Getting Your Passport: How Is It Done

The steps in getting your passport depend on the reasons you need one. Getting a new one requires additional steps and documents that are not required if you need an old document replaced. Getting a new document requires a personal appearance while a replacement only requires that you mail your old document. If you are one of the thousands of Americans who need a guide on getting this very important document, read on. It will only be short reading for you.

First Step

The first step in getting this document, no matter what your reason, requires that you apply for one. There is a form that you have to download from the Internet. Downloading this form does not require any registration or any form of membership. Most of all, this document is freely available. Fill up all applicable fields to the best of your knowledge.

Passport Application
There are only two passport applications. One is to get your first passport and the other is to replace one that is about to expire or has expired but not for more than five years. If your passport is lost or damaged, you also have to apply for a new one. A lost document requires an additional form that is also freely downloadable where you provide information on the circumstances that lead to its loss.

Certified Documents
All applicants who need a new set of papers, including those who have lost or damaged their copy, will need a certified copy of their birth certificate before they can make a personal appearance at the nearest acceptance center. New rules regarding the validity of birth certificates required that the names of both parents be present. Other important information that cannot be absent in the certificate is the applicant's full name and the date and place of birth. Certified copies will have the seal of the office where this copy came from. Make sure this seal is present or it won't be accepted.

Required Documents
If you have all the forms and required documents in hand, make a personal appearance at the acceptance center if you are considered a new applicant. If you are replacing an old passport, get an envelope that fits all the documents, including the old passport,without folding them. Mail this envelope to the National Passport Processing Center.

Marked Cancelled
When your old document is returned to you, keep it in a safe place. It will be marked cancelled and is not valid for travel. But this document is still useful because it is proof that you are an American citizen.

Process Time
All applications regarding your passport can be processed faster if you are willing to pay for an expedited application. This makes waiting for a new document shorter and it can arrive in less than three weeks. Normal applications make you wait for four to six weeks. You can also pay for the express door-to-door delivery of the papers. You do, however, have to pay for this extra service.

Travel Reason
As a final word, getting your passport is best done when there is no reason for travelling. This is the best way to beat impatience that comes with waiting for a month or so, even when applying for additional passport pages. But remember, there is nothing difficult about the process so do it now while you are in no rush.