New US Passports
There is some confusion out there of who can/should apply for a new passport – and which new passport they should apply for – so let’s try to clear that up…
Adults 18 Years or Older Who Have Never Had a Passport as an Adult
Maybe you had one when you were a kid, maybe you didn’t, doesn’t matter. Once you hit 16 the clock is reset and you must apply for a new passport, so if you’ve never had a passport as an adult, then you are the poster child for a new passport. You should scroll down a bit and review the New Passport Application process.
Adults 18 Years or Older Who Have Had a Passport as an Adult
If you still have your most recently issued passport, go grab it – we’ll wait. Here are some things we want to look for.
- Was it valid for 5 years or 10? If it was only valid for 5 years, then you my friend have a child’s passport. You should scroll down a bit and review the New Passport Application process.
- Ok, so your passport was valid for 10 years. Was it issue more than 15 years ago? If it was, then your passport no longer qualifies for renewal and you should scroll down a bit and review the New Passport Application process.
- Is the passport damaged? Did the dog eat it (you’d be surprised how many times that actually happens in real life)? Did it take a spin through the washing machine (again, you’d be surprised)? We all get a little wear and tear just like our wallets and our cell phones, but if your passport is noticeably damaged, peeling apart or has pages falling out of it, then we need to go down a spate path, check out the Lost, Stolen or Damaged Passports page for more information.
- If you’re reading this, then we know you have an adult passport that was valid for 10 years, was issued within the last 15 years, and isn’t too badly beat up, which begs the question, “What are you doing here”? Go check out the Passport Renewals page because that’s what you need!
Adults 16 & 17 Years Old
16 and 17 year olds are considered adults when it comes to applying for a passport. Even if they had a passport as a child, they must go through the New Passport Application process as this will be their first adult passport. You should scroll down a bit and review the New Passport Application process – but make sure to pay special attention to the information provided regarding 16 and 17 year olds.
Children Under 16 Years Old
Children’s passports cannot be renewed. A lot of people don’t know that. Each time a child under 16 needs to get a passport they must get through the new passport application process. It should be noted though that the process is a little bit different for children, so we have a page set up specifically for getting a new passport for a child.
New Passport Application Process
New passport applications have a two stage security process. The first entails the applicant meeting with a government employee known as an Acceptance Agent whose job is to verify the identity of the applicant, collect the paperwork and forward it to the US State Department (unless using a private passport expediting company). The second stage is the State Department verification process. Although rare, in some cases the State Dept will have trouble verifying information for a new passport application and may delay issuance and request additional information.
Another thing to keep in mind – and this probably doesn’t apply to you, but just in case – there are a few things that can hold up the process of a new passport application (or any passport application for that matter). The three most common are:
- Federal arrest warrants/felony convictions (local or state arrest warrants are not always on the federal radar so those might slip through).
- Backed taxes – there isn’t really a black and white amount, but generally if you owe more than $5,000 and it is unsettled. Keep in mind, we all owe the government money and we all have a reasonable time to pay it, this would only apply to those who are in collection status with the IRS. If you are on a payment plan or have a agreed on wage garnishment that would not necessarily exclude you from getting a new passport (although it may).
- Backed child support is always a touchy one and a bit hard to define. The technical answer is child support in arrears $2,500 or more. Obviously in some cases this is not even a full months’ worth. It is not so much a number floating around in the system as much as it is the case handler who determines when payments are truly in arrears. There are some cases where delinquencies are not logged for several months and others where they are entered if they are one day late.
The difficult part with these situations is that in order for the passport to be issued, the “system” must show there are no backed payments. Just paying the balance doesn’t always clear it right away though. Case handlers can provide what is called a clearance letter which indicates all payments have been made, but sometimes the State Dept will wait for the system to be updated in order to issue the new passport and that can take several days.
New US Passport Requirements
Prerequisites for New Passport:
- Applicant is a US citizen over 18 years old, AND;
- Applicant has never had a U.S. Passport issued before, OR;
- Applicant was under 16 years old when most recent passport was issued OR;
- Applicant has not had a U.S. Passport issued for over 15 years.
- Process Overview
An Acceptance Agent is a government employee who will verify the identity of the applicant.
Acceptance Agents are available at most Post Offices and Court Houses (you can check the Passport Acceptance Facility Search Page)
Acceptance Agent will review the documents, ask some basic questions, have the applicant sign the new passport application, collect fees and seal documents in an envelope.
If applicant is using a passport expeditor, applicant must indicate that he/she is using a hand carry service to process their new passport application. Acceptance Agent return the sealed envelope to the applicant which is sent to the expeditor (they will provide you with a FedEx or other shipping label).
- Proof of Citizenship
To obtain a new passport, applicant must bring an original or certified copy of a birth certificate, naturalization papers or old passport.
