US Passport Application – Applying For A United States Passport Form Is Simple
Applying for a passport can be a mysterious process for those who have never held one. Many applications are turned down due to errors made by the applicant. Arriving at the passport agency without the proper documents is one key reason for rejection. The information presented here will help you to get your passport application approved without a frustrating waste of time.
Passports can be renewed by mail under certain conditions. If it was issued less than 15 years ago and is undamaged, you may not have to apply in person. Your current passport must also have been issued when you were 16 years of age or older. It should bear your current name, or you must furnish legal documentation of the name change.
Renewals by mail usually take a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks to process unless expedited service is requested. During summer months, the time can stretch to 10 or 12 weeks. The application and passport forms should be mailed using a method that allows you to verify delivery. It is also recommended that you use a waterproof mailer that will protect all items from damage and weather. Expedited renewals are normally processed in half the time as standard applications. There is an additional charge of $60 for expedited services.
If you have never had a passport, or if it has been more than 15 years since you received one, you have to apply at the issuing site. This is also the case if the age limit of 16 cannot be met. If your current passport has been damaged, stolen, or lost, you must also apply in person. Also, anyone with a name change he or she cannot document must make personal application.
There are several regional passport offices across the country, but they may be hundreds of miles away. Therefore, most people choose to apply at a post office or with their county clerk. Hours of operation vary by office, but the documents you must provide are the same. You must provide proof of U.S. Citizenship, such as an embossed birth certificate, a certificate of citizenship, or a notice of naturalization. An undamaged passport also serves this purpose. If you are a U.S. Citizen who was born in another country, a report from the consul or a birth certificate may be used.
You will also be required to prove your identity. A passport can serve for this purpose as well as your proof of citizenship. The most common documentation is a current driver’s license or state issued identification card. If your license was issued by a state other than the one in which you are making your application for passport, you will need a second form of identification. The agency will accept your social security card, your credit card, or your employer identification card. You must also provide a copy of all identification used for the application. This cannot be a duplex copy, or copy with dual sided printing.
You must submit two identical photographs of yourself. These must be in color, 2 inches by 2 inches in size, and taken within the last 6 months. They should reflect your current appearance and be frontal views of your full face. The background should be white or off-white. There should be between 1 and 1-3/8 inches from the bottom of your chin to the top of your head. Pictures should be taken in your normal attire and any eyeglasses or wigs that are worn daily should be worn for the photographs. Hats should not be worn, nor any type of hair accessories that conceal the hairline.
Children, emergency passports, and passports for those traveling on official business all have varying requirements, and no attempt has been made to address them in this article. But for the typical traveler, this information should help make your passport application go more smoothly. The most important thing to remember is to assemble your new passport form form and take it with you when you go to apply.

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