US Passport Application 2026 — First-Time DS-11 Guide, Fees & In-Person Steps

First-Time Passport Overview

More than 170 million US passports are in circulation and the State Department processes well over 20 million passport applications a year, a large share of them first-time passport application filings on Form DS-11. Unlike a renewal, a first-time application creates your identity record from scratch: an acceptance agent must verify your original citizenship documents, witness your signature, and seal everything into an official package. That is why DS-11 can never be mailed in by the applicant or submitted online — the in-person appearance is the fraud-prevention step.

This page covers first-time applicants only. If your most recent passport was an adult passport issued within the last 15 years and it is undamaged, do not use this process — renewing by mail or online is cheaper (no $35 execution fee) and requires no appointment. Compare your situation in our full renewal guide, and if you are eligible to renew, follow the renewal application walkthrough instead. Unsure how the wait affects travel plans? Check how long passport processing takes in 2026 before you book anything.

Before your appointment, assemble your paperwork with our free visa document checklist tool so nothing is missing, and confirm your destination's entry rules with the free passport validity checker — many countries refuse entry with less than 6 months of validity remaining. First-time travelers can also preview their odds and paperwork for onward visas with the visa eligibility checker.

Who Must Use Form DS-11

You must file your US passport application on Form DS-11, Application for a US Passport, and appear in person, if any of the following applies to you:

• You have never held a US passport. This is the classic first-time case — adult or child, you start with DS-11.
• You are under 16. Every minor under 16 applies with DS-11 in person, even if the child held a previous passport. Child passports cannot be renewed — each one is a new DS-11 filing.
• Your previous passport was issued more than 15 years ago. The 15-year rule disqualifies old passports from renewal; you re-enter the system as a first-time applicant with DS-11.
• Your previous passport was issued when you were under 16. A childhood passport does not qualify you for adult renewal — your first adult passport requires DS-11 in person.
• Your passport was lost, stolen, or damaged. Lost and stolen cases additionally require Form DS-64 (see the lost-passport section below); damaged passports are submitted with the DS-11 as evidence.
• Your name changed and you cannot document it through the renewal path. Applicants who cannot satisfy renewal-evidence rules default back to DS-11.

If none of these applies — you are an adult whose undamaged passport was issued within the last 15 years when you were 16 or older — use Form DS-82 by mail or the online renewal system, both covered in our renewal guide.

DS-11 vs DS-82: Which Form Do You Need?

Using the wrong passport application form is one of the most common reasons applications are returned. This decision table maps your situation to the correct form:

The practical difference: DS-11 costs $35 more (the execution fee), requires an appointment, original documents, and a witnessed signature — but it is the only path for new applicants. DS-82 renewals skip all of that. When in doubt, the renewal-eligibility checklist in our renewal application walkthrough settles it in under a minute.

Completing the Passport Application Form

Form DS-11 is a five-page federal application. The State Department offers an official online Form Filler that pre-formats your answers and prints a barcoded application — use it. A hand-filled form is accepted but far more likely to contain the cross-outs and unreadable fields that trigger rejection letters.

Step-by-Step: Fill Out DS-11 Correctly

1. Use the official Form Filler: Complete DS-11 through the State Department's online form tool (linked from travel.state.gov), or download the PDF and fill it in black ink. Never use a third-party site that charges a fee for the blank form — the form itself is free.
2. Enter your Social Security number: A Social Security number is required. Applicants without one must submit a signed statement explaining why, or processing stalls.
3. Print single-sided on plain white paper: Print each page on its own sheet of standard letter-size white paper. Double-sided printouts are a documented rejection reason.
4. Do NOT sign the form: Leave the signature block and date blank. You will sign at the facility in front of the acceptance agent, who witnesses it. A pre-signed DS-11 is invalid and you will have to redo it on the spot.
5. Review every field: Names must match your citizenship evidence exactly, including middle names and suffixes. Errors between the form and the birth certificate are the top avoidable delay.
6. Bring the form, don't mail it: DS-11 goes to your appointment in your hands — never into a mailbox. Only the acceptance agent's sealed package goes to the State Department.