Birth certificates must be “long form” as opposed to "short form". While there are several data points that must be listed including being issued by the city, county, or state (as opposed to hospital) and include parents full names, registrar's signature, seal and more, generally speaking a certificate smaller than 8.5” x 11” will not be accepted.
- Proof of Identification
To apply for a new adult passport, applicant must show a driver's license or state-issued identification (or other ID indicated below) issued more than six months ago.
To apply for a new passport for an applicant 16 or 17 years, if applicant has a driver's license or state-issued identification (or other ID indicated below) issued more than six months ago they may apply without a parent present; if applicant does not have indicated ID, parents or guardians must show a driver's license or state-issued identification (or other ID indicated below) issued more than six months ago.
To apply for a new child passport, both parents or legal guardians must be present and show a driver's license or state-issued identification (or other ID indicated below) issued more than six months ago. In cases where only one parent can be present, the attending parent may submit a signed and notarized form along with a copy of the other parents ID allowing the attending parent to submit the child application alone. The form is the DS-3053. If only one parent is listed on the birth certificate or court order of full custody, then the second parent or legal guardian requirement is waived.
Official government or military picture identification is acceptable. If you do not have a driver’s license, or your license was issued less than six months ago, bring 5 other types of identification such as:
Current or Expired U.S. Passport
Valid or expired high school or college ID
Social Security Card, signed
Credit Cards or ATM cards with signatures
Health Insurance card or Medicare card
Military, City, State or Federal employee ID, with a pay stub
Current or past work ID (include a pay stub)
- Passport Photos
Applicant must submit one (1) color, passport style photograph. Applicant may not wear eye glasses. Photo may be obtained at most post offices, Kinko’s, Mailboxes Etc or similar locations.
- Proof of Travel
If applicant is traveling in the near future, it is recommended they submit a computer-generated itinerary from a travel agency or online booking tool (such as an e-confirmation) showing departure from the U.S. If using an expediting service this will likely be required due to the regulations they have to follow with the State Dept.
- New Passport Application (DS-11)
Applicant must submit one completed passport application form (New Passport Application Form DS-11). This can be done in advance using the US State Departments online passport “wizard” or on site at the Acceptance Agent by completing the form by hand. Note that passport expediting companies are required to use applications completed using the online wizard program and will generally not accept hand written applications. DO NOT SIGN the completed application until instructed to do so by Acceptance Agent.
- Government Fees
This part gets a little tricky because there are a series of fees and services you may combine, so we’ll provide all the possible fees and then show you how they combine. What is important to understand is that if the payment is incorrect it will delay the new passport issuance – even if you overpay.
| Service | Fee |
| New Adult Passport Book (6-8 week processing) | $110.00 |
| New Adult Passport Card (in conjunction with passport renewal) | $30.00 |
| New Child Passport Book (6-8 week processing) | $80.00 |
| New Child Passport Card (in conjunction with passport renewal) | $15.00 |
| New Passport Expedite (2-3 week processing upgrade) | $60.00 |
| Acceptance Agent | $25.00 |
| US Postal Money Order | $1.20 |
| Overnight Return Shipping (with tracking) | $15.45 |
| File Search Fee | $150.00 |
| *fee schedule as of July 2017. Fees subject to change |
That’s a lot of fees! Here are the most common breakdowns:
New Adult Passport in 6-8 Weeks
$110.00 New Adult Passport Book
$ 15.45 Overnight Return Shipping (with tracking)
$125.45 TOTAL + $25.00 Acceptance Agent Fee
New Adult Passport in 2-3 Weeks
$110.00 New Adult Passport Book
$ 60.00 New Passport Expedite
$ 15.45 Overnight Return Shipping (with tracking)
$185.45 TOTAL + $25.00 Acceptance Agent Fee
New Child Passport in 6-8 Weeks
$ 80.00 New Adult Passport Book
$ 15.45 Overnight Return Shipping (with tracking)
$ 95.45 TOTAL + $25.00 Acceptance Agent Fee
New Child Passport in 2-3 Weeks
$ 80.00 New Adult Passport Book
$ 60.00 New Passport Expedite
$ 15.45 Overnight Return Shipping (with tracking)
$155.45 TOTAL + $25.00 Acceptance Agent Fee
The State Department also has a neat little new passport fee calculator you can use if math is not your forte.
The “TOTAL” is the amount that the check or money order made payable to the State Dept will be for. If paying by check, starter checks are not acceptable. Indicate the applicants name and DOB in the memo line. The Acceptance Agent fee is paid separately and can be paid in any form (cash, credit card, check, etc).
Get Your New Passport
Now that you’ve got all your paperwork together, head down to the nearest Acceptance Agent to process the documents. In a few days to several weeks depending on the service selected you’ll have your brand new passport! Any original documents you provided (old passports, birth certificates, naturalization certificates) will be returned to you. Sometimes original document and passport cards (if you requested one) will show up in separate mailings, all usually within a week of each other.