FAQ

The US State Department requires that you prove to them that you are leaving the country in the next month.  If you can prove that you are leaving the country soon, they are happy to process your passport very quickly.  Acceptable proof of travel is a flight itinerary from an airline or travel agent, a company letter typed up on company letterhead if traveling for business, or a  hotel confirmation in Mexico or Canada if driving across the border. 

The three types of Proof of Travel:  (You only need to provide ONE of the following)

1)  A flight itinerary from an airline or a travel agent showing your name as the passenger and showing the actual detailed flight information.  Just make a photocopy of this itinerary and the government will be satisfied.

2)  Company Letter of Expedite - this company letter is used by business travelers that don’t have any tickets booked yet, but know they will be traveling on a specific date.  It’s simply a short letter typed on company letterhead explaining when, where, and why you are traveling.  Please see this sample “Company Letter of Expedite“.

3)  Hotel Confirmation – this type of proof of travel is ONLY for people who are driving across the border to Mexico or Canada.  If driving accross the border obviously you don’t have a flight itinerary, so the State Department will accept a hotel confirmation for this type of border crossing.

Will I need a Certified Birth Certificate?

In order to obtain a US Passport, you must have in your posession either a certified birth certificate, a US Naturalization Certificate, or an old adult passport still in your posession.

What is a certified birth certificate?

Certified birth certificates are generally issued by the county clerk’s office in the county where you were born.  A certified birth certificate usually has a raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrar’s signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar’s office, which must be within 1 year of your birth. Please note that certain birth certificates issued in Texas or California are called “abstract” birth certificates – these abstract birth certificates are not accepted by the federal government.

What do you mean by “long-form” birth certificate?

Long Form Birth Certificates generally have all of the following information: 1) Mother’s name and age at time of birth 2) Father’s name and age at time of birth 3) Filing date and number 4) Hospital of birth (perhaps). If any of this information is missing, you probably do not have a valid birth certificate.

Are photocopies of my birth certificate or naturalization certificate accepted?

Photocopies are never accepted for these documents.

Will my birth certificate be returned to me with my completed passport?

Yes, the government always returns your birth certificate along with your completed passport 

What about hospital-issued birth certificates?

These hospital issued birth certificates are nothing more than keepsakes, they have absolutely no legal value and are not acceptable for passport purposes.

Who is a Passport Acceptance Agent?

Acceptance Agents are located at post offices and county clerks offices around the country. They exist to check your identity and validate your documents at the local level prior to you sending your application in for processing by us.   Federal law requires all New Passports, Child Passports, Lost Passports, and Damaged Passports to be verified by an acceptance agent prior to you overnighting the documents to us.

How do I know if the Acceptance Agent is doing the job properly?

Make sure the acceptance agent has done this before and seems to understand how the process works.  They should know exactly how to sign, stamp, and seal your documents in the security envelope prior to you shipping everything to us.  If you get the sense that they are unsure of how to do this, please stop them immediately, leave that  facility, and go to a different acceptance agent who knows what they are doing.  If they mess up their job, it will cause your application to be rejected by the US State Department and everyone will have to start over.

How do I find a Passport Acceptance Agent?

Go to this site so search for your nearest Acceptance Agent: http://iafdb.travel.state.gov/DefaultForm.aspx

How do I know my photos are acceptable?

The most frequent problems we see with passport photos are the following 1)  Not on a white or light colored background. 2) Pictures are too dark.  3) You are wearing something like a hat, headband, turban, head covering – your head must be bare.

How to take passport photos for an infant?

Here are some rules/hints we have run across in experience: 1) The child’s eyes must be open and facing the camera. 2) No part of your body must be visible in the photo. 3) The child cannot be shown crying.  You can try laying the baby on a sheet on the floor.  Hold a toy above the baby and snap the photo from above while the baby has its eyes open and is looking up toward the camera and the toy.

Can I take my own passport photos?

Technically you can – but it’s not a good idea.  The government can be very picky about background color, the size of your head within the 2” by 2” photo, and other factors like paper quality, etc.  Therefore it’s a better idea to go to Costco, Walmart, CVS, Walgreen’s, or Kinko’s and simply pay $10 to have two passport photos taken for you.

What if one parent cannot show up at the acceptance agent?

The non-present parent must fill out FORM DS-3053, which is PART 3 of the Child Passport print outs on our website. This form DS-3053 completed and notarized by the non-present parent. The non-present parent must also provide a photocopy of the driver’s license or state ID.

My child is 16, are both parents still required to show up to the acceptance agent?

Age 16 and older is an adult in the eyes of the government, so a child who is 16 or older can do this alone as long as the child has a valid state ID.  If the child doesn’t have a valid state ID yet, then both parent physical presence is required.  Both parent’s ID photocopy is still required.  Also, for 16 and 17 year old’s the parents should still sign our company’s “Letter of Authorization”.

I have back child support, can I still get my passport?

No.  There is a federal law that states if you have over $2000 in back child support you are barred from obtaining a passport.  Some states have a $0 law for barring anyone with any amount of back child support.  If you plan on paying down your child support that’s great, but be aware it takes on average 2 weeks for the government to clear your name off of their database once you pay the child support off.  There is no way for us to speed up your name being removed off of that list.  As soon as your name is removed from that back child support database, your passport will be completed.

How do I pay the Government Fees?

You must include a personal check or money order made out to the U.S. Department of State along with all the other required passport application documents.

What are the government fees for an adult passport and for a child passport?

$135 payable to the US Department of State

$120 payable to the US Department of

Do I include the $25 fee to the acceptance agent with the other documents?

No. You pay this fee directly to the Passport Acceptance Agent. This is their fee for the job they are doing of verifying, signing, stamping, and sealing your documents.  They usually can accept this fee with either cash, credit card, or personal check.

What documents do I need to include?

***Follow our customized passport instructions in detail and your application will be perfect.  The instructions are very detailed and up to date.***

I am a divorced woman and have gone back to using my former name. How do I handle this?

1. When you apply for your passport, you must include the actual divorce decree document, it will be returned to you with your new passport.
2. Your valid state ID must show the name you want the government to print on your passport.

What is the Letter of Authorization for?

This form gives us your authorization to physically submit and pick up your completed passport documents.  We must have two of these forms completed and sent in with your passport application.  One copy gets submitted to the government and one copy stays with us until your application is sent back to you.  Without this authorization we are unable to process your passport application.

Does my passport application paperwork need to be printed on white paper?

Yes, it must be white paper and the signature sections must be signed with blue or black ink.

Does the Letter of Authorization go inside the sealed “security envelope”?

You must complete both of the letter of authorizations that are included in your passport paperwork.  As long as both of them are included in your passport paperwork, that is all that matters for this particular form.  Some Acceptance Agents seal both of them, some seal one and leave on outside, and finally some acceptance agents leave both unsealed.  For this one form it doesn’t matter as long as both are completed and included in your overnight package.

Why Would My Passport Be Denied?

The US State Department can deny your passport for several reasons.  For example if you have a warrant out for your arrest, or have back child support, or are currently in prison you may be denied your passport application.  Getting a passport is not a right.  The US State Department uses discretion in issuing passports to US citizens.  It is their decision whether you are given a passport.

Please go to the following US State Department webpage to see detailed passport information?

http://travel.state.gov/passport/fri/faq/faq_1741.html