Passport Information

For travel overseas and reentry into the US, a valid US passport is REQUIRED. It is the best documentation available and unquestionably proves your US citizenship.

The Department of State and the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection published a final rule to implement Phase One of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). The rule, effective January 23, 2007, will require valid passports of all U.S. citizens as well as all nonimmigrant aliens with citizenship in Canada, Bermuda, and Mexico, departing from or entering the United States from within the Western Hemisphere at air ports-of-entry. Prior to this, these individuals were exempt from the passport requirement. This rule does not change visa rules, only travel document requirements. A separate, future rulemaking will address land and sea travelers.

Leave as much time as possible to get your passport. Apply several months before you plan to go abroad. If you will need visas from foreign embassies, allow additional time. You cannot obtain a visa or leave the country until you receive your passport. Once issued, your passport is valid for ten years.

Most countries require that your passport be valid at least six months beyond the dates of your trip. If your passport expires before the required validity, you will have to apply for a new one. Please check with the embassy or nearest consulate of the country you plan to visit for their requirements.

Some Arab or African countries will not issue visas or allow entry if your passport indicates travel to Israel. Consult the nearest US Passport Agency for guidance if this applies to you.

Applying for a Passport

You are eligible to apply for your passport by mail, if you can submit your most recent, undamaged passport. The passport must have been issued when you were over age sixteen and bear the same name or be accompanied by a legal document stating your name change.

You will need to apply in person if you are applying for the first time, if your US passport is not in your possession, if your recent passport has expired or was issued more than fifteen years ago, or if your previous US passport was issued when you were under the age of sixteen.

It will take about six weeks for your passport to be processed and returned to you, so APPLY EARLY. Refer to the US Department of State’s Passport Services Office for further information on the application process:

Where to apply:

In Philadelphia
Philadelphia Passport Agency
U.S. Customs House
200 Chestnut Street, Room 103
Philadelphia, PA 19106-2970
Telephone: (215) 597-7480 (24-hour info line, including directions)
Telephone: (900) 225-5674 and (888) 362-8668 (Service Representatives)
Hours: M-F: 9-4 (excluding federal holidays)
* Call the National Passport Information Center at (877) 487-2778 to schedule an appointment. The Philadelphia Passport Agency ONLY accepts appointments for applicants planning to travel or submit a foreign Visa application within 14 DAYS. If this does not apply to you, please apply for a passport at one of the designated passport agencies available at http://iafdb.travel.state.gov.

In Ardmore
United States Post Office
30 Ardmore Avenue
Ardmore, PA 19003
Telephone: (800) 275-8777 (United States Postal Service)
Telephone: (610) 649-5810 (Ardmore Post Office)
Hours: M-F: 8 am-5 pm; Sat 8 am-1 pm
Open for Passport Processing: M-F 9 am-4 pm, Sat: 9 am-11 am

In Norristown
The Montgomery County Courthouse
Office of the Prothonotary
Swede and Airy Streets
Court House 1st Floor
Norristown, PA 19404-0311
Hours: M-F 9 am – 3:30 pm

William Grove Annex
102 York Road, Suite 206
Willow Grove, PA 19090-3286
Hours: M-F 9 am – 3:45 pm (Closed M-F 11:45 am – 1 pm)
Telephone: (610) 278-3783 or (610) 278-3000 (the switchboard)
Fax: (610) 278 -5994
Website: http://www.montcopa.org/

In Media
Government Center Building, 2nd floor
Delaware County Courthouse, Passport Division
201 West Front Street
Media, PA 19063-2708
Telephone: (610) 891-4967
Hours: M-F: 8:30-4 (excluding federal holidays)

Expedient passport services:

Instant Passport: (800) 284-2567

Travel Documents Express: DC (202) 785-3250

Travisa: (202) 463-6166

Zierer Visa Service: DC (866)788-1100, SF (800) 843-9151

American Passport Express: (800) 455-5166

Briggs Passport and Visa Agency: (800) 806-0581

Perry International: (312) 372-2703

Passport Express: (800)362-8196

What to bring with you:

1) Proof of US Citizenship. That can be (1) a previous US passport, if you have one; (2) a birth certificate, if you were born in the US. It must be a certified copy issued by the state, city, or county of your birth (it must have the registrar’s signature and seal and date the certificate was filed; photocopies are not acceptable.) If you were born in Pennsylvania, you may apply for an official birth certificate through the Division of Vital Records, 101 South Mercer Street, Room 401, P.O. Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16101, telephone:(724) 656-3100, fax:(724) 652-8951. Call them for what information and materials they require. Their hours are M-F 8-4:30. (3) if you were not born in the US, you must provide a Certificate of Naturalization or Certificate of Citizenship.

