Checking a passport application's status is a self-service process, and it doesn't require calling anyone if you're patient enough to wait for the tracker to actually populate. * The official tool is passportstatus.state.gov, available online 24/7. To pull up your status, you'll need three pieces of information: your last name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. If your last name includes a hyphen or apostrophe, and a search doesn't return results, try entering it both with and without those characters — formatting mismatches are a common reason searches come back empty. * Timing matters before you check: it can take up to 2 weeks from the day you submit your application before any status even appears in the system as "in process" at a passport agency. Checking earlier than that typically just returns no results, not an error. * If you provided an email address on your application, the State Department will proactively send status update emails as your application moves through processing — you don't have to keep manually checking the tracker if you'd rather just wait for a notification. You can also update the email address on file at any point if needed. * The status labels themselves are straightforward: "in process" means your application is currently being reviewed at a passport agency, and later stages progress to "approved" and eventually "mailed." If something looks off or you need to change your mailing address, the State Department's phone line at 877-487-2778 handles those specific issues.