application once they witness your signature and seal your application. Once an application is in-process, Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office will not be able to assist any further.
Yes, you can get your passport photos taken there. Please see: List of locations in Des Moines to get passport photos.
At Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office, the passport acceptance fees can be paid for with a check, cash, money order or debit card. Since Polk County, IA, Recorder's Office takes passport photos there, you can also pay for photos with the same payment methods. Passport Fees can only be paid with a check or money order.