Passport

All U.S. citizens, including children, are required to obtain passports in their own names for identification while traveling abroad and for re-entry into the United States. Unless specifically authorized by a passport issuing office, no person may have more than one valid, or potentially valid, U.S. passport of the same type at any one time. Following is a summary of the passport application process that was compiled from information provided by the U.S. State Department, which maintains a web site at http://travel.state.gov/passport_services.html

You can download PDF versions of all applications at http://travel.state.gov/download_applications.html

Web: Consular:    http://travel.state.gov    

State Department:  http://www.state.gov/

FIRST-TIME PASSPORT APPLICATIONS

If you are applying for your first U.S. Passport, you must apply in person at one of over 3500 Clerks of Court or Post Offices which accept passport applications. Call your county courthouse or the largest regional post office in your area. You will need to provide the following documents:

• Proof of United States citizenship or nationality such as: a certified copy of a birth certificate for all applicants born in the US, a Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship, or an expired US passport.
• Proof of identity (photo ID with signature) such as:  a previous U.S. passport, a Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship, a valid driver's license, or a valid government or military identification card.
• Two identical passport photographs taken within the last six months. The photographs must be 2x2 inches with an image size between 1 and 1 3/8 inches. Photographs must be a front view, full face, taken in normal street attire without a hat or dark glasses, with a plain white background. (see Sources)
• A completed passport application form DSP-11 which contains all the requested information except your signature. This form must be signed in the presence of an authorized executing official.