How Can an Immigrant Get a Passport?

Immigrants can apply for passports through their embassies.

If you are an immigrant and residing in the United States, far from your native country, obtaining a passport in order to travel abroad may seem a complicated and intimidating task. You do not need to fly all the way home to get your passport. The United States has the largest number of foreign embassies within its borders. All embassies help its citizens get a passport while staying within the U.S.

Instructions

1. Go to your embassy's website. If you do not know the website address, go to Google and enter your country followed by "embassy US" into the search box. Your country's embassy in the United State should show up in the search results. Click the title to go to the website.

2. On the embassy's website, look for a navigational link for "Consular Affairs" or "Consular Section." Click the link to obtain information about the section of your embassy dedicated to passport and visa services for their citizens.

3. Most embassies offer passport services through both online and standard mail procedures. If an embassy offers an online application for a passport, you will still need to send passport-size photos to the embassy through regular mail.

4. Your embassy will review your passport application and may contact you for a follow-up interview or for further information. Your passport will be mailed to your current address.

Tips & Warnings

• Because passport applications are administered through regular mail, you must allow for long processing times. Apply for your passport 3 months prior to your estimated travel dates. Most embassies offer passport information on their websites in the native language of the country. If you have been a long time immigrant and resident of the U.S. and do not fluently read or write the language of your country, you may need to enlist the help of someone who can accurately translate the information for you.

Resources

• Google Search
• Foreign embassies in the United States