After leveraging employee travel benefits from a previous corporate job, Brian set sail with his buddy around the world and has become a seasoned traveler who maximizes points and miles wherever possi...
Edited by: Jessica Merritt
A long-time points and miles student, Jessica is the former Personal Finance Managing Editor at U.S. News and World Report and is passionate about helping consumers fund their travels for as little ca...
& Keri Stooksbury
With years of experience in corporate marketing and as the Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar, Keri is now Editor-in-Chief at UP, overseeing daily content operations and r...
45 comments
Darryl
May 03, 2018
This was very informative. Thank you!
Connie surface
January 06, 2019
Do you have to put the city and/or state your parents were born? I don’t know this info.
Christine Krzyszton
January 06, 2019
Hi Connie. The passport application does ask for “place of birth” of your parents and whether they are U.S. citizens. If you do not know the exact city and state, you could try putting in the country and then check the appropriate box if they are U.S. citizens.
Tabatha.
September 10, 2019
Hi, I have a question. I’m trying to get a passport so I can just travel through Canada to get to Alaska. I do not talk to my mother. I refuse to. I don’t know where she was born. I just know it was in the U.S. Do I really have to have that information.? I’m 24.
Christine Krzyszton
September 11, 2019
Hi Tabatha. You will just have to answer the questions to the best of your knowledge. You could put in “Unknown City”, then U.S. for birth place and that would be truthful.
LaSandra
May 31, 2021
That’s what I’m trying to find out. 🤔
Heather C
January 27, 2019
I need to attach an additional page for other names I have used due to marriage. Is a legal sheet acceptable or do I attach another page 1 of the application?
Erin Miller
February 18, 2019
Hi Heather, apologies for the tardy reply. Unfortunately, we were not able to come up with a definitive answer in our research. We suggest you contact the official agency that handles applications – the U.S. Department of State. The phone number for questions pertaining to passports is: 1-877-487-2778. The website states a customer service rep is available at this line Mon-Fri 8am-10pm EST & Sat 10am-3pm EST.
Chris Miller
February 18, 2019
Hi I am trying to determine how to input my mother’s name? She changed her whole name, first, middle, and last. Do I need to enter it as it is shown on my birth certificate?
James Larounis
February 20, 2019
Hi Chris,
I would definitely enter the name as written on official documentation, such as a birth certificate. If she has any other federal or state identification, this should match as well. You mention she changed her name, so if that is different than a birth certificate, I would use the new legal name that is on any legal paperwork proving the name change.
Barbara Bahoura
March 07, 2019
Should I answer married before if my marriage was annulled? Or use never been married as an answer? Thanks
Katie Seemann
March 08, 2019
Hi Barbara,
That would be a question for the passport office. I am not sure what the requirement is for your situation. Good luck!
Lester Good
April 29, 2019
When putting in information for my spouse for place of birth, her birth certificate only has the county she was born in, not the city. What do i put for that question?
Christy Rodriguez
April 29, 2019
Hi Lester! First, I would make sure she has a certified “long form” birth certificate. These typically have more information and may contain the city she was born in. If she’s not sure if she has a certified copy, she can choose to contact the county’s vital records office to see if she can obtain one.
Ultimately, if she does have a certified birth certificate and it doesn’t contain the city, I would suggest filling out the form with the county in the place of the city.
John Noss
June 18, 2019
Hello. When I was filling out my DS-11, I realized there is some information I don’t know about my parents and unfortunately, they both have passed away. Does the portion of the application pertaining to birth date and place of birth for my parents have to be filled out in full for the application to be accepted? Thank you or your help!
Christy Rodriguez
June 18, 2019
Hi Lester, from past experience, I would suggest following the online application process. There’s a lot of information (including parent’s birth date/place) that is not marked as mandatory online, unlike the paper form.
If that doesn’t work, we suggest you contact the official agency that handles applications – the U.S. Department of State. The phone number for questions pertaining to passports is: 1-877-487-2778. The website states a customer service rep is available at this line Mon-Fri 8am-10pm EST & Sat 10am-3pm EST.
Thanks for reading!
