Passport Acceptance Agent Training: Eligibility and Curriculum

Passport acceptance agent training is a mandatory, Department of State-controlled online course that you can only take after your employer — an approved acceptance facility — nominates you and certifies you meet the eligibility rules. You cannot sign up on your own, and you cannot execute a single application until the Department issues you an official Agent ID Number.

You Have to Work at an Approved Facility First

The training pipeline begins with the facility, not the individual. Only employees of certain facility types are eligible for designation, and the facility itself must already be approved by the Department of State. Under 22 CFR 51.22, the eligible categories are employees of federal court clerks’ offices, state court of record clerks’ offices, U.S. post offices selected for the program, authorized military installations, other selected federal agencies, and anyone else the Department specifically designates.¹ Approved public libraries and local government offices also participate.

If you don’t already work at one of these places, becoming an acceptance agent is not a credential you pursue independently. The job comes with the employer.

Personal Eligibility Rules

Once the facility is approved, your employer has to certify that you personally meet each of these requirements:

You are a U.S. citizen or U.S. non-citizen national.
You are at least 18 years old.
You hold a permanent position at the facility. Contract workers, temporary hires, and volunteers do not qualify.
You have no federal or state felony conviction, and no misdemeanor conviction for crimes involving moral turpitude or breach of trust. That includes embezzlement, identity theft, document fraud, drug offenses, and dishonesty in a role involving public trust.²

The criminal history screen is broader than many applicants expect, so facilities typically vet candidates carefully before starting the nomination.

How You Get Access to the Training

Training is delivered through a Department of State web-based platform, and access is gated. Your facility’s designated Passport Program Manager submits a nomination, which triggers your credentials for the online system. There is no public sign-up.

Once you’re in, you select the Acceptance Agent Training course and work through the modules. The regulation is explicit that the training must be “successfully completed before accepting passport applications,” so there is no provisional status and no learning on the job.¹ The same nomination process is used when an existing agent transfers in from another facility or comes back from extended leave.

What the Training Covers

The course walks you through executing Form DS-11, the application every first-time applicant and certain renewal applicants must file in person. The mechanics of reviewing an application for completeness are part of it, but most of the substance sits in a few areas where mistakes have real consequences.

Identity and Citizenship Documents

You learn how to verify the applicant’s identity using acceptable government-issued ID, and how to review evidence of U.S. citizenship — usually a certified birth certificate or naturalization certificate. Original documents are forwarded to a passport office for adjudication rather than copied at the facility.³ Agents are prohibited from retaining copies of executed applications or releasing application information to anyone other than authorized officials.¹

Administering the Oath

The oath and signature step sounds ceremonial but carries the legal weight of the entire application. DS-11 instructions tell applicants not to sign until the authorized agent asks them to do so under oath.⁴ An improperly executed oath can invalidate the application, and most of your personal liability as an agent sits here.

Photo Review, Fees, and Privacy

Training covers how to check applicant photos against the federal specifications in 8 FAM 402.1 so bad photos get caught at the counter instead of causing weeks of delay downstream.⁵ You also learn the current fee structure, since the execution fee is paid to your facility while the application fee goes to the Department of State,⁶ and your obligations under the Privacy Act of 1974, which restricts disclosure of the personal information you handle daily.

Getting Your Agent ID Number

Finishing the training is not the same as being authorized. After you complete it, your facility submits the Acceptance Agent Add/Change/Remove form to the Special Issuance Agency. That packet includes an Acceptance Agent Eligibility page you complete and sign personally, and the Head of Facility signs to certify the information is accurate.⁷

Once the Department approves the submission, you receive an official Agent ID Number. That number is what actually authorizes you to execute applications. Without it, training or no training, you cannot process anyone. The Department also keeps the authority to withdraw an individual agent’s authorization at any time, even if the facility itself remains approved.¹

Staying Designated After You Start

Designation carries ongoing obligations. Your facility has to submit the Add/Change/Remove form to the Special Issuance Agency within five business days whenever personnel information changes: a new agent added, an agent transferring in, a name change, a departure, or extended leave of more than 30 days.⁷

You are also expected to follow the “procedures and practices as detailed in guidance provided by the Department,” which is the regulation’s way of saying the rules can change and you have to keep up.¹ Falling behind on current procedures puts your individual authorization at risk, since the Department can pull it without touching the facility’s overall standing.

1
eCFR. 22 CFR 51.22 – Passport Agents and Passport Acceptance Agents
2
eCFR. 22 CFR 51.22 – Passport Agents and Passport Acceptance Agents
3
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Passport and Visa Examining Series, GS-0967
4
U.S. Department of State. Application for a U.S. Passport – DS-11
5
U.S. Department of State. 8 FAM 402.1 Passport Photographs
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U.S. Department of State. United States Passport Fees for Acceptance Facilities
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U.S. Department of State. Passport Training Classes for Acceptance Agents