Practical Facts For The First Time Passport Applicant
If you want to travel to countries other than the one you were born in, you must have papers with you that prove you are a citizen of your birth country. Border crossings require this and you must provide the proper identification in order to be allowed passage. It is easy for first time United States passport applicants to get what they need and here is some helpful information to guide you.
The U S passport office forms that you will have to fill out can be obtained from the internet. When you go to the passport agent, you must bring it with you. You have to fill it out completely but do not sign it before you get to the agent. This you will do once you submit it in person.
You must provide a few items of identification that show that you are a legal citizen of the country you were born in. Most times, a certified birth certificate is required. If you do not have access to that, you will have to check with the office to see what else can be used. Generally, proof of citizenship must be presented.
You will have to bring a piece of identification that has your picture on it. A license to drive will usually be sufficient. There may be other options you can use, but you will need to confirm that so that you have the proper ID. Your application should have a list of appropriate options.
Once you have gathered all of the required identification, you must then get your passport photo taken. Most camera shops and portrait studios offer this service for a nominal fee. There are strict rules as to how these photos must be taken.
The pictures can not be older than six months and they have to represent what you look like right now. You can wear street clothes but you can not wear hats or sunglasses. If you wear glasses, you should wear them for the photo.
Two photos are taken and are identical. They must be taken in color and they have to be of a certain dimension and size. The background of the photo must be white or an off white color. You should not strike a pose in these photos as they have to be natural, no smiling and looking directly at the camera.
As soon as you have this information ready, you can bring it to a passport agency nearest to you. The price will fluctuate depending on the amount of time you need to get it to you. If you do need it sooner than a normal processing time, it will end up costing you a bit more. There is a special agency office you will have to go to for a quick processing time.
Being a first time U S passport applicant is not a hard thing to get through. All it takes is a bit of legwork and a little bit of patience. If you have questions about what you need or the process itself, there are more than a few websites available to help you. The pasport office forms that you need can also be obtained online, at your local post office, or from the processing center.
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