How to Apply for the First Time (In Person)

 

YOU MUST APPLY IN PERSON IF:

You are applying for your first U.S. passport or You are under age 16 or Your previous U.S. passport was issued when you were under age 16 or Your previous U.S. passport was lost, stolen, or damaged or Your previous U.S. passport was issued more than 15 years ago or Your name has changed since your U.S. passport was issued and you are unable to legally document your name change

Before You Start, Please Note:

• Special Requirements for All Minors Under Age 16
• Special Requirements for All Minors Ages 16 & 17
• Special Requirements for Diplomatic, Official, & Regular No-Fee Passports

 

STEPS TO SUBMITTING A U.S. PASSPORT APPLICATION IN PERSON:

Read and understand Steps 1-5 before leaving this page.

STEP 1: Complete and Submit Form DS-11: Application For A U.S. Passport

Complete Form DS-11: Application for a U. S. Passport To submit Form DS-11, you:

• Must apply in person at an Acceptance Facility or Passport Agency
• Must include the additional documentation required by Form DS-11 (See Steps 2-5)
• Must not sign the application until instructed to do so by the Acceptance Agent
• Must provide your Social Security number

STEP 2: Submit Evidence of U.S. Citizenship

When applying for a U.S. passport in person, evidence of U.S. citizenship must be submitted with Form DS-11. All documentation submitted as citizenship evidence will be returned to you. These documents will be delivered with your newly issued U.S. passport or in a separate mailing.

Primary Evidence of U.S. Citizenship (One of the following):

Previously issued, undamaged U.S. Passport Certified birth certificate issued by the city, county or state* Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth  Naturalization Certificate  Certificate of Citizenship

*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. Please note, some short (abstract) versions of birth certificates may not be acceptable for passport purposes.

NOTE: If you do not have primary evidence of U.S. citizenship or your U.S. birth certificate does not meet the requirements, please see Secondary Evidence of U.S. Citizenship.

STEP 3: Present Identification  

When applying for a U.S. passport in person, acceptable identification must be presented at the time of application.

Primary Identification (One of the following):

Previously issued, undamaged U.S. passport  Naturalization Certificate  Valid Driver’s License  Current Government ID (city, state or federal)  Current Military ID (military and dependents)

NOTE: If you do not have primary identification, please see Secondary Identification.

STEP 4: Pay the Applicable Fee

Please see Current Passport Fees and methods of payment.

STEP 5: Provide Two Passport Photos

We can help you submit clear and correctly exposed passport photos the first time – especially when applying for the U.S. Passport Card. See Quality Requirements for Passport Book & Passport Card Photographs to avoid photo processing delays.

Your Photographs Must Be:

• Identical
• In color
• 2 x 2 inches in size
• Taken within the past 6 months, showing current appearance
• 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:
• o Uniforms should not be worn in photographs except religious attire that is worn daily
• o Do not wear a hat or headgear that obscures the hair or hairline
• o If you normally wear prescription glasses, a hearing device, wig or similar articles, they should be worn for your picture
• o Dark glasses or nonprescription glasses with tinted lenses are not acceptable unless you need them for medical reasons (a medical certificate may be required)

NOTES:

• Vending machine photos are not generally acceptable
• See Digitized Passport Photos for information on acceptable digital photos
• Professional photographers see Guidelines for Producing High Quality Photographs for U.S. Travel Documents

What you need to Submit for Primary Evidence of U.S. Citizenship

When applying for a U.S. passport in person, evidence of U.S. citizenship must be submitted with Form DS-11. All documentation submitted as citizenship evidence will be returned to you. These documents will be delivered with your newly issued U.S. passport or in a separate mailing.

Primary Evidence of U.S. Citizenship (One of the following):

Previously issued, undamaged U.S. Passport Certified birth certificate issued by the city, county or state* Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth  Naturalization Certificate  Certificate of Citizenship

*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. Please note, some short (abstract) versions of birth certificates may not be acceptable for passport purposes.

Present Identification  

When applying for a U.S. passport in person, acceptable identification must be presented at the time of application.

Primary Identification (One of the following):

Previously issued, undamaged U.S. passport  Naturalization Certificate  Valid Driver’s License  Current Government ID (city, state or federal)  Current Military ID (military and dependents)

NOTE: If you do not have primary identification, please see Secondary Identification below.

Secondary Evidence of U.S. Citizenship

If you cannot present primary evidence of U.S. citizenship, you must submit secondary evidence of U.S. citizenship. Determine what form of secondary evidence is most appropriate for your situation based on the descriptions below. Each application is handled on a case-by-case basis. The scenarios below are intended as general guidance.

Early Public Records

If you were born in the United States and cannot present primary evidence of U.S. citizenship, you may submit a combination of early public records as evidence of your U.S. citizenship. Early public records must be submitted together with a birth record or Letter of No Record (see below). Early public records should show your name, date of birth, place of birth, and preferably be created within the first five years of your life. Examples of early public records are:

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

Early Public Records are not acceptable when presented alone. 

Delayed Birth Certificate

If you were born in the United States and cannot present primary evidence of U.S. citizenship because your U.S. Birth Certificate was not filed within the first year of your birth, you may submit a Delayed U.S. Birth Certificate. A Delayed U.S. Birth Certificate filed more than one year after your birth may be acceptable if:

 It lists the documentation used to create it (preferably early public records) and
 It is signed by the birth attendant or lists an affidavit signed by the parents

If your Delayed U.S. Birth Certificate does not include these items, it should be submitted together with Early Public Records (see above).

Letter of No Record

If you were born in the United States and cannot present primary evidence of U.S. citizenship because you do not have a previous U.S. passport or a certified U.S. birth certificate of any kind, you must present a state-issued Letter of No Record showing:

Your name
 Your date of birth
 The years for which a birth record was searched
 Acknowledgement that no birth certificate was found on file

A Letter of No Record must be submitted together with Early Public Records (see above).

From DS-10 Birth Affidavit

If you were born in the United States and cannot present primary evidence of U.S. citizenship, you may submit Form DS-10: Birth Affidavit as additional evidence of your U.S. citizenship. You may be requested to submit Early Public Records when submitting Form DS-10: Birth Affidavit. The birth affidavit:

Must be notarized
Must be submitted in person with Form DS-11
Must be submitted together with early public records
Must be completed by an affiant who has personal knowledge of birth in the U.S.
Must state briefly how the affiant’s knowledge was acquired
Should be completed by an older blood relative

NOTE: If no older blood relative is available, the affiant may be the attending physician or any other person who has personal knowledge of the birth

Foreign Birth Documents + Parent(s) Citizenship Evidence

If you claim citizenship through birth abroad to U.S. citizen parent(s), but cannot submit a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth, you must submit all of the following:

Your foreign birth certificate
Evidence of citizenship of your U.S. citizen parent
Parents’ marriage certificate
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

NOTES:

• See Documentation of U.S. Citizens Born Abroad for additional information.
• For information on foreign born children adopted by U.S. citizens, see the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 .

Unacceptable Documents

The following will not be accepted as evidence of U.S. citizenship:

• Voter registration card
• Army discharge paper
• Social Security Card