Run through the free document checklist tool after printing: form, citizenship original + copy, ID + front/back copies, photo, and both payments. One missing copy is the most common reason applicants are turned away at the counter.

Documents & Citizenship Evidence

At your appointment the agent must see original proof of US citizenship — not photocopies, not hospital souvenir certificates, not notarized copies. Bring the original plus a photocopy; the State Department keeps the copy and returns the original separately after adjudication.

Accepted Proof of US Citizenship

If you have no primary evidence (for example, no birth record was ever filed), the State Department accepts secondary evidence — typically a letter of no record plus early public records — but that path is slower and document-heavy. Check the official citizenship-evidence page on travel.state.gov before building a secondary-evidence package.

Photo ID and Photocopies

• Acceptable ID: Valid driver's license, military ID, government employee ID, or prior US passport. The ID must be original and readily recognizable as you.
• Photocopy your citizenship document: One full copy on plain white 8.5x11 paper.
• Photocopy both sides of your ID: Front and back on plain white paper. If the ID is a driver's license, both sides must appear even if the back looks blank.
• Out-of-state ID: If your ID was issued in a different state than the facility, bring an additional ID or be prepared for extra verification questions.

The In-Person Appointment

Every DS-11 passport application must be executed before an authorized acceptance agent. Acceptance facilities include post offices, clerks of court offices, and public libraries — thousands of locations nationwide. Use the State Department's facility search tool (iafdb.travel.state.gov) to find locations near you with hours and contact details.

Appointment vs Walk-In

• Many facilities require appointments and offer limited passport hours — often weekday mornings only. Always check the facility's listing or call ahead.
• Some post offices and libraries accept walk-ins, but expect long waits during peak season (March through September). An appointment guarantees you are seen.
• Bring every applicant: Each person named on a DS-11 — including infants — must appear in person. For children under 16, both parents should attend (see the minors section).
• Arrive with the package complete: Unsigned printed DS-11, originals, all photocopies, photo, and both payments. Incomplete packages are turned away and you lose your slot.

What Happens at the Counter

1. The agent reviews your DS-11 for completeness and checks your original documents.
2. You sign the form when instructed — the agent witnesses the signature.
3. The agent collects the separate execution fee, seals everything into an official envelope, and gives you a receipt with tracking information.
4. Track the sealed package at passportstatus.state.gov using your last name, date of birth, and last 4 digits of your Social Security number.

Traveling within 14 days? Skip the standard facility and request an urgent appointment at one of the 26 regional passport agencies (call 1-877-487-2778) with proof of travel. Compare the urgency math against current waits on our processing-times page before you decide between routine, expedited, and agency service.

First-Time Passport Fees 2026

First-time fees have two parts: the application fee (paid to the "U.S. Department of State") and the $35 execution fee (paid separately to the acceptance facility). Two payments, two payees — combining them into one check is a classic rejection reason.

How to Pay

• Application fee: Personal check, cashier's check, or money order payable to "U.S. Department of State." Write your full name and date of birth on the memo line. No cash, no cards for this payment.
• Execution fee: Paid to the facility — most accept credit/debit cards, checks, and money orders. Confirm with your specific facility beforehand.
• Expedited + overnight: Add both to the State Department payment if you want faster service and faster return shipping.

Total your exact scenario — book, card, expedited, delivery — with the free passport fee calculator before you write the checks, and sanity-check the rest of your trip budget with the visa eligibility checker.

Passport Photo Requirements 2026

Photo rejection is a top-three cause of DS-11 delays, and unlike renewals you cannot re-upload digitally — a bad photo means a second facility visit. Get it right the first time:

• Size: 2 inches by 2 inches (51 x 51 mm). Head height 1 to 1 3/8 inches (25–35 mm) from chin to crown.
• Background and lighting: Plain white or off-white, evenly lit, no shadows, no objects or other people visible.
• Pose and expression: Face the camera directly, neutral expression, both eyes open, mouth closed.
• Glasses: Not allowed — remove eyeglasses for the photo (medical exceptions require a signed doctor's statement).
• Coverings and uniforms: No hats, headphones, or uniforms. Religious or medical head coverings are permitted with a signed statement.
• No AI editing (2026 rule): Photos altered by AI or retouching tools — filters, background replacement, skin smoothing — are grounds for rejection. Submit a genuine, unaltered image.
• Recency: Taken within the last 6 months and reflecting your current appearance.

