Things You'll Need
Passport application Form DS-11
$135.00 (Application and Execution Fees)
Identification documents
Proof of citizenship
1 Passport size photo
U.S. passports are issued by the federal government and its Department of State and are available to U.S. citizens. First time applicants must apply in person at a passport acceptance facility. Since these facilities are federally operated, an individual, regardless of their state of residence, may apply at a passport facility in any state, as long as they possess the proper forms of identification.
Step 1
Identify the Passport Acceptance Facility. Through the State Department website you may search for a facility based on address. Often a Passport Acceptance Facility will be at the local Post Office or County Clerks Office.
Step 2
Obtain and complete the application for a passport, which is the form DS-11. This form is for first time applicants only and can be downloaded from the State Department website. Clearly complete each required section and sign the application.
Step 3
Organize the necessary citizenship and identification documents. Applicants must submit documentation such as a birth certificate as evidence of citizenship. If a birth certificate is not available, secondary evidence can be accepted as well. An applicant that presents identification issued by a state outside the state in which the passport acceptance facility resides (i.e a New Hampshire driver's license at a facility in New York) must also submit an additional form of valid identification containing the applicants name, date of birth and a photograph. Applicants that have federal or military issued identification, regardless of their state of residence or driver's license, do not need to submit additional forms of identification.
Step 4
Obtain a photograph. First time applicant are required to submit a 2 inch by 2 inch frontal photograph. Photographs must be recent and unobstructed (no hats, headgear or nonprescription sunglasses). Individuals who normally wear prescription glasses, hearing devices or wigs should wear them in the photo.
Step 5
Visit the Passport Acceptance Facility. Applicants must apply in person at the facility and submit the application, the required documentation and $135 in payment for the fees. If approved, a passport will issued and mailed within 4-6 weeks. Any original documents submitted with the application will be returned with the new passport.
Tip
To renew a passport, individuals must submit form DS-82, so long as they are in possession of their old passport. Unlike first time applicants, renewal applicants do not need to submit their application and documentation in person as it can be completed by mail.