Frequently Asked Questions:
Passports and Citizenship Documents

1. Where do I get a passport application?
2. Where are the instructions for filling out the passport forms?
3. I have a life or death emergency. What should I do?
4. I am traveling very soon. How do I get a passport in a hurry?
5. How do I renew my passport?
6. I have never had a U.S. passport. / My passport was lost or stolen.  How do I get one?
7. How long is a passport valid?
8. I was recently married/divorced. How do I change my name on my passport?
9. My passport was lost or stolen. How do I report it?
10. I was born abroad. How do I get a birth certificate?
11. What should I do if my baby is born abroad?
12. What do I do if there is no birth record on file for me?
13. I'm renewing my passport. Do I get the old one back?
14. My child is too young to sign his/her own passport. How do I sign my child's passport?
15. How do I get information about my child's passport, or, prevent passport issuance to my child?
16. How do I find out about the status of my passport application?
17. How do I get a certified copy of my birth certificate?
18. Who should maintain a valid U.S. passport?
19. What if there is an error in the passport I just received?
20. My child who is under 18 needs a passport. How do I get it?
21. It it true that passport applications for minors under 14 require the consent of both parents or legal guardians?
22. What is the Children's Passport Issuance Alert Program (CPIAP)?

Where do I get a passport application?

• You may download forms from this web site.
• Forms are also available at public offices like Post Offices, courthouses or municipal offices where passport applications are accepted. We have a searchable list of convenient locations where you can apply for a passport.

- Back to Top -

Where are the instructions for filling out the passport forms?

Instructions are on the back of the forms.

- Back to Top -

I am traveling very soon. How do I get a passport in a hurry?

See How to Get Your Passport in a Hurry.

- Back to Top -

How do I renew my passport?

See How to Apply for a Passport Renewal.

- Back to Top -

I have never had a U.S. passport/My passport was lost or stolen. How do I get one?

See How to Apply in Person for a Passport.

- Back to Top -

My child who is under 18 needs a passport. How do I get it?

- Back to Top -

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.

- Back to Top -

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:

• Notification to parents of passport applications made on behalf of minor children, and
• 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 202-312-9743. Go to more information on the Office of Children's Issues.

- Back to Top -

I was recently married/divorced. How do I change my name on my passport?

You will need to complete Form DS-19, Passport Amendment/Validation Application and submit it along with the following:

• Certified documentation of your name change (e.g., marriage certificate, divorce decree with your new name); and
• Your current, valid passport.

See How to Change Your Name in Your Valid Passport.

- Back to Top -

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 DS-64. We have more information on the DS-64. You can print the DS-64.

If you decide not to apply for a new passport immediately, you may report your lost or stolen passport by completing Form DS-64 and mailing it to:

US Department of State
Passport Services
Consular Lost/Stolen Passport Section
1111 19th Street, NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036

Or call us 24 hours/day at: (202) 955-0430
Voice mail - For non-business hours, Eastern Time

- Back to Top -

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.

- Back to Top -

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.

- Back to Top -

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:

Apply for a U.S. passport.

You will need:

Your foreign birth certificate that includes your parents' names; and

Evidence of your parent(s) U.S. citizenship; and

Your parents' marriage certificate.

- Back to Top -

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.

- Back to Top -

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.  

- Back to Top -

How do I get a certified copy of my birth certificate?

Contact the Vital Statistics office in the state where you were born.

- Back to Top

How long is a passport valid?

- Back to Top

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.

- Back to Top -

What if there is an error in the passport I just received?

Passport Services apologizes for the error in your passport. In order for us to correct the error as quickly as possible, please submit the following:

Your new passport;

Completed Form DS-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 DS-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.

- Back to Top

Return to Passport Services Page