US opens Trump-themed Patriot Passport applications nationwide for 250th anniversary

Washington,UPDATED: Jul 31, 2026 01:02 IST

Americans across the country will soon be able to apply for limited-edition US passports marking America’s 250th birthday, with the special documents featuring a picture of President Donald Trump, the State Department said on Thursday.

The commemorative passports, which had so far been available only to in-person applicants at the Washington, DC, passport office, will be offered by the department’s 27 passport agencies nationwide from next month. Trump is the first living president to be featured in a US passport.

In a statement, the department said, "In response to overwhelming demand, the Department of State is making an additional 250,000 of the special commemorative passports available to the public." It added, "Americans all across the country will now have the opportunity to apply for one of these additional special passports, known as the ‘Patriot Passport’." Passport offices in Centennial, Colorado; Chicago; Dallas; Detroit; New Orleans; New York; and Stamford, Connecticut, will offer the Trump passports at one-day special events starting August 8, with more offices to be added through August.

People who want the special passport will have to apply in person on the date listed on the department’s passport website. Those applying for a traditional passport will have to do so on different days.

The commemorative passport carries Trump’s picture on an interior page over a gold imprimatur of his signature. Its cover also differs from the standard design, with the words "United States of America" in bold gold print at the top and "Passport" at the bottom, reversing the current layout. A small gold laminate American flag, with the number 250 encircled by stars, appears at the bottom of the back cover.

The only presidents shown in current US passports are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in a double-page image of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. Other images in the current passport include the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and scenes of the Great Plains, mountains and islands. Current passports also carry quotations from Martin Luther King Jr and presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, John F Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower.

The new passport is the latest example of Trump’s name and likeness being added to prominent public symbols and spaces. His image appears on a gold-finished commemorative coin marking the country’s founding that the US Mint has begun producing, and there are efforts to put his signature on all new US paper currency, which would also be a first for a sitting president. His aides have also moved to add his name to the US Institute of Peace building and the Kennedy Center performing arts venue, though that signage was later removed on a court order. Trump has also drawn attention with plans for a new White House ballroom and a large arch at one of the entrances to Washington from Virginia.

With the expanded rollout, the special passport featuring Trump will now be available beyond Washington, as the State Department opens applications at agencies across the country in the run-up to America’s 250th birthday.

With PTI Inputs

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