Frequently Asked Questions:
Passports and Citizenship Documents
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Where
do I get a passport application?
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Where
are the instructions for filling out the passport forms?
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I
have a life or death emergency. What should I do?
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I
am traveling very soon. How do I get a passport in a hurry?
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How
do I renew my passport?
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I
have never had a U.S. passport. / My passport was lost or
stolen. How do I get one?
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How long is a passport valid?
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I
was recently married/divorced. How do I change my name on
my passport?
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My
passport was lost or stolen. How do I report it?
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I
was born abroad. How do I get a birth certificate?
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What
should I do if my baby is born abroad?
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What
do I do if there is no birth record on file for me?
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I'm
renewing my passport. Do I get the old one back?
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My
child is too young to sign his/her own passport. How do I
sign my child's passport?
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How
do I get information about my child's passport, or, prevent
passport issuance to my child?
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How
do I find out about the status of my passport application?
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Why
do I have to use a 1-888 or 1-900 number to get information
about my passport?
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How
do I get a certified copy of my birth certificate?
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Who
should maintain a valid U.S. passport?
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What
if there is an error in the passport I just received?
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My
child who is under 18 needs a passport. How do I get it?
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It
it true that passport applications for minors under 14 require
the consent of both parents or legal guardians?
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What
is the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP)?
Where do I get a passport
application?
Is it true that passport
applications for minors under 14 require the consent of both parents
or legal guardians?
Effective July 2, 2001, Public Law 106-113, Section 236 requires
that U.S. passport applications for children under the age of
14 require both parents' or legal guardians' consent. Read
additional information on the Two-Parent Consent Requirement.
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What is the Children's
Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP)?
Separate from the Two-Parent Consent requirement for U.S. passport
issuance for minors under the age of 14, parents may also request
that their children's names be entered in the U.S. passport name-check
system. The Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program provides:
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Notification to parents of passport applications made on
behalf of minor children, and
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Denial
of passport issuance if appropriate court orders are on file
with CPIAP.
For more information, contact the Office of Children's Issues
at 202-736-7000, or, by fax at 202-663-2674. Go
to more information on the Office of Children's Issues.
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I was recently married/divorced.
How do I change my name on my passport?
You will need to complete the Passport Amendment/Validation
Application, Form DSP-19, and send it to the nearest passport
agency, (We have a list
of the passport agencies on our site.) along with:
certified documentation of your name change (e.g., marriage
certificate, divorce decree with your new name) and
your current, valid passport
Your documentation will be returned to you with your amended
passport.
There is no fee for this service unless you require expedited
service. (See How Do I Get My
Passport in a Hurry?)
You can print
out the DSP-19.
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My passport was lost/stolen.
How do I report it?
Please apply for a new passport immediately. You may report your
lost or stolen passport when you apply for the new one. Along
with your application, you must submit the Statement Regarding
Lost or Stolen Passport, Form DSP-64. We
have more information on the DSP-64. You can print
the DSP-64.
If you decide not to apply for a new passport immediately, you
may report your lost or stolen passport by completing Form DSP-64
and mailing it to:
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I was born abroad.
How do I get a birth certificate proving my U.S. citizenship?
If one or both of your parents was a U.S. citizen
when you were born abroad, your parent(s) should have registered
your birth at a U.S. embassy or consulate, and, received a Consular
Report of Birth Abroad, Form FS-240. This form is acceptable
legal proof of birth and U.S. citizenship.
We
have information about how to request a certified copy of a Consular
Report of Birth Abroad.
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What should I do if my
baby is born abroad?
As U.S. citizen parent(s), you should report your child's birth
abroad as soon as possible to the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate
to establish an official record of the child's claim to U.S. citizenship
at birth. The official record will be the Consular Report of
Birth of a Citizen of the United States of America, Form FS-240.
This document, know as the Consular Report of Birth Abroad,
is a basic United States citizenship document. An original FS-240
document will be given to you at the time registration is approved.
(We
have more information on these documents.)
A Consular Report of Birth can only be prepared
at a U.S. embassy or consulate. It cannot be prepared if the child
has been brought back into the United States, or, if the person
is 18 years of age or older at the time the application is made.
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What do I do if
there is no birth record on file for me?
If you were born in the U.S. and
there is no birth record on file, you will need several different
documents to substantiate your citizenship. You will need:
A letter from the Vital Statistics office of the state of
your birth with your name and what years were searched for
your birth record. An official of the Vital Statistics office
needs to issue a letter of no record found.
In addition, you will need early public records to prove
your birth in the U.S.
If you were born outside the U.S.
and your U.S. parent(s) did not register your birth at
the U.S. embassy or consulate, you may:
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I'm renewing my passport.
Do I get the old one back?
Yes, we return the old, cancelled passport to
you. It is a good idea to keep it in a safe place as it is considered
proof of your U.S. citizenship.
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My child is too young
to sign his/her own passport. How do I sign my child's passport?
In the space provided for the signature, the mother or
father must print the child's name and sign their own name. Then,
in parenthesis by the parent's name, write the word (mother) or
(father) so we know who signed for the child.
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How do I get a certified
copy of my birth certificate?
Contact the
Vital Statistics office in the state where you were born.
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How long is a passport
valid?
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If you were ____ when the
passport was issued
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Then your passport
is valid for
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16 or Older
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10 Years
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15 or Younger
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5 Years
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Who should maintain a
valid U.S. passport?
Passport Services recommends that the following U.S. citizens
maintain valid U.S. passports.... Those
with family living or traveling abroad
thinking about a vacation abroad, or
with a job that could require international travel.
In the event of an emergency involving a family member abroad,
a short-notice airfare bargain, or an unexpected business
trip, already having a valid U.S. passport will save time,
money and stress.
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What if there is
an error in the passport I just received?
Passport Services apologizes for the error in your passport.
(Our error rate is significantly below 1 percent, but, when it
happens to you, that does not mean very much.) In order for us
to correct the error as quickly as possible, please submit the
following:
Your new passport;
Completed Form
DSP-19, Amendment/Validation Application; and
Evidence to document the correct information, such as a certified
birth certificate, previous U.S. passport, certified marriage
certificate, or naturalization/citizenship certificate.
Please include your departure date on Form DSP-19. Mail the
above to the Rewrite Desk of the Passport Agency that issued
your passport. Click
here to obtain the addresses of all Passport Agencies.
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