To Apply for a U.S. Passport

You MUST:

1. Provide Application for Passport, Form DS-11
   Click here to download an application form.
   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.

2. Present Proof of U.S. Citizenship
   You may prove U.S. Citizenship with any one of the following:
   • 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
     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:
• 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.

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.

3. Present Proof of Identity
   You may prove your identity with any one of these, if you are recognizable:
   • Previous U.S. passport (mutilated, altered, or damaged passports are not acceptable as proof of identity.)
   • Current, valid Driver's license
   NOTE: Your Social Security Card does NOT prove your identity.

   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.




4. Provide Two Passport Photos
   Your photographs must be:
   • 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.

5. Pay the Applicable Fee
   Click here to see passport fees.
   You can submit your application and fee at one of the 13 Passport Agencies or at one of over 7,000 Passport Acceptance Facilities

   NOTE: When applying at one of the 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.”

6. Provide a Social Security Number
   If you do not provide your Social Security Number, the Internal Revenue Service may impose a $500 penalty. If you have any questions please call your nearest IRS office.