Applying for Your U.S. Passport
Other Than Passport Agencies, Where Can I Apply for a Passport?
You can apply for a passport at many Federal and state courts, probate courts, and some post
offices.
Over 2500 courts and 900 post offices in the United States accept passport applications. Courts
and post offices are usually more convenient because they are near your home or your place of
business. You save time and money by not having to travel to one of the 13 major U.S. cities
where passport agencies are located.
When Do I Have to Apply in Person?
You must always apply in person if you are 13 or older, and if you do not meet the requirements
for applying by mail. (See "May I Apply for a Passport by Mail? .")
Usually, for children under 13, only a parent or legal guardian need appear to execute a passport
application.
What Do I Need to Do to Apply for a Passport at a Courthouse or Post Office?
Go to a courthouse or post office authorized to accept passport applications and complete the
DSP-11 application form, but do not sign it until instructed to do so.
You must present:
1. PROOF OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP
That is...
-- a previous U.S. passport, or
-- if you were born in the U.S., a certified copy of your birth certificate issued by the state, city, or
county of your birth (a certified copy will have a registrars raised, embossed, impressed, or
multicolored seal and the date the certificate was filed with the registrars office).
If you have neither a passport nor a certified birth certificate...
-- bring a notice from the registrar of the state where you were born that no birth record exists;
also, bring as many as possible of the following:
-- a baptismal certificate,
-- hospital birth record, early census,
-- school record, or family Bible record.
(To be considered, these documents must show your full name and date and place of birth.);
-- also, bring a notarized affidavit completed by an older blood relative who has personal
knowledge of your birth.
If you were born abroad, bring a: Certificate of Naturalization, Certificate of Citizenship, Report
of Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen, or a Certification of Birth (Form FS-545 or DS- 1350). If you
do not have these documents, check with the acceptance office agent for documents that can be
used in their place.
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