Obtaining a U.S. Passport

• To download an application form, please click here.
• Or, forms can be obtained from any passport agency or acceptance facility. (Call to check hours of availability.)

NOTE: Please do NOT sign the DS-11 application form until the Passport Acceptance Agent instructs you to do so.

• Previous U.S. Passport (mutilated, altered, or damaged passports are not acceptable as evidence of U.S. citizenship.)
• Certified birth certificate issued by the city, county or state

NOTE: A certified birth certificate has a registrar's raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrar’s signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar's office, which must be within 1 year of your birth

• Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth
• Naturalization Certificate
• Certificate of Citizenship

A Delayed Birth Certificate filed more than one year after your birth may be acceptable if it:

• Listed the documentation used to create it and
• Signed by the attending physician or midwife, or, lists an affidavit signed by the parents, or shows early public records.

If you do NOT have a previous U.S. passport or a certified birth certificate, you will need:

1. Letter of No Record

Issued by the State with your name, date of birth, which years were searched for a birth record and that there is no birth certificate on file for you.

2. AND as many of the following as possible: 

• Baptismal certificate
• Hospital birth certificate
• Census record
• Early school record
• Family bible record
• Doctor's record of post-natal care

NOTES: These documents must be early public records showing the date and place of birth, preferably created within the first five years of your life.

You may also submit an Affidavit of Birth, form DS-10, from an older blood relative, i.e., a parent, aunt, uncle, sibling, who has personal knowledge of your birth. It must be notarized or have the seal and signature of the acceptance agent.

If you were born abroad AND do not have a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certificate of Birth on file, you will need:

1. If you claim citizenship through birth abroad to one U.S. citizen parent:

• Foreign birth certificate,
• Proof of citizenship of your U.S. citizen parent, AND
• An affidavit of your U.S. citizen parent showing all periods and places of residence or physical presence in the United States and abroad before your birth.

2. If you claim citizenship through birth abroad to two U.S. citizen parents:

• Your foreign birth certificate,
• Parent’s marriage certificate, AND
• Proof of citizenship of your U.S. parents and an affidavit of your U.S. citizen parents showing all periods and places of residence of physical presence in the United States and abroad before your birth.

Click here for additional information on documentation of U.S. citizens born abroad who acquire citizenship at birth

NOTE: The following are NOT proof of citizenship

• Voter registration cards
• Army discharge papers

We have new information on foreign-born children adopted by U.S. citizens.

NOTE: If you travel extensively, you may request a larger, 48-page passport at no additional cost. To do so, please attach a signed request for a 48-page passport to your application.

FOR MINORS UNDER THE AGE OF 14:

The citizenship evidence submitted for minors under the age of 14 must list both parents' names. Read more information on the citizenship requirements for minors under the age of 14.

• Previous U.S. passport (mutilated, altered, or damaged passports are not acceptable as proof of identity.)
• Naturalization Certificate
• Current, valid
  • Driver's license
  • Government ID: city, state or federal
  • Military ID: military and dependents

NOTE:  Your Social Security Card does NOT prove your identity.

If none of these are available , you will need:

1. Some signature documents, not acceptable alone as ID

(ex: a combination of documents, such as your Social Security card, credit card, bank card, library card, etc.)

AND

2. A person who can vouch for you. He/she must

• Have known you for at least 2 years,
• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident,
• Have valid ID, and
• Fill out a Form DS-71 in the presence of a passport agent.

FOR MINORS UNDER THE AGE OF 14:

Each minor child shall appear in person. Both parents or legal guardians must present evidence of identity when they apply for a minor under the age of 14. Read more information on the identity requirements for minors under the age of 14.

FOR MINORS 14 to 17:

• Your child MUST appear in person.
• For security reasons, parental consent may be requested.
• If your child does not have identification of his/her own, you need to accompany your child, present identification and co-sign the application.

• 2x2 inches in size
• Identical
• Taken within the past 6 months, showing current appearance
• Color
• Full face, front view with a plain white or off-white background
• Between 1 inch and 1 3/8 inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head
• Taken in normal street attire
  • Uniforms should not be worn in photographs except religious attire that is worn daily.
  • Do not wear a hat or headgear that obscures the hair or hairline.
  • If you normally wear prescription glasses, a hearing device, wig or similar articles, they should be worn for your picture.
  • Dark glasses or nonprescription glasses with tinted lenses are not acceptable unless you need them for medical reasons. A medical certificate may be required.

Click here for information on acceptable digitized photos.

Click here for detailed information for professional photographers.

NOTE:Vending machine photos are not generally acceptable

Our 13 Passport Agencies Accept:

For Passport Application and Execution Fee:

• Credit Cards – VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover
• Debit/Check cards (not ATM cards)
• Checks, money orders, bank drafts

Our over 7,000 Passport Acceptance Facilities Accept:

For Passport Application Fee:

• Personal checks, money orders, and bank drafts at all locations
• Exact cash at some locations

For Execution Fee:

• Money orders and bank drafts at all locations
• Personal checks and exact cash at some locations
• Credit cards at U.S. Postal Facilities and some other locations

NOTE: When applying at one of the thousands of designated application acceptance facilities in the U.S., you pay the application processing fee to the “U.S. Department of State” and the execution fee to the facility where you are applying. When applying at a Regional Passport Agency, both fees are combined into one payment to the “U.S. Department of State.”

Expedite Fee:  (See How to Get Your Passport in a Hurry.)

2006 Copyright by The Celtic Group, L.L.C.