Applying for a U.S. Passport From a Different State: What You Need to Know
Rowan Wood
The U.S. passport is issued by the Department of State
Passports for U.S. citizens are produced by the federal government through its Department of State. Anyone applying for the first time has to appear in person at a passport acceptance facility. These facilities fall under federal operation, which means a person can use one in any state — their state of residence does not restrict them — provided they carry the correct forms of identification.
Step 1
Find a Passport Acceptance Facility. The State Department's website lets you look up a facility by entering an address. In many cases, a Passport Acceptance Facility is located at a local Post Office or County Clerk's Office.
Step 2
Get and fill out the passport application, known as Form DS-11. Only first-time applicants use this form, and it is available for download from the State Department website. Fill in every required section legibly and sign the form.
Step 3
Gather the citizenship and identification paperwork you need. As proof of citizenship, applicants must provide documents such as a birth certificate. When a birth certificate cannot be produced, secondary evidence may be accepted instead. If the identification an applicant presents was issued by a state other than the one where the acceptance facility is located — for example, a New Hampshire driver's license used at a New York facility — that applicant must also provide a second valid form of ID showing their name, date of birth, and a photograph. Applicants holding federal or military identification do not need to supply extra identification, no matter what state they live in or what driver's license they carry.
Step 4
Get a photograph taken. A first-time applicant must provide a 2-inch by 2-inch frontal photograph. The photo needs to be recent and unobstructed — no hats, headgear, or nonprescription sunglasses. People who normally wear prescription glasses, hearing devices, or wigs should keep them on for the photo.
Step 5
Go to the Passport Acceptance Facility. You must apply in person there, handing in the application, the required documents, and $135 to cover the fees. Once approved, the passport is issued and mailed within 4-6 weeks. Any original documents turned in with the application come back along with the new passport.
