Applying for your first passport
The passportphoto.digital team · August 5, 2026 · 4 min read
A first passport has to be applied for in person, with original documents, in front of an acceptance agent. The paperwork is not complicated — but the rules about originals, photocopies and signatures are strict, and getting one wrong means a second trip.
The short version
- Do not sign Form DS-11 in advance. You sign it in front of the acceptance agent, and a pre-signed form is invalid.
- Proof of citizenship must be an original or certified copy. It is mailed in with your application and returned later.
- You pay two separate fees to two different places: the application fee to the State Department, the execution fee to the facility.
Who has to apply in person
Form DS-11 is for anyone who cannot renew by mail. That is first-time applicants, everyone under 16, anyone whose previous passport was lost, stolen or damaged, and anyone whose last passport was issued more than 15 years ago or before they turned 16.
In person means at a passport acceptance facility — most often a post office, a public library or a county clerk's office — or at a passport agency if you have urgent travel. Many facilities require an appointment, and appointment availability varies wildly by location, so book before you plan the rest of your day.
The acceptance agent is not reviewing your application for correctness. They verify your identity, witness your signature, seal the package and send it on. Anything wrong inside the envelope is found later, by someone else.
The documents, and the originals rule
You need proof of U.S. citizenship: a certified birth certificate with a raised or embossed seal listing your parents, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, a certificate of naturalization, or a previous undamaged passport. It must be an original or a certified copy from the issuing authority. A photocopy is not accepted, and neither is a hospital-issued souvenir birth certificate.
You also need photo identification — a driver's license, a state ID, a military ID, a current government employee ID — plus a photocopy of the front and back of it on plain white paper. The photocopy is a separate requirement from the ID itself, and forgetting it is the single most common reason people get sent home.
Your original citizenship document is mailed in with the application. You get it back, but not immediately, and often in a different envelope than the passport. If you need your birth certificate for something else in the next two months, order a second certified copy first.
Filling out the form
Complete the DS-11 online through the form filler and print it single-sided, or print the blank form and fill it in with black ink. Either way, leave the signature blank. The agent watches you sign it, and a form you signed at your kitchen table has to be redone.
Print single-sided. A double-sided form is rejected. Use your full legal name as it appears on your citizenship document, and if that name differs from the one on your ID, bring the document that connects them.
Bring the two payments separately. The application fee goes to the U.S. Department of State by check or money order — many facilities do not take cards for it. The execution fee goes to the facility, and each location decides which payment methods it accepts, so call ahead rather than guessing.
The photo requirement
One color photograph, 2 × 2 inches, taken within the last six months, on a plain white or off-white background. Head height between 1 and 1⅜ inches from the bottom of the chin to the top of the hair. Eyes between 1⅛ and 1⅜ inches from the bottom edge. No glasses, no uniforms, no hats except for daily-worn religious head coverings, and no other person in the frame.
Many acceptance facilities will take the photo for you for an additional fee. That is convenient, and it is also unmeasured — the clerk frames the shot by eye and the specification is a set of numbers. Convenience and compliance are not the same thing.
If you bring your own photo, bring a spare. An agent who thinks the photo looks wrong will ask for another one on the spot, and having a second print in your folder is the difference between finishing today and coming back.
Need the photo for this?
One 2 × 2 inch photo covers passports, USCIS forms, green cards and visas. Upload one, read the report on all eleven requirements, and pay only if it passes.
Check my photo freeFrequently asked
Can I apply for my first passport by mail?+
No. A first passport requires an in-person application on Form DS-11 at an acceptance facility or passport agency.
Should I sign the DS-11 before I go?+
No. The form is signed in front of the acceptance agent. A pre-signed form has to be replaced.
Can I use a photocopy of my birth certificate?+
No. Proof of citizenship must be an original or a certified copy issued by the vital records office, with a registrar's seal.
Why are there two fees?+
The application fee is paid to the U.S. Department of State for the passport. The execution fee is paid to the facility for verifying your identity and witnessing your signature.
How many photos do I need?+
One, though bringing a spare is sensible in case the agent questions the first.
Sources
General information, not legal advice. Fees, forms and processing times are revised regularly — the linked government page is the authority. Written and maintained by the passportphoto.digital team.