U.S. Passport Process
What we do for our clients >>
First-Time U.S. Passport Applications >>
U.S. Passport Renewal Applications >>
Service Fees & Rates >>
Other Vital Passport Applications >>
The U.S. Electronic Passport - FAQs >>
Family and Children's Passport Issues >>
The Privacy Act and Passport Information >>
For the latest information about U.S. Passports, including travel updates and U.S. Government policies regarding issuing passorts to U.S. citizens abroad, please visit our Announcements & News page.
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Embassy Visa and Passport Services, LLC acts as
liaison between you and the U.S. Passport Agency
for the procurement of U.S. passports. We have worked closely
with the Director, past and present, of the Washington,
DC Passport Agency for more than twenty-five years.
We are confident in our abilities to cut
through the red tape at the U.S. Passport Agency. We are
efficient and pro-active in assisting our clients in expediting
their U.S. passports during times of unexpected crisis.
We will obtain your passport in as little as 24-hours
guaranteed. We have the knowledge and the years
of experience.
Call today for details on how we can serve you!
What
can Embassy Visa and Passport Services
do for you?
What do we do?
Embassy Visa provides our clients fast, easy, and efficient
services, helping them obtain U.S. passports safely and
securely. We expedite all U.S. passport requests within
a 24-72 hour time!
Getting a passport in time for your trip is our
#1 priority. Not using our service to obtain your
U.S. passport can delay your overseas trip!
How does our professional services benefit you:
- Our expedited passport services will
guarantee a less than three day process, including a rush
24-hour passport procurement. You can
be assured you will make your business trip or vacation
in time!
- Our efficient and friendly passport agents
provide answers to all your questions about U.S. passport
procedures and requirements in this new era of security.
We even provide you with toll-free numbers for easy access
to our travel document specialist.
- Our safe and secure privacy procedures assures
complete confidentiality of all passport and
travel visa applications.
- Our consultants provide clear step-by-step instructions
for all your foreign visa and passport processing
services. We are here to provide you the best in customer
service!
We can assist you on every matter pertaining
to U.S. passports. In addition to procuring expedited
first time and renewal passports, we offer the following:
Call Today and speak with a knowledgeable document solutions consultant. (202) 390-3071
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First-Time U.S. Passport Application
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First-Time U.S. Passport
Application (Form DS-11):
Use this form only if you meet one of the four conditions:
- Never had a passport;
- Lost or had stolen your most recent passport;
- Your current passport expired and is over 15
years from the date of issuance; Your
current passport was issued when you were a minor under
age 16
Pages 3 and 4 of this form must be presented and signed
in person at an authorized passport acceptance facility.
NOTE: A certified birth certificate
has a registrar's 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.
Letter of Authorization
(Microsoft Word File)
For Birth Certificates, Death Certificates,
Marriage Records & Divorce Records. Order Your
Official Certificate Now!
www.vitalchek.com
U.S. Passport Acceptance Facilities To
find the nearest authorized passport acceptance facility, click
here.
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U.S. Passport Renewal Application
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U.S. Passport Renewal Application (Form DS-82):
This form
should be used for renewing a previously issued US passport.
There are 4 criteria for using this form. Please use the
following checklist to see if you are eligible to apply
with a DS-82:
- You can submit your most recent passport;
- You were at least 16 years of age when you received
your most recent passport;
- You were issued your most recent passport less
than 15 years ago; You will be using
the same name that appears on your most recent passport;
- Your current passport is undamaged.
If you answered NO to any of the 4 statements above…STOP!
You cannot use Form DS-82! You must apply on a DS-11.
Letter of Authorization
(Microsoft Word File)
U.S. Passport Acceptance Facilities
To find the nearest authorized passport acceptance
facility, click
here!
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Service Fees & Rates:
Corporate and Individuals
For Service Fees, including Current Discounts,
Click Here!
Compare our service rates with the competition!
Save up to 30% or more off our service fees by signing up today!* A travel industry best!
* One year annual
contract required. Greater discounts
are offered based on volume and type of service.
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Other
Vital Passport Applications
U.S. Passport Re-Application — Form DS-5504
This form should only be used for making a data change for
a previously issued, currently valid U.S. passport.
• When there is a change in your identifying
information, such as a name-change due to marriage,
divorce or by court order/decree;
• To extend the validity of certain
previously limited passports; or
• To correct a Passport Services’ printing
error.
Photocopies and notarized copies are not acceptable for
passport purposes.
PLEASE PRINT OUT AND SUBMIT ONLY
ONE-SIDED PAGES OF THE APPLICATION. Please type or print
legibly in black ink when completing all sections of this
application.
