The following is a checklist of items which must be submitted in person to the American Citizen Services section of the Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy or nearest consulate. All applicants must appear in person. When you have assembled the required original documents and located the most convenient embassy or consulate, please make an appointment on the State Department website.
1. Completed Form DS-11 or DS-82. Do not sign.
Download the appropriate form from Travel.State.Gov.
If you are applying to replace a lost or stolen passport, please visit the Lost or Stolen Passports section to submit the appropriate forms. Forms are also available at the U.S. Embassy or consulate. Do not sign the form.
2. Proof of U.S. citizenship
Examples may include:
- An original certified copy of your U.S. birth certificate issued with the impressed seal of the state in which you were born.
- Hospital birth certificates, notifications of birth registration and copies of documents certified by notaries cannot be accepted.
- A Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship.
- If the document does not show your exact date and place of birth, then also include a certified foreign birth certificate.
- A U.S. passport issued over fifteen years ago.
- Consular Report of Birth Abroad (if you were born outside of the United States to a U.S. citizen parent or parents and were registered abroad as a U.S. citizen). In the event you do not have a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, please visit the Citizenship Claims section of this website to see the documentation requirements.
If you have been previously included in another person’s U.S. passport, bring the passport together with a certified copy of your birth certificate to show your date and place of birth.
3. Identification
You must show one form of photo identification, such as a driver’s license, student I.D., or Canadian passport.
4. Proof of name change (if applicable)
If you would like your U.S. passport printed with a name other than the one that appears on the document you present as proof of U.S. citizenship, you must present evidence to reflect a legal name change. Acceptable evidence includes your marriage certificate, certificate of name change, or adoption decree. If your name has changed more than once through marriage and your birth name does not appear on your current marriage certificate, you must also present evidence of the previous changes, such as the previous marriage certificate(s) and termination of the previous marriage(s).
5. Children
Additional restrictions apply in the case of U.S. passport applications for children under the age of 16. If you are applying for a passport for a child, please consult the Children Under Age 16 section of this website.
