While traveling abroad, there is no document of greater importance to a United States citizen then their passport. A passports forms is the first step in world travel as they are the fundamental documents produced by the government that allow citizens to leave and reenter the country. With the right set of documents, this application process can be completed in under an hour.
Obtaining a passport gives a citizen the privilege of seeing the rest of the world. A U.S. citizen cannot travel to any foreign country including Canada without first acquiring this document. A passport serves as a primary source of identification abroad and ensures that in times of crisis, a person can seek refuge in United States embassies across the globe.
Acceptance facilities or passport agencies are the places one must go to possess their own passport. These agencies house all of the papers that must be filled out before a passport can be obtained. This trail of papers gives the government the necessary knowledge, which aids in promoting national security. Make sure all documents are filled out correctly and truthfully while applying.
Citizens must acquire passports in person. Before filling out the forms to obtain a passport, a person must prove they are an American citizen. To prove citizenship, one must produce a birth certificate, social security card, or old undamaged passports. Pictured documents such as a driver’s license, military identification card, or green card are also necessary to prove one’s identity.
The government has now laid out U.S. passports to have two up-to-date pictures on the identification page of the booklets. This is the same picture on different locations on this page. Having a contemporary photograph of a citizen on the passport helps fight against forgeries and stolen passports from being used by criminals. This picture is usually taken during the time of application.
After all personal information is taken and both identity and citizenship are proven, a citizen now simply has to pay a nominal fee to the government to obtain their passport booklet. First time applicants will have to pay $95 dollars with an added $25 dollar execution fee for processing. Passports expire every ten years; so renewing a passport also costs a fee of $95 dollars. Minors’ passports cost slightly cheaper.
After a passport is sent to a citizen, it is their responsibility to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. International criminals and other nefarious people would love nothing more to obtain a U.S. passport so if one is stolen or lost, the government should be notified immediately. Because of their importance, penalties and fines for replacing lost or stolen passports have been put into place.
A U.S. citizen who wishes to travel the world must first go through the passport application process. A citizen must prove their identity and citizenship along with filling out a passports forms during their visit to a US passport office. All passports must also have a picture and after a payment can be expected to be mailed to one’s home in six to ten weeks from the date of application.

