How to Apply for US Passport

If you are applying for the passport for the first time, you must appear in person. For minors under age 14, both parents must appear in person as well as the child and it requires both parents’ consent.
Following documents are required to apply for a US passport:

1. Complete application Form DS-11 online by answering the questions. It will auto-generate the form based on your answer. Please print it out.
   
2. Proof of US citizenship using US birth certificate or Naturalization Certificate
   
3. Proof of identity such as passport, naturalization certificate, certificate of citizenship, current valid driver’s license. Both parents must present evidence of identity when they apply for a child under 14.
   
4. 2 passport photos.

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

Vending machine photos are generally not acceptable.

Note: When applying at one of the thousands of designated application acceptance facilities in the U.S., you pay the passport processing fee to the ‘U.S. Department of State’ and the execution fee to the facility where you are applying. Acceptable forms of payment vary. When applying at a Regional Passport Agency, both fees are combined into one payment to the ‘U.S. Department of State’ and may be paid by check (personal, certified, travelers’), major credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover), bank draft or cashier’s check, money order (U.S. Postal, international, currency exchange), or if abroad, the foreign currency equivalent, or a check drawn on a U.S. bank.

13 Passport Agencies Accept:
For Passport Application and Execution Fee Credit Cards – VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Debit/Check cards (not ATM cards) Checks, money orders, bank drafts

• For Passport Application Fee
  Personal checks, money orders, and bank drafts at all locations Exact cash at some locations
  
• For Execution Fee
  Money orders and bank drafts at all locations Personal checks and exact cash at some locations Credit cards at U.S. Postal Facilities and some other locations.

Expedited Service – Add $60 for each application

When applying for minors under age 14, there are additional requirements as follows:

Present Evidence of Child’s Relationship to Parents/Guardians.

For this, submit US birth certificate with both parents’ names in it.

1. Both parents must appear together and sign or
2. One parent appears, signs, and submits second parent’s Statement of Consent: Issuance of a Passport to a Minor Under Age 14, Form DS-3053 authorizing passport issuance for the child.

Details given above should be sufficient for most applicants. You can find additional information at Dept. of State website.

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