Know The Guidelines To Get A New Passport

by erin on April 7, 2010

Individual looking to get a new passport can do a quick search online to find the best means to go about doing such a task. It will not necessarily be a difficult task, but it will consume a decent amount of an individual’s time. With this in mind, getting this documentation should not be a last minute venture, though acquiring such documentation is possible last minute under certain circumstances.

Those who have never had a passport before or fit into certain criteria will need to make an appearance in a government facility that falls under the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of Passport Services and Customer Service. Those who lost their passport as well as those whose passport was issued over fifteen years ago must also make an appearance at such a facility. Form DS-11 will be needed for these circumstances.

Form DS-11 will not be difficult to fill out, but it will require certain information. Individuals looking to fill it out should do it in front of a computer to make the acquiring of the necessary information easier. The form will ask such standard questions like name and social security number. However, it will also slightly delve into family history, which is why it would be a good idea to have set time aside for this task.

As well as filling out Form DS-11, individuals looking to get a new passport need to have certain documentation for proof of identity and whatnot. The first type of documentation needed will be a proof of citizenship. An individual can prove their citizenship with a birth certificate, or if an individual was born abroad, but still a U.S. citizen, a consular report of birth abroad will work. A certificate of citizenship will also work.

After proving U.S. citizenship, an individual will need to present a form of present identification. A valid driver’s license will work for this, as well as a Certificate of U.S. Naturalization. This kind of certificate is used for those who went through the legal process of acquiring a new nationality. There are other forms of present identification also accepted. For a current list, check online.

While the original copy of the present identification is needed for the in-person trip to the designated government facility, a photocopy of the documentation must also be submitted. There are stipulations dictating how the photocopying must be completed. Those who do not have any of the primary forms of identification may be able to use secondary forms of identification.

Individuals looking to get a new passport must also supply the photograph that will appear in the identification. Not much of a surprise, the government mandates specific stipulations that need to be followed regarding the size of the photographs as well as the time they were taken. A complete list of the stipulations can be found online.

It is not a bad idea for an individual to acquire a new passport even if they do not have plans to travel abroad in the future. One may never know when a job or a family situation will require one to do some traveling. However, there are some fees involved, with a little budgeting and a little time management, an individual can have this documentation relatively quickly.

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