What this form is for
Application for a U.S. Passport (DS-11). The application for a first US passport, and for anyone who cannot renew by post.
Deadline. There is no deadline, but routine processing runs to several weeks and longer in spring. Check the current times before booking travel.
Who needs it
First-time applicants, all children under 16, and anyone whose previous passport was lost, stolen, damaged, or issued more than 15 years ago.
When you do not need it
If your most recent passport is undamaged, was issued in the last 15 years, when you were 16 or older, and is in your current name, you can renew by post with DS-82 and save the trip.
Before you start
Have these to hand — stopping halfway to look one of them up is how a ten-minute job becomes an evening.
- Proof of citizenship — certified birth certificate or a previous passport
- A photo ID and a photocopy of it
- One 2×2 inch colour photograph taken in the last six months
How to fill it in
Open the file in the Quire editor. Existing form fields become editable straight away; on a flat scan you can drop your own text boxes, checkboxes and dates exactly where they belong. Sign it with the Sign tool — draw, type or upload your signature — then export.
Everything happens in your browser. A tax or immigration form carries enough personal information that it has no business sitting on somebody else's server, and here it never does.
What goes wrong
- Do not sign it until the acceptance agent tells you to. It is signed in front of them.
- Both parents or guardians must appear for a child under 16, or the absent one must consent on DS-3053.
- Your proof of citizenship is sent in and held during processing. Plan around not having it.
Where it goes
Submit it to the address or online portal named in the agency’s current instructions. Sending an application to a superseded address is one of the most common causes of delay.
This page explains the document and helps you fill it in. It is not legal or tax advice, and it is not affiliated with any government agency.