Applying For A U.S. Passport

U.S. passports are issued only to U.S. citizens, and each person must obtain his/her own passport.

If you are a first-time applicant, you must complete a DS-11 "Application for Passport" and appear in person. Each application must be typed or printed in blue or black ink and brought to your local County Clerk's Office along with:

1. Proof of U.S. citizenship - a birth certificate with a raised seal, registrar's signature and file date, or a previous passport, or a naturalization certificate.
Please note: Anyone under 14 years of age will need a long-form birth certificate.

2. Proof of Identity - a driver's license with photo for anyone 16 years of age or older.

Anyone 14-17 years of age who does not have a driver's license will need
to appear with a parent or legal guardian who has a driver's license or
current, valid U.S. passport.

Anyone under 14 years will need to appear in person with their parents or legal guardian.

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Parental Consent

EFFECTIVE JULY 2, 2001: US Passport Applications for children under age 14 will now require both parents' signatures (as provided by Public Law 106-113, section 236).

Both parents or the child's legal guardian must do all of the following:

1. Submit evidence of the child's US citizenship

• A certified long form birth certificate containing the name(s) of the parent(s) or
• A previous fully valid passport

2. Present evidence that they are the parents or legal guardian

• The long form birth certificate containing the name(s) of the parent(s) or
• A certified copy of an adoption decree including parent(s) name(s) or
• A certified copy of a court order establishing custody or guardianship that does not restrict travel out of the country.

3. Appear and show valid personal identification, i.e. driver's license or US passport with recognizable photo.

4. Sign and take an oath before an authorized passport acceptance agent.

If the second parent is not available to sign, the appearing parent must do the following:

1. Do the above

2. Submit one of the following items:

• Certified copy of a court order establishing sole custody of the child, i.e. a certified copy of a divorce decree stating this parent has sole custody without restrictions for taking the child out of the country or
• Second parent's notarized written statement consenting to passport issuance or
• Written statement explaning why the non-appearing parent's consent cannot be obtained, i.e. father is unknown or abandonment or
• A long form birth certificate listing only applying parent (this would replace the long form birth certificate with both parents' names listed) or
• An adoption decree with only the applying parent (this would replace the adoption decree with both parents' names listed) or
• Judicial declaration of incompetence of non-applying parent or
• A certified copy of the death certificate of the non-applying parent.

Please note: if a parent showing identification for a minor child does not have the same last name as the child, the parent will need to submit a certified copy of the name change document to show the connection to the child (for example: a mother who has remarried must submit a certified copy of her recent marriage license including her new married name and maiden or previous married name.)

3. Two passport photographs - two identical 2" X 2" color photos of the applicant alone taken within the last six months on a white or light background, with at least 1/4" of space between the image and the top of the photo. The Ontario County Clerk's Office takes passport photos at a cost of $10.00 for the set of 2.

4. Proper fees - for persons 16 years and older, you will need a check or money order for $67.00 made payable to "U.S. Department of State", and for persons under 16 years of age, you will need a check or money order for $52.00 made payable to "U.S. Department of State." Along with the above fee, all applicants will need a $30.00 fee which can be in cash or separate check made payable to the county clerk's office where you submit your application.

Important note:

Please be sure to read and follow the instructions included with your application. If you have any questions or need further assistance, you may contact our office during regular office hours.

For information regarding a pending application, please call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 or for TDD (hearing-impaired) it is 1-888-874-7793, Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Time. Information will only be given to the applicant or the parent of an applicant under the age of 18.

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Guidelines For Expediting Fee Cases

EXPEDITE FEE: A surcharge of $60.00 may be added to any application needing expedited processing.This service should be considered when the applicant needs the passport returned to them within six weeks. This fee applies to all passport requests including issuance of new passport, amendment of current passport, extension of validity of current passport,and adding visa pages to a current passport. Each eligible applicant must pay the fee. A separate check is not required for the expedite fee. Any applicant 16 years of age or older can make check for $127.00 payable to U.S. Department of State, and anyone under 16 years of age can make check for $112.00 payable to U.S. Department of State. This fee does not include the additional $30.00 fee required to be paid to the County Clerk's Office when submitting a new application for processing. The completed application, photos, proof of U.S.citizenship, necessary fees, and proof of departure will need to be taken to your local County Clerk's Office for packaging prior to mailing.

