Applying for a Passport in Person

The information on this page applies to minors age 14 and over, adults applying for their first passport, persons who cannot produce a full validity passport issued after age 16 and any others who need to apply in person.

For opening hours, maps and directions, please check with the office serving your part of Japan.

Here's what you'll need...

Personal Appearance

All persons who cannot produce a full validity passport issued at age 16 or older must apply in person. Minors age 14 and over must appear in person but do not need to be accompanied by a parent.

Proof of Your Identity

ID can be proved through a government-issued photo ID document. These include but are not limited to a driver's license, Japanese Alien Registration card, U.S. state ID, expired passport and/or Military ID. All documents must be originals.

Proof of Your Citizenship

For first-time applicants, citizenship is proven through an official birth certificate or naturalization/citizenship certificate, or a Consular Report of Birth. All documents must be originals.

Military orders and/or military ID are not acceptable proof of American Citizenship. A Japanese family register (koseki) is not proof of U.S. Citizenship and cannot substitute for a U.S. birth certificate.

If you are age 14 or over and renewing an existing passport that you can present to us at the time of application, you do not need to present other proof of citizenship or a birth certificate. The old passport is your proof.

Follow this link to learn how to obtain a copy of your birth certificate.

Or, follow this link to learn how to obtain other vital records.

Application Form

Please submit one copy of Form DSP-11, available for download (forms are also available for pick-up in our office).

Note that the form you print must be clear and sharp, with black print on white paper. The paper must be 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches, or A-4 size in Japan. Thermal paper, dye-sublimation paper, special inkjet paper, and other shiny papers are not acceptable.

Two Photos

The photos must be sized 2" X 2" (or 5 cm X 5 cm) with a white background. You can have pictures taken at the Embassy in our photo booth for Y1000, Yen cash only. There are photo facilities located near each of our Consulates.

Be careful with the size-- "passport photos" you get at a local photographer's shop are likely too small and are intended for Japanese people to use to obtain a Japanese passport.

Please don't staple the photos to the application form. Just write the applicant's name on the back of the photos with a felt tip pen (ball point can press through and mar the picture) and include them with the application.

Here's what your photo should look like:

Sample Passport Photo

The photo must be 2 inches by 2 inches with the face size as specified. Your browser may not display the graphic above as the right size.

One of the most common problems with passport applications we receive is that the photos are the wrong size. The photo in your current US passport may be a different size from what is needed for a new passport, as standards have changed from time-to-time.

The best way to make sure your photos are the right size is to download and print out a passport application (see above). The drawing of a proper photo is right on the application form.

Fee

The fee for a replacement passport is $85 for adults and $70 for under ages 16.

We accept cash, US$ or Japanese Yen. We cannot accept personal checks at any of our offices in Japan.

We cannot accept credit cards, except at the Embassy in Tokyo and at our Consulate in Osaka, where you may pay using your VISA, Mastercard, Discover, Diners Club or American Express card.

USFJ members seeking a "No Fee" passport must submit form DD 1056 in lieu of the fee.

How Long Does It Take?

Processing time is about three to four weeks after we receive your application in good order, as all passport printing now must be done in the U.S. However, because computers break, typhoons happen and trains are sometimes late, please don't make any unchangeable travel plans until you have your new passport in hand.

We will mail your completed passport to you in Japan.

For more information, including our phone and FAX number, please contact the office serving your part of Japan.

The U.S. Embassy and our Consulates are closed on both U.S. and Japanese holidays.

This is an official source of U.S. Government information on the Web. Inclusion of Non-U.S. Government links or information does not imply endorsement of contents.


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