Congratulations, you've finally decided to get out of the country and see the world. You've applied for your passport, patiently waited five to seven weeks and it has finally arrived in the mail. Before you race to the airport however, you must sign your passport. This is a simple procedure, but there are few things to keep in mind, including using the right kind of pen and making sure that you sign your passport with the same type of signature you use for other important documents.

Open your passport to the signature page. The signature page is the second page in your passport right next to the page with your picture and personal information. The signature page has a statement from the Secretary of State that requests a foreign government to allow you to enter their country. The statement is in English and repeated in French. At the bottom of the page is the line for you to sign your name.

Use a blue or black ink felt-tip, roller ball or calligraphy pen, according to New Citizen.us. Do not use a ballpoint pen.

Sign your full name name in the same way that you signed your passport application, and how you would sign any check or credit card. For instance if you normally sign important documents with your middle initial and not the full name spelled out, sign your passport in the same way. In case of any fraud, it is important that your signature matches up with other documents you have signed. If you have a child that is to small to write his name, sign his name for him and put mother or father in parenthesis next to it.

Tip

  • Fill out the Emergency Contact page, which should be after the Importan Information" pages and write it in pencil. This way you can update your emergency contacts over the 10 years that your passport is valid for.

About the Author

Based in Los Angeles, Zora Hughes has been writing travel, parenting, cooking and relationship articles since 2010. Her work includes writing city profiles for Groupon. She also writes screenplays and won the S. Randolph Playwriting Award in 2004. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in television writing/producing and a Master of Arts Management in entertainment media management, both from Columbia College.

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