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Statement Regarding Lost
Or Stolen Passport — Form DS-64
This form should be submitted along with the DS-11 Application
for Passport and brought with you when you go in person
to apply for a new passport if your previous passport has
been lost or stolen.
Reporting Lost and Stolen
Passports
All reported lost/stolen passports are considered invalid
and placed into a U.S. port of entry database. When a United
States passport is part of property taken in the course
of robbery or theft, and whenever a United States passport
is returned to law enforcement, this information and/or
the passport itself should be returned to:
Department of State
Passport Services Consular Lost and Stolen Passport Section
1111 19th Street, NW, Room 500
Washington, DC 20522-1705
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Statement of Consent:
Issuance of a Passport to a Minor Under Age 14 —
Form DS-3053
All children regardless of age (including newborns and infants)
must have their own passport.
This form should be notarized and submitted,
along with the DS-11 Application for Passport, for minors
under age 14 as evidence of parental permission if:
You are a non-applying parent or guardian
consenting to passport issuance for your child, or You are
an applying parent or guardian, and the written consent
of the non-applying parent or guardian cannot be obtained.
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The U.S. Electronic Passport - FAQs
The proposed U.S. Electronic Passport is the same as a
regular passport with the addition of a small contactless
integrated circuit (computer chip) embedded in the back
cover. The chip will securely store the same data visually
displayed on the photo page of the passport, and will additionally
include a digital photograph. The inclusion of the digital
photograph will enable biometric comparison, through the
use of facial recognition technology at international borders.
The U.S. “e-passport” will also have a new look,
incorporating additional anti-fraud and security features.
Passports without chips will still be valid for the full
extent of their validity period.
What is an Electronic Passport?
An Electronic Passport is the same as a traditional passport
with the addition of a small integrated circuit (or “chip”)
embedded in the back cover. The chip will store the same
data visually displayed on the data page of the passport,
a biometric identifier in the form of a digital image of
the passport photograph, which will facilitate the use of
face recognition technology at ports-of-entry, the unique
chip identification number and a digital signature to protect
the stored data from alteration.
What is a Biometric? Which one does the new Electronic
Passport use?
A biometric or biometric identifier is a measurable physical
or behavioral characteristic of an individual, which can
be used to verify the identity of that individual or to
compare against other entries when stored in a database.
Biometrics include face recognition, fingerprints and iris
scans. The U.S. Electronic Passport will use the digital
image of the passport photograph as the biometric identifier
that will be used with face recognition technology to verify
the identity of the passport bearer. For more information
on biometrics, please consult www.biometricscatalog.org.
What are the special features of an Electronic
Passport?
The special features of an Electronic Passport
are:
Securely stored biographical information and digital image
that are identical to the information that is visually displayed
in the passport; and
Contactless chip technology that allows the information
stored in an Electronic Passport to be read by special chip
readers at a close distance.
Uses digital signature technology to verify the authenticity
of the data stored on the chip. This technology is commonly
used in credit cards and other secure documents using integrated
circuits or chips.
How does an Electronic Passport facilitate travel?
The Electronic Passport facilitates travel by allowing:
Automated identity verification;
Faster immigration inspections; and
Greater border protection and security.
The Electronic Passport is designed to function for the
passport’s full validity period under normal use.
Why is an Electronic Passport being issued?
As a security measure, Congress has legislated that all
countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program with
the United States must issue passports with integrated circuits
(chips), to permit storage of at least a digital image of
the passport photograph for use with face recognition technology.
The U.S. is doing so on a reciprocal basis and will comply
with the latest international standards established for
secure travel documents.
What countries will be issuing Electronic Passports?
As a security measure, Congress has legislated that all
countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program with
the United States must issue passports with integrated circuits
(chips), to permit storage of at least a digital image of
the passport photograph for use with face recognition technology.
The U.S. is doing so on a reciprocal basis and will comply
with the latest international standards established for
secure travel documents.
What happens if an Electronic Passport is lost?
Any passport that is lost or stolen should be reported immediately.
U.S. passports reported lost or stolen are invalidated and
can no longer be used for travel. How to report and replace
a lost or stolen U.S. passport.
What does the Electronic Passport logo look like and what
does it mean?
The Electronic Passport logo (shown below) is the international
symbol for an electronic passport. It signifies that the
passport contains an integrated circuit or chip on which
data about the passport and passport bearer is stored. The
logo will be displayed at border inspection lanes at all
airports and transit ports equipped with special data readers
for Electronic Passports.
Can a previously issued passport still be used
for travel as long as it is still valid?
Yes. Previously issued passports that are still valid can
be used for travel.
Can the new electronic passport be amended, for
example if I change my name?
