Filling out a U.S. passport application is mostly about matching your form to your situation and copying information exactly as it appears on your citizenship document. Use Form DS-11 if you are a first-time applicant, are under 16, or need to replace a lost, damaged, or very old passport; use Form DS-82 if you are renewing an undamaged adult passport issued within the last 15 years. Complete every field in black ink, print clearly, and if you are using DS-11, do not sign it until an acceptance agent tells you to at your in-person appointment.
Which Form You Need
The State Department uses two main forms, and picking the wrong one means starting over.
Form DS-11 is for first-time applicants, anyone under 16, and people whose previous passport was lost, stolen, damaged, issued more than 15 years ago, or issued before they turned 16. It requires an in-person appearance at an acceptance facility.1U.S. Department of State. Application for a U.S. Passport DS-11
Form DS-82 is renewals only. You qualify if you still have your undamaged passport, it was issued when you were at least 16, and it was issued less than 15 years ago. All four conditions must be true. You mail DS-82 yourself; acceptance facilities will not take it. Eligible citizens can also renew online through the State Department’s portal.2U.S. Department of State. U.S. Passport Renewal Application for Eligible Individuals3U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs. Renew Your Passport by Mail
Both forms are available on the State Department’s website. DS-11 is also stocked at most acceptance facilities such as post offices, libraries, and county clerk offices.
What to Have in Front of You Before You Start
Most application mistakes happen because someone guesses at a field instead of copying from the document that controls it. Gather these first.
Proof of Citizenship
You need an original or certified copy. Photocopies are not accepted. If you were born in the United States, your primary document is a birth certificate issued by the city, county, or state where you were born, showing your full name, date of birth, place of birth, parents’ full names, the registrar’s signature, and an official seal or stamp.4U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs. Get Citizenship Evidence for a U.S. Passport Hospital-issued and commemorative certificates do not qualify.
If you were born outside the United States, acceptable documents include a Certificate of Naturalization, a Certificate of Citizenship, or a Consular Report of Birth Abroad. A previously issued, full-validity U.S. passport works as citizenship evidence in either scenario.
Photo Identification
Bring a valid government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license, military ID, or previous passport. The name on your ID should match the name you are putting on the application. If it does not, because of a name change, bring the legal document that connects the two names, such as a marriage certificate or court order.
Passport Photo
Your photo must be 2 by 2 inches with a white or off-white background free of shadows or texture. Your head should measure between 1 inch and 1⅜ inches from chin to the top of your head. Remove eyeglasses before the photo is taken. If you cannot remove glasses for medical reasons, include a signed note from your doctor with the application. Head coverings are permitted only for religious or medical purposes and require a signed statement. Print on matte or glossy photo-quality paper.5U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs. U.S. Passport Photos
Social Security Number
You must provide your Social Security number on the application. If you have never been issued one, enter zeros in that field and attach a signed, dated statement declaring under penalty of perjury that you have never received an SSN.
Filling Out Form DS-11
Use black ink only. Any correction fluid, white-out, or altered field means you start over on a fresh form, because State Department scanning systems cannot read altered documents. Print clearly inside the boxes provided.
Choose Book, Card, or Both
The top of the form asks what you are applying for. The passport book works for all international travel by air, land, or sea. The passport card is a wallet-sized document good only for land and sea travel between the United States and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and Caribbean countries, and cannot be used for international air travel. If you are unsure, the book is what most applicants need.
Personal Information (Items 1–7)
Enter your full legal name exactly as it appears on your citizenship evidence. This is what gets printed in your passport, so match spelling, hyphens, and middle names character by character. Date of birth goes in month/day/year format. For place of birth, enter the city and state if you were born in the U.S., or the city and country as it is currently known if you were born abroad.
For the sex marker field, you must select M or F corresponding to your biological sex at birth. The State Department previously offered an X marker, but that policy was rescinded. Applications requesting a marker that does not match the sex on your supporting documents may experience delays.6U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs. Sex Marker in Passports
Your Social Security number goes in Item 5. Item 6 is for a USCIS registration number (A-Number) if you have one; leave it blank if it does not apply. An email address in Item 7 lets the State Department send status updates.
