The place of issue on a passport is the issuing authority printed on the biographical data page — the government office that processed and authorized the document. On current U.S. passports, that authority is the U.S. Department of State, which holds exclusive power to grant and issue passports under federal law.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC 211a – Authority to Grant, Issue, and Verify Passports What you actually write on a form depends on which phrase the form uses, because “place of issue,” “issuing authority,” and “country of issuance” are not always the same value.
Where to Look on Your U.S. Passport
Open your passport book to the data page, the one with your photo, name, and date of birth. The issuing authority appears there, usually labeled “Authority” and printed on or near the same line as your issue date. On passports produced in recent years, the field reads “United States Department of State.”
Older U.S. passports handled this differently. Before the State Department centralized production, some passports named the specific passport agency or city that processed them, such as “Boston,” “San Francisco,” or “National Passport Center.” If your passport is one of these, use exactly what is printed rather than the modern wording. U.S. passport cards follow the current convention: the authority is the U.S. Department of State.
If You Renewed Overseas
Applied or renewed at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad? Your data page may name that post as the authority — “U.S. Embassy London,” for example — instead of the State Department. The Secretary of State remains the legal authority behind every U.S. passport regardless of where it was produced,1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC 211a – Authority to Grant, Issue, and Verify Passports but the visible field reflects the facility that handled the work.
When a form asks for issuing authority or place of issue, copy the field as printed, even if it names a foreign city. The country of issuance is still the United States. Those are two different data points, and mixing them up is one of the most common form-filling errors.
Country of Issuance, Issuing Authority, and Place of Issue Are Not the Same
Forms use these three phrases inconsistently. Getting the distinction right saves you from delays and corrections later.
- Country of issuance is the country whose government issued the passport. For any U.S. passport, that value is “United States,” regardless of whether you applied in Des Moines or Dubai. Immigration forms like the I-485 and airline Advance Passenger Information systems ask for this specifically.
- Issuing authority is the specific government body that processed the passport. For most current U.S. passports, that is “United States Department of State.” For one processed overseas, it may name the embassy or consulate.
- Place of issue is used inconsistently. Some forms and some foreign passports mean the city or office where the passport was produced. Others use it interchangeably with issuing authority. When in doubt, enter exactly what your data page prints.
Airlines sometimes word check-in prompts ambiguously, asking “passport issued in” without specifying country or city. In practice, airline systems feed Advance Passenger Information databases that track the issuing country, so entering your country of issuance is the safe answer for airline forms.
Not Every U.S. Travel Document Comes From the State Department
If your document is a Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571) or a Re-entry Permit (Form I-327), the issuing authority is not the State Department. Both are issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which sits under the Department of Homeland Security.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Travel Documents The front cover of both booklets reads “Travel Document Issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services,” and biographical information appears on an inside page similar to a passport’s data page.3Federal Register. Redesign of Form I-327, Permit to Reenter the United States, and Form I-571, Refugee Travel Document For these, the issuing authority is USCIS or the Department of Homeland Security.
Foreign Passports
Passports issued by other countries follow the same general layout thanks to international standards, but the labeling varies. Look on the biographical data page for “Authority,” “Issuing Authority,” “Place of Issue,” or “Issuing Office.” Some countries name a national ministry; others name the city or regional office that processed the document.
The principle holds regardless of nationality: copy exactly what the document prints. If your German passport lists “Stadt Frankfurt,” that is your issuing authority, and you would separately enter “Germany” for country of issuance.
Why It Matters on Visa and Immigration Forms
These fields are not bureaucratic filler. When you apply for a U.S. visa, consular officers verify your passport information against the entries on your application.4Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 403.9 (U) NIV Issuances A mismatch between your DS-160 and your passport can trigger delays or extra screening. Something as small as writing “Washington” when your passport says “U.S. Department of State” can slow the process.
The same data flows into your arrival record. Your passport details populate your I-94 when you enter the United States, and correcting mistakes later means a visit to a CBP Deferred Inspection office or, in some cases, a Freedom of Information Act request.5Homeland Security. I-94/I-95 Frequently Asked Questions Entering the values accurately from the start avoids that entirely.
What to Do If Your Passport Prints the Wrong Authority
If a U.S. passport arrives with a misprinted issuing authority or any other data error, the State Department will correct it at no charge as long as the passport is still valid.6U.S. Department of State. Change or Correct a Passport Timing changes what you get back. Report the error within one year of issuance and you receive a new passport valid for a full ten years. Report it after one year and the replacement carries the same expiration date as the original.
To request a correction, mail the State Department Form DS-5504 with your current passport, one color passport photo meeting standard requirements, and evidence of the correct information, such as a birth certificate showing the proper spelling of your name. There is no fee when the error was the government’s.6U.S. Department of State. Change or Correct a Passport Catch the mistake before your next trip. Sorting out a misprint at an airport or a foreign border is a problem worth avoiding.