No. The new electronic passports will not be amended. If
you change your name, need to extend a limited passport,
or need a correction in the descriptive information, you
will have to get a new passport. Within the first year after
issuance, the new passport will be issued without additional
payment of the passport fee. After one year, fees will be
assessed for the new passport.
Can a request be made for a new passport to be
issued without a chip?
No. Once all Passport Agencies have been equipped to issue
the new passport, all newly issued passports will be electronic.
Will someone be able to read or access the information
on the chip without my knowledge (also known as skimming)?
This is often referred to as “skimming,” which
is the act of obtaining data from an unknowing end user
who is not willingly submitting the sample at that time.
An example could be secretly reading data while in close
proximity to a user on a bus. In this application, the chip
is designed to operate within 10 centimeters (less than
4 inches) of a chip reader using appropriate public keys.
Experts indicate that the information on the chip cannot
be easily accessed surreptitiously. Even so, Passport Services
plans to incorporate a reliable anti-skimming feature and
Basic Access Control to mitigate the threat of skimming
in all electronic passports.
To prevent skimming and eavesdropping of data, Basic Access
Control (BAC) is employed. BAC is similar to a PIN used
in ATM or credit card transactions. In the case of the electronic
passport, characters from the printed machine-readable zone
of the passport must be read first in order to unlock the
chip for reading. Thus, when an electronic passport is presented
to an inspector, the inspector must scan the printed lines
of data in order to be able to read the data on the chip.
To further protect against skimming, the U.S. e-passport
will include a shielding material in the passport cover
that will make unauthorized reading of the passport very
difficult from any appreciable distance as long as the passport
is closed.
Can the information on the chip be altered and
how is the information protected from being accessed by
an unauthorized reader?
The new passports use Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology
that prevents the chip from being altered; thus, providing
a higher level of security for the passport. Access to the
data on the chip requires the use of an official public
key to ensure that the data has not been altered and that
it was written to the chip by the Department of State. Although
some experts have advised that surreptitious reading of
data from the chip cannot be achieved beyond prescribed
distances, the Department intends to issue all electronic
passports with an anti-skimming feature built into the passport.
The device would prevent any reading of data on the chip
while the passport is not being used.
Is the new passport susceptible to “eavesdropping”?
The new passports use Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology
that prevents the chip from being altered; thus, providing
a higher level of security for the passport. Access to the
data on the chip requires the use of an official public
key to ensure that the data has not been altered and that
it was written to the chip by the Department of State. Although
some experts have advised that surreptitious reading of
data from the chip cannot be achieved beyond prescribed
distances, the Department intends to issue all electronic
passports with an anti-skimming feature built into the passport.
The device would prevent any reading of data on the chip
while the passport is not being used.
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Family
and Children's Passport Issues
Click on the links below for information
about child support, family law, and abduction and custody
disputes.
Child
Support Arrears
Child Support Payments and Getting a U.S. Passport
Section 51.70 (a) (8) of Title 22 of the Code of Federal
Regulations states, in part, that if you are certified to
Passport Services by the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) to be in arrears of child support payments
in excess of $5,000, you are ineligible to receive a U.S.
passport . If this applies to you, Passport Services strongly
recommends that you contact the appropriate State child
support enforcement agency to make payment arrangements
before applying for a passport. This is because:
• The State agency must certify to the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that acceptable
payment arrangements have been made.
• Then, HHS must notify Passport Services
by the removal of your name from the electronic list HHS
gives to Passport Services. (Passport Services cannot issue
a passport until your name has been deleted by HHS.)
Please note that it can take 2-3 weeks from the time you
make payment arrangements with the State agency until your
name is removed from HHS'' electronic list. Passport Services
has no information concerning individuals'' child support
obligations and has no authority to take action until HHS
removes your name from its list.
Please direct any questions to the appropriate State child
support enforcement agency. You may go to the Department
of Health and Human Services - State Child Support Enforcement
Web Site for a listing of HHS state and local agencies.
Read other related topics about Family & Children,
as it pertains to U.S. Passports.
Family
Law Fact Sheet
Foreign-Born
Children – Certain Laws
Children’s
Passport Issuance Alert Program
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The
Privacy Act and Passport Information
Please be aware that Embassy Visa & Passport Service's
records are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 USC 552a).
The information contained therein, if any, is considered
privileged and not a public record. If a file is located,
it would be available only to the subject, his legal guardian,
custodian or pursuant to a court order issued by a court
of competent jurisdiction. Passport information is protected
by the provisions of the Privacy Act (PL 93-579) passed
by Congress in 1974. Information regarding adults may be
available to law enforcement officials or pursuant to a
court order issued by the court of competent jurisdiction
in accordance with (22 CFR 51.27).
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Warranty, Limitation
of Liability, and Other Legal Terms
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