subject: Obtaining Your Documents From Us Passport Agencies [print this page] A Passport is a government document issued to travelers who wish to visit other countries. The items are mandatory in international travel and must state the holder's nationality and identity. Passports, although they date back well before the nineteenth century, weren't internationally regulated until 1980. Today, passports from different countries differ greatly from one another with only a rough standardization. To obtain them in the United States, citizens must apply at one of the various United States passport agencies located around the country.
International travel cannot be possible unless you have a passport issued in your name. If you have an upcoming vacation to the Bahamas or a trip around Europe planned in the near future, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to apply for yours. Especially since, lately, obtaining these documents can often take up to three months or more.
The first act is to find a passport agency close to you. In most towns, the postal office is likely to serve this need. Phone yours ahead of time or look online to be sure this is the case. Look at the country's agency site for local agencies near you. While you are there you could download and fill out the necessary DS-11 page that is required to get a passport. Taking it with you can speed the process up a little.
You will require two pictures of yourself that will go in the passport. Usually these can be obtained at the same place as the rest of the procedure but it sometimes can not. You might have get your passport photo taken at a different location for a little fee and take it with you.
When you arrive to apply for the government passport, you will need to make sure to take a number of documents with you. Before you can get approved, you will need to first confirm your American Citizenship. Bring your original birth document, certificate of citizenship naturalization, or a previously gotten passport with you.
To confirm your identification, you will have to take with you an updated driver's license or United States military id. Just like with the confirmation of citizenship, a previous passport of yours will be acceptable, too. You might also be required to bring confirmation of your social security with you too.
When you show up to apply for the document you will be asked to pay two fees before your papers will be accepted. The USA passport application fee is fifty five dollars for all U.S. Citizens over the age of sixteen and the execution fee is thirty. Some states also charge an extra twelve dollars for security.
