Passport Central

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.

New State Department Requirements

In the past, passports were not required for travel to countries like Canada, Mexico and parts of the Caribbean. However, the U.S. State Department has announced that passports are now necessary for all air travel to and from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda, effective January 23, 2007. Adult citizens traveling by land or sea to these destinations may need passports as early as January 1, 2008, though recent legislative changes may push the deadline back to June 1, 2009.

Even after this deadline, children 15 and under will still be able to travel to these destinations using a certified copy of their birth certificate, as will children aged 16 - 18 traveling under adult supervision with a school, religious, cultural or athletic group. For more information, see the State Department's guide to the new requirements.

Note: The State Department has proposed a cheaper alternative to the traditional passport called the passport card, which could be introduced as early as January 2008. This card would not be valid for international air travel, but could be used instead of a passport for land and sea travel between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean. The wallet-sized card would contain an identification chip that could be read by a scanner up to 20 feet away, and would be available for an application fee of $20 per adult or $10 per child, plus a $25 "execution fee." Travelers may make comments on this proposal through December 18 at Regulations.gov.

Following is a summary of the passport application process compiled from information provided by the U.S. State Department, all of which can be found on its Website.

OBTAINING A PASSPORT

First-Time Passport Applications

If you are applying for your first U.S. Passport, you must apply in person at one of over 7,000 facilities, such as courthouses and post offices, which accept passport applications or at a regional passport agency. Call your county courthouse or the largest regional post office in your area, or look in your phone book. You will need to provide the following documents:

· Proof of United States citizenship or nationality such as: a certified copy of a birth certificate (one issued from a government office, not a hospital) for all applicants born in the U.S., a Certificate of Naturalization or Citizenship, or an expired U.S. 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.

· A completed passport application form DS-11 containing all the requested information except your signature. This form must be signed in the presence of an authorized executing official.

Passport Renewals

Applicants who have had a previous U.S. passport issued within the past 15 years, and who were 16 or older when the passport was issued, may be eligible to apply for a new passport by mail providing they can submit their passport and their name has not changed or can legally document a name change. They may also apply in person. Documents required for passport renewals include:

· U.S. passport.
· Two passport photos.
· A completed passport application form DS-82 that contains all the requested information and is signed and dated.

If your name has changed due to marriage, divorce, adoption or court order, you must also include a certified copy of the document detailing your name change.
You can order an application form by calling the passport agency nearest you. Mail the completed application and attachments in a padded envelope to:

National Passport Center
P.O. Box 371971
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7971

If you are sending your renewal by overnight delivery other than the U.S. Postal Service, send it to:

Passport Services -- Lockbox
Attn: Passport Supervisor, 371971
500 Ross St., Room 154-0670
Pittsburgh, PA 15250-9971
Your previous passport will be returned to you with your new passport.

Passport Fees

Passport fees for an initial 10-year passport are now $97 if you are 16 years of age or over, and $82 for a five-year passport if under 16. Note that the fee for a passport is written out as a check or money order to Passport Services and to the county clerk's office, so you may need to bring two checks. Passport renewal fees are now $67. Some local governments are now charging additional processing fees as well.

Time to Apply

Passport application processing time varies with passport agencies' workloads. The National Passport Center has seen a huge surge in applications since the new State Department regulations were put into place, so the processing time has jumped from 6 weeks to 10. To be safe, you should apply at least three months prior to any scheduled international travel.
The spring and summer months are the busiest, so the application process may take longer during these months.

Expedited Passports

If you are leaving on an emergency trip within five working days, apply in person at the nearest passport agency and present your tickets or travel itinerary from an airline, as well as the other required items. Or mail your application overnight express mail and enclose a include a self-addressed, prepaid envelope for the overnight return of the passport, with a check made out to Passport Services and request for its return by overnight express mail. Be sure to include your dates of departure and travel plans on your application.
Applications are processed according to the departure date indicated on the application form. If you give no departure date, the passport agency will assume you have no immediate travel plans. If you are leaving the country in less than 15 work days, enclose a $60 expediting fee (in addition to a two-way overnight mail fee and the initial passport or renewal fee) and clearly mark the envelope "EXPEDITED."
You may also want to consider working with a passport and visa expeditor. Keep in mind that even expedited passports could take as long as four weeks to process, given the recent surge of applications.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING U.S. PASSPORTS & VISAS

Passport Security

When traveling abroad, carry your passport with you at all times in a safe place. It is a good idea to take a photocopy of your passport with you and keep it in a separate safe place along with copies of your credit cards, traveler's checks and plane tickets. If your passport is lost or stolen, U.S. embassies will usually accept this as proof that you're a U.S. citizen and can quickly issue you a temporary passport. It's also a good idea to leave a copy of your passport with someone at home in case of emergency.

Obtaining Additional Visa Pages

If you require additional visa pages before your passport expires, fill out form DS-4085 and submit it with your passport to the following address:

National Passport Processing
P.O. Box 13408
Philadelphia, PA 19101-3408

If you're using a delivery service besides the U.S. Postal Service, send your materials to:

National Passport Processing
ATTN: Department 3408
1617 Brett Road
New Castle, DE 19720

If you travel abroad frequently, you may request a 48-page passport at the time of application.

Changing Your Name

If your name has been changed due to marriage or a court order a year or less after your passport was issued, your passport may be updated for no charge. You will need to submit a completed formDS-5504, a certified copy of the document specifying your name change, two passport photos and your current valid passport to the following address:

National Passport Processing
P.O. Box 13290
Philadelphia, PA 19101-3290

If you're using a delivery service besides the U.S. Postal Service, send your materials to:

National Passport Processing
ATTN: Department 13290
1617 Brett Road
New Castle, DE 19720

If your name was changed for any other reason or if you've had your passport more than a year, you'll need to use the same application and pay the same fees as you would for a normal passport renewal (see above).

Passport Agencies

All have limited 24-hour recordings which include basic information about the passport agency location, hours of operation and information regarding emergency passport services during non-working hours. For additional information try the U.S. Department of State's Passport Information Website. Most passport agencies now require appointments to service passport applications, so be sure to call before visiting your local office. Click here to find the closest passport acceptance facility to you.

You can call the National Passport Information Center at 877-4USA-PPT (877-487-2778).

Need to apply for a new passport, renew your current one or add additional visa pages? Each of these tasks requires a different form from the U.S. State Department, and figuring out which one to use can be a challenge. To make your life easier, we've gathered all of the most commonly used forms right here -- along with handy checklists of supplementary materials to include with each application.

You can download the forms you need by clicking on the name of the form to go to the U.S. State Department's Web site; there you'll find instructions on how to get each form and who should use it. You can use the lists below to check off each part of your application as you finish it. The lists can be printed for reference, or you can simply check off each box onscreen.

PASSPORT APPLICATION CHECKLISTS

First-Time Passport Applications (Adults)