PROCESSING TIME: The regional passport agency will process expedite applications for mail-out or pick-upwithin three business days from the date of receipt by the processing agency. That does not include travel time in the mail.

POSTAGE: If desired, applicants may purchase overnight envelopes for express mailing of the application to the passport agency and overnight return of the issued passport.
Please note: each returning passport needs its own return envelope with postage.

WILL CALL: An applicant needing a passport within two weeks will need to follow the steps listedabove under "Expedite Fee" then take the paperwork directly to a processingagency such as Boston, New York City, or Washington D.C. Applicants will need to call 1-877-487-2778 to make an appointment.

This number is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A listing of acceptance facilities can be found on the Department of State's internet address: travel.state.gov.
When doing the will call procedure, the traveler must be able to document his/her proposed travel with at least one of the following:

• A photocopy or facsimile of airline tickets
• An itinerary from either a travel agent or airline
• A letter from an employer on company letterhead
• A Congressional transmittal letter verifying urgent need

Please note: If a service is hired to deliver your application directly to the passport agency, they will need written permission from you in the envelope for the service to pick up your passport.

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Renewing A Passport

If you have a US passport that has recently expired, or is about to expire,and would like to obtain a new one, you may complete a DS-82 "Application for Passport by mail". You will use thisform if you can answer "Yes" to all four of the following questions:

1. Can you submit your most recent passport?

2. Were you at least 16 years old when that most recent passport was issued?

3. Was your most recent passport issued less than 15 years ago?

4. Do you use the same name as on your most recent passport OR have you had your name changed by marriage or court order and can submit proper documentation to reflect the name change.

If you answered "No" to any of the four questions above, you cannot use this form. You must complete a DS-11 form as described above.

Once the DS-82 is complete, you will mail it to the address on the back of the form along with the following:

1. Your most recent passport.

2. A marriage certificate or court order if your name has changed.

3. Check or money order for $67.00 made payable to "U.S. Department of State."

4. Two passport photographs - two identical 2" X 2" color photos of the applicant alone taken within the last six months on a white or light background, with at least 1/4" of space between the image and the top of the photo. The Ontario County Clerk's Office takes passport photos at a cost of $10.00 for the set of 2.

Important note: Please be sure to read and follow the instructions on the back of your application. If you have any questions or need further assistance, you may contact our office during regular office hours.

Expedited passport renewals by mail must include the items listed above except the check or money order must be for $127.00. When mailing the application with the expedite fee, it is a good idea to mark the envelope with the word "EXPEDITE."

For information regarding a pending application, please call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 or for TDD (hearing-impaired) it is 1-888-874-7793, Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Time. Information will only be given to the applicant or the parent of an applicant under the age of 18.

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Amending A Current Passport

If you have a valid US passport and need to do one of the following things within the first year of the passport's validity, you may submit a DS-5504 "U.S. Passport Re-application Form."

1. Change your name due to marriage or court order. (You must submit a certified copy of the name change document with application.)

2. Correct the descriptive data. (You must submit appropriate evidence to support a correction.)

After the first year of validity, customers requesting either of these services will have to submit form DS-82 "Application for Passport By Mail" and pay the $67.00 fee for a new passport.

Customers needing to add extra visa pages to their passport will need to submit for DS-4085 "Application for Additional Visa Pages." There is no charge for this service.

Please note: A passport cannot be amended to change the photo on the passport. If you wish to change the photo on your passport, you will need to apply for a new passport, and you will lose the remaining time left on your passport.

Expedited passport amendments by mail must include the items listed above and there is a fee of $60.00. When mailing the application with the expedite fee, it is a good idea to mark the envelope with the word "EXPEDITE."

For information regarding a pending application, please call the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 or for TDD (hearing-impaired) it is 1-888-874-7793, Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Time. Information will only be given to the applicant or the parent of an applicant under the age of 18.

[ Click Here For Application ]

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Replacing A Lost Or Stolen Passport

If the lost passport is expired, you will need to complete a DS-11 application, follow the instructions given under "Applying for a U.S. Passport, " and submit your birth certificate or another previous passport.

If the lost passport is still valid, you will need to complete a DS-11 application as stated above and include with it a completed DS-64 "Statement regarding lost or stolen passport."

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