A Limited-Edition US Passport Featuring a Sitting President’s Portrait for the First Time Will Soon Be Available Nationwide

For the first time in the history of the American passport, a sitting president’s portrait appears inside its pages. Starting August 8, the U.S. State Department will offer the commemorative “Patriot Passport” bearing President Donald Trump’s image at 27 passport agencies across the country, ending months when only the Washington, D.C. office could issue it. Officials say demand has been overwhelming, and 250,000 more copies are now headed to the public.

The redesigned booklet flips the standard passport’s look inside out. “United States of America” runs in bold gold letters across the top of the cover, with “Passport” printed at the bottom, a reversal of the current layout. Inside, Trump’s portrait sits above a gold imprint of his signature, and a small gold laminate flag bearing the number 250, circled by stars, marks the back cover in tribute to the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Applicants cannot request the design online or by mail. Only those who book an in-person appointment at a passport agency event qualify, and a separate line exists for travelers who prefer the traditional cover. A State Department spokesperson said staff have been flooded with calls and questions about the Patriot Passport since it debuted in July, including more than 30,000 calls to the passport hotline after the Fourth of July alone.

Trump’s Face Joins a Growing List of Personal Tributes Across Federal Property

The passport is not the only place Trump’s likeness has recently appeared on government material. His image is stamped on a gold-finished coin the U.S. Mint began striking to mark the country’s founding, and administration officials are pushing to add his signature to all newly printed U.S. currency, a first for a president still in office. Supporters call the additions fitting tributes to the anniversary year.

Not every effort to raise Trump’s profile on federal property has stood unchallenged. His name was added to the U.S. Institute of Peace building and to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, but a court later ordered the Institute of Peace signage removed. The president has also pursued a new White House ballroom and a large arch planned for one of Washington’s entrances from Virginia.

The rollout has drawn political criticism even as it expands. Maryland Rep. April McClain Delaney said constituents are focused on rent, groceries and health care costs rather than a commemorative travel document, arguing the passport push distracts from affordability concerns. State Department officials have not responded to the criticism directly, instead pointing to public demand as the reason for widening access to the design.

No Other Sitting President Has Ever Appeared Inside a US Passport Before

Current U.S. passports include presidents only through a shared image of Mount Rushmore, featuring George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln carved in stone. The books also carry quotations from Martin Luther King Jr. and presidents including Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Dwight Eisenhower, alongside scenes of the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Trump’s inclusion breaks that pattern entirely. Rather than a historical tribute shared among past leaders, the commemorative edition places a close-up portrait of a president currently in office front and center, timed to a national anniversary rather than a retrospective. Earlier this year, his portrait was also added to National Parks passes, extending the same approach to another widely used federal document.

The commemorative passport will not replace the standard version while it remains available, and officials describe its release as limited even with the expanded rollout. Passport offices in Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, New York and several other cities will host one-day application events beginning August 8, with more locations added through the rest of the month.

Here Is How Americans Can Apply, and How to Avoid the Design Entirely

Those who want the Patriot Passport must show up in person on the specific date listed for their local agency’s application event and cannot apply by mail, online or at an embassy for this version. Travelers who prefer the standard cover still have options: they can apply online, mail their paperwork, visit a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad, or use an acceptance facility such as a library or post office.

In Washington, D.C., applicants who want to skip the commemorative design entirely can request a large passport book, which keeps the existing format without Trump’s image. That workaround has circulated widely on social media since the design was first unveiled, offering a clear path for travelers who want no part of the tribute.

A single-office rollout in the nation’s capital has grown into a coast-to-coast release of 250,000 more commemorative books, each one carrying the portrait of a president who is still in office. No prior administration put a sitting leader’s face inside the pages Americans carry across borders, and this one now has 27 agencies helping make sure the design reaches far beyond Washington.