Address and Contact Information (Items 8–9)
The form distinguishes between mailing address and permanent address. Your finished passport is sent to the mailing address, so use one where you reliably receive mail. If it belongs to someone else, put their name on the “In Care Of” line. For a minor child, the “In Care Of” line must include the parent or adult who receives mail at that address.
Travel Plans and Emergency Contact
The travel plans section asks for your estimated departure date and destination countries. It helps the State Department prioritize processing but does not lock you into those plans. You can travel anywhere your passport allows regardless of what you write.
The emergency contact section is used by federal officials to reach your next of kin if something happens to you overseas. List someone reachable by phone who knows your travel plans.
Previous Names and Previous Passport
List every legal name you have used, including maiden names and names from earlier marriages. If you had a passport before that was lost or stolen, provide the old passport number and describe in detail where and when the loss occurred, including whether you filed a police report.
Do Not Sign the Form Yet
This is where most avoidable rejections happen. DS-11 instructions state plainly: do not sign the form until an authorized acceptance agent tells you to, in person, at your appointment.7USAGov. Apply for a New Adult Passport If you sign at home, the form is invalid and you fill out a new one. Bring it completed but unsigned.
Filling Out Form DS-82 for Renewals
DS-82 is shorter because the State Department already has your file. Enter your current legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, mailing address, and the details of your most recent passport (number, issue date, and the name it was issued in).
If your name has changed since your last passport, submit a certified copy of the legal document behind the change, such as a marriage certificate or court order.
Unlike DS-11, you can sign DS-82 at home. There is no in-person appearance. Mail it in a large envelope so the form and photo are not folded, and use a trackable delivery service. Post offices and other acceptance facilities will not take a DS-82.
Common Mistakes That Delay or Reject the Form
A few errors show up repeatedly and are all preventable:
- Signing a DS-11 before the appointment, which invalidates the whole form.
- Using pen colors other than black, or using correction fluid on any field.
- Submitting a photocopy of a birth certificate instead of a certified original.
- Submitting a hospital-issued or commemorative birth certificate, neither of which qualifies as citizenship evidence.
- Writing a name on the form that does not match the citizenship document exactly.
- Forgetting to list all previous legal names.
- Wearing eyeglasses in the passport photo, or using a photo with shadows or a textured background.
- Leaving the Social Security number blank without attaching the required signed statement.
Where to Submit and What to Pay
DS-11 applicants appear in person at a passport acceptance facility, which may be a post office, library, county clerk’s office, or courthouse. Search for a facility on the State Department’s website. Bring the completed unsigned form, your citizenship evidence, your photo ID, your passport photo, and payment.
DS-82 applicants mail the packet themselves in a large envelope using a trackable service.
In-person applicants pay two separate fees: the application fee to the U.S. Department of State, and a $35 acceptance (execution) fee to the facility. For 2026:8U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs. Passport Fees9U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees
- New adult passport book (DS-11): $130 + $35 = $165
- New adult passport card (DS-11): $30 + $35 = $65
- New adult book and card (DS-11): $160 + $35 = $195
- Adult renewal book (DS-82): $130, no acceptance fee
- Minor passport book (DS-11): $100 + $35 = $135
- Expedited processing: $60 additional per application
Pay the application fee by check or money order made out to “U.S. Department of State” with the applicant’s name and date of birth in the memo line. Acceptance facilities set their own payment methods for the $35 fee, so check ahead.
If the Applicant Is Under 16
The DS-11 rules above apply, with additions. Minors always use DS-11 and always appear in person, even for a renewal. Both parents or legal guardians must appear at the appointment with the child. If one parent cannot attend, the absent parent submits a notarized Form DS-3053 (Statement of Consent), valid for 90 days from signing. The consent requirement can be waived with evidence of sole authority, such as the other parent’s death certificate, a court order granting sole legal custody, or a birth certificate listing only one parent. Child passports are valid for five years rather than the ten years adults receive.10U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs. Apply for a Child’s Passport Under 1611U.S. Department of State. Statement of Consent: U.S. Passport Issuance to a Child