Drugstores (around $15–$20), many acceptance facilities, and photo shops all offer compliant photos — ask specifically for a US passport photo, not a visa photo for another country, since dimensions differ.

Processing Times for DS-11 Applications

First-time applications join the same State Department processing queues as renewals, so the published routine and expedited timeframes apply equally: routine service takes 4–6 weeks and expedited service (add $60) takes 2–3 weeks, measured from when the sealed package arrives — not from your facility appointment. Mailing adds time on both ends, so pad every plan by at least two weeks.

• Routine: Best when travel is 10+ weeks out. Cheapest option, no add-on fees.
• Expedited: Add $60 plus optional $23.36 overnight return delivery. Best when travel is 4–9 weeks out.
• Urgent agency appointment: For travel within 14 days (or 5 days for life-or-death emergencies) with proof of travel — call 1-877-487-2778. Walk-ins are not accepted.

Processing times shift with seasonal demand, so always confirm the current numbers on travel.state.gov and our passport timelines page, which tracks routine vs expedited waits in detail. While you wait, verify your destination's validity rules with the passport validity checker — an adult first-time book is valid 10 years, a child book 5 years.

Passports for Children Under 16

Minor passports follow stricter consent rules than adult applications. Every child under 16 — no matter how young — must appear in person, and both parents or legal guardians should appear with the child. There is no renewal path for children: each new passport is a full DS-11 filing with fresh consent.

• Both-parent presence: Both parents appear with valid ID. This is the smoothest path and avoids extra forms.
• One parent absent: Submit a notarized Form DS-3053 (Statement of Consent) signed by the absent parent, plus a photocopy of the front and back of that parent's ID.
• Sole legal custody: The applying parent must present the court order granting sole custody (or equivalent evidence such as the other parent's death certificate).
• Validity: Under-16 passports are valid for 5 years, not 10 — plan renewals around school travel and family trips.
• Fee: $135 total for a child book ($100 application + $35 execution).
• Ages 16–17: Teens apply in person with their own ID and evidence of parental awareness; their passports carry 10-year adult validity.

Custody disputes add a further layer — court orders restricting passport issuance must be honored by the facility. Resolve custody paperwork before booking the appointment, not at the counter.

Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Passports

A missing or mutilated passport can never be renewed — you return to the DS-11 path. Act in this order:

1. Report it immediately (lost/stolen): File Form DS-64 online at travel.state.gov. Prompt reporting protects you if someone misuses the document.
2. Apply in person with DS-11: Book an acceptance-facility appointment and file a full first-time application with citizenship evidence, ID, photo, and fees.
3. Submit the damaged passport: If it is damaged rather than missing, bring it — it serves as evidence and is cancelled on receipt.
4. Understand invalidation: Once a passport is reported lost or stolen, it is permanently invalidated. If you find it afterward, you cannot use or "un-report" it — travel on the replacement only.

Traveling imminently on a lost passport? The urgent-agency route (proof of travel within 14 days) applies to replacements too — and our timelines page explains which service level fits your departure date.

7 Mistakes That Delay First-Time Applications

1. Signing DS-11 at home. The signature must be witnessed. Pre-signed forms are voided on sight.
2. One combined check. The State Department payment and the $35 facility payment are separate payees — one check for both bounces the whole package.
3. Hospital birth certificate. Only registrar-certified birth certificates count. Decorative hospital certificates are rejected every day.
4. Missing photocopies. Citizenship copy plus front and back of ID, on plain white paper. Applicants are routinely turned away for this alone — verify with the document checklist tool.
5. Wrong photo size or AI edits. Foreign-visa dimensions, selfies, and retouched images fail. Get a real 2x2 US passport photo.
6. Mailing DS-11 yourself. Only the agent's sealed envelope goes to the State Department. A self-mailed DS-11 is not a valid application.
7. Booking travel first. Never buy non-refundable international tickets before the passport arrives. Work backwards from verified waits on the timelines page instead.

Frequently Asked Questions