2) Proof of Identity. This must include your photograph AND signature. This may be a previous US passport, Naturalization Certificate, or a valid driver’s license, government or military ID. Also have handy your social security number; if you don’t provide it, you may be subject to a $500 fine. Note: your Social Security Card does NOT prove your identity.

3) Two Photographs. Must be recent (within the past six months), identical, 2x2 inches color photographs. They must show a front view, full face, on a plain, light (white or off-white) background, and must be taken in plain street clothes. Vending machine photographs and Polaroid snapshots are not acceptable. (Photographs can be gotten fairly inexpensively at Keystone AAA, 294 W. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, PA.as well as CVS and Rite Aid, 6 for $7.99)

4) Fees. The total fee for a new passport is $97.00. You pay $55 for the passport, $12 for the security surcharge and $30 for the execution fee. The total fee for a renewal passport is $67.00. You do not pay the $30 execution fee. If you apply at the Main Office in Philadelphia, the entire fee may be paid by credit card, debit/check card, check, money order, or bank draft. If you apply at an accepted agency, the passport application and execution fee can be paid personal checks, money orders and bank drafts. Some locations accept credit cards and cash. Be forewarned that an extra fee of approximately $60 per application is required to expedite your passport application. Make sure you get your passport early!

5) Completed application form. The appropriate form, DS-11 or DS-82 (Mail-in Application), is available through the mail or at the post office, passport agency, or courthouse or through the above links in PDF format. It can also be filled out when you go to get your passport. If you are applying by mail, please send all materials Certified Mail or Federal Express so you have a receipt. Note: you will need to know your parents' date and place of birth to complete the application.

*If you are under 16, you must apply for your passport in person and you must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Special Case: Applying for a Passport with no Birth Certificate or Record of Birth

Getting started:

You will need to apply in person and bring lots of documentation, photos, and any other records that can substantiate your birth year and place. So, first find a Passport Issuing Office, either from the list See list above or this webpage. Then, make an appointment to visit this office in person. You are the only one who can do this.

What to bring with you:

From the list above, you should bring the same Photographs (3), Fees (4), and Application (5). Along with these, you will need —

1) An extensive list of documents, each signed and notarized by the appropriate parties:

i. Letter of No Record. Issued by the State with your name, date of birth, which years were searched for a birth record and that there is no birth certificate on file for you.
ii. As many of the following as possible:

baptismal certificate

hospital birth certificate

census record

early school record

family bible record

doctor's record of post-natal care

NOTES:
These documents must be early public records showing the date and place of birth, preferably created within the first five years of your life. You may also submit an Affidavit of Birth, form DS-10, from an older blood relative, i.e., a parent, aunt, uncle, sibling, who has personal knowledge of your birth. It must be notarized or have the seal and signature of the acceptance agent.

2) A blood relative’s signed notarized statement affirming your birthday, birth year, and location of birth. The letter should state the blood relative’s relationship to you.

3) Copies of death certificates for your parents, if applicable - including photos of the family when you were a child until the present day. Other places to obtain records of birth/early existence:

Internal Revenue Service: This office might be able to provide a student with his/her parents' address(es) at the time of the student's birth and when they began claiming him/her as a dependent, which may help underscore the student's "legal existence."

Social Security Administration: This office should have a copy of the student's original application on file, and, if he/she is young enough, it might have been filed for him/her by the hospital of birth which would back him/her into those records. At a minimum it would confirm the student's parentage and age, since someone had to show some kind of documentation to get the card if it was not applied for via the hospital. It may also provide the county/address of the student's parents at the time of the student's birth, or at least at the time of application.

State Department of Education: Even if the student's elementary school is no longer in existence, the State Department of Education should have the student's record of attendance on file.

State Office of Vital Statistics: This state database should have record of the student's birth, or at least some record of his/her parents.

Other ideas to help establish birth, residence, etc:

Parents' marriage certificate, old mortgage or bank documents, parents' credit report - these documents might give clues to student's early addresses.

Parents' health insurance records (from employer or government) for proof of student's coverage as a child.

Family doctor, who may be able to provide medical/immunization records dating back to early childhood/birth.

Contact the student's US senator (preferably one with seniority), local congressperson or state representative for assistance.

This page was last updated on October 5, 2009