The State Department said Tuesday that it is rolling out a limited edition version of U.S. passports, featuring a portrait of President Donald Trump surrounded by the Declaration of Independence on the inside cover.
The new passport designs are part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration and will also include an image of the Founding Fathers, according to markups shared by the State Department.
“As the United States celebrates America's 250th anniversary in July, the State Department is preparing to release a limited number of specially designed U.S. Passports to commemorate this historic occasion,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
A number of festivities are planned this year — with a special focus on the 250th anniversary of the Second Continental Congress formally adopting the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776.
A State Department official said the passports will only be available at the passport office in Washington, D.C., and the rollout starting this summer would continue for as long as there was availability.
There will not be an additional fee for “any American citizen” who requests the limited edition version, the official said. Those who would prefer a standard passport can apply for one instead of the commemorative design — but must visit a passport office outside Washington or apply online, The Associated Press reported.
“These passports will feature customized artwork and enhanced imagery while maintaining the same security features that make the U.S. Passport the most secure documents in the world," Pigott said in his statement.
An inquiry made to the State Department about how many commemorative passports would be made available was not immediately returned.
The Bulwark reported on the passport designs Tuesday morning. The State Department confirmed the details and design reported by Fox News Digital.
The commemorative design would be the first to feature a living U.S. president and would also bear Trump’s signature in a gold color below his portrait.
The design also flips the wording on the front cover, placing an enlarged “United States of America” above the eagle crest and the word, “Passport,” at the bottom, instead of the reverse in the current version. The back of the design has an American flag with “250” surrounded by 13 stars on the 1777 version of the flag.
Standard passports now feature a scene of Fort McHenry and lyrics from "The Star-Spangled Banner” on the inside cover and an image of space exploration on the back inside flap. It’s unclear if either of these images would be moved elsewhere in the booklet.
The U.S. passport design, introduced in 2007, featured a bald eagle, American flag and sheaths of wheat along with the preamble of the U.S. Constitution on the data page.
Separately, the State Department has also been planning to transition U.S. passports to a single-sized, 38-page booklet, which would replace the 28-page and 50-page versions in 2028, according to a notice published in the Federal Register last week.
Editor's Note: The Associated Press updated its reporting to note that the commemorative design will be the default document at the Washington, D.C., passport office, and that officials said those who want a standard passport will be able to get one by applying online or outside Washington. (4/29/26)