Adam L Kane
June 29, 2019
Hello,
Under the parents section, I have entered my mother’s information. My birth father passed away when I was very young, but my mom remarried and her husband officially adopted me shortly a few years later. Which father do I enter information for?
Christy Rodriguez
June 29, 2019
Hi Adam! I would suggest using your step father’s name in the passport application.
Some things to be aware of – you will have to provide your original birth certificate when you apply for your passport. You will also have to provide any adoption decrees and, if you changed your last name when you were adopted, provide your old last name as “other names” on the application.
If you’d like to be 100% certain though, we always recommend calling the passport office directly to confirm at 1-877-487-2778.
Thanks for reading!
Ronn
October 15, 2019
My wife will be applying for a passport for the 1st time. She has changed her surname twice due to remarriage. Does she need to furnish both marriage licenses along with her drivers license to prove her ID?
Christy Rodriguez
October 15, 2019
Hi Ronn! From our unofficial perspective, we always recommend providing any information that might be necessary to avoid any delays in processing. If she has this information, it would be best to provide it. In short, she will need to follow the trail of last names from birth certificate to current last name.
We suggest directly contacting the official agency that handles applications to be positive – the U.S. Department of State. The phone number for questions pertaining to passports is: 1-877-487-2778. The website states a customer service rep is available at this line Mon-Fri 8am-10pm EST & Sat 10am-3pm EST.
Roberta Hayes
November 12, 2019
On line 9 of the DS 82 where it asks for other names used (maiden and other marriage), can you just put the different last names or do you have to include your first name also?
Christine Krzyszton
November 13, 2019
Hi Roberta. You should include full names, first, middle, and last.
Netta Friedman
January 16, 2020
Hi!
I need to apply for my first passport and was wondering if I need to give both my parents info even though my father passed away.
I’m 40 y.o.
Also, I just passed my citizenship interview and scheduled to take the oath on 2/14, can I complete the application before I get the citizenship certificate?
Best
Netta
Christy Rodriguez
January 16, 2020
Hi Netta, while we are not associated with the US State Department (who issues passports), we always recommend providing as much information as possible. If you know the information about your father, we would recommend including it.
In addition, you must provide evidence of citizenship when submitting your application according to the State Department. You will need to go in person to apply for a passport since it would be your first U.S. passport, so we would recommend just going once after you have all of the information you need to minimize your time and effort since your application would just be pending until all information is submitted anyways.
Hope this helps!
Marlenda Clark
February 17, 2020
In the parent’s section, the application has it listed as “Mother/Father/Parent of Applicant”. Does the information need to be what appears on the individual’s birth certificate as opposed to a step-parent?
Thank you!
Jarrod West
February 20, 2020
Hi Marlenda,
You should include what appears on the individual’s birth certificate unless you have legally adopted the child.
Jessica Burns
March 01, 2020
For the parent part of the application, my father’s name is not on my birth certificate. Do I still need to put him down on the application or not due to him not being on the certificate?
Christy Rodriguez
March 02, 2020
Hi Jessica, we usually recommend including as much information as possible. If you know your father’s name, I would go ahead and include it. If not, you can just leave the area blank. Hope this helps!
Howard J krieger
March 09, 2020
How long are renewals taking?
Christy Rodriguez
March 09, 2020
Hi Howard, per the State Department’s website, standard renewals are taking 6-8 weeks, expedited renewals are taking 2-3 weeks, and at an agency or center, they are taking 8 days. Thanks for reading!
gregory A Wilson
April 29, 2020
Do I have to know where I’m going before I apply for a passport?
Jarrod West
April 30, 2020
Hi Gregory,
No, you do not have to have any trips planned in order to apply for a passport.
fabiana
June 25, 2020
Hey Brian, I saw you updated this text on June 6th, 2020. But I just don’t get it: you didn’t mention anything about the changes due the coronavirus pandemic.
To prevent the spread of COVID-19, they significantly reduced passport operations in March 2020. They temporarily suspended expedited passport processing and restricted service to cases involving life-or-death emergencies. As global conditions evolve and U.S. states begin to reopen, they are resuming operations in phases.
As of Friday, June 19, a total of 15 passport agencies and centers are in phase one of our three-phase reopening plan. During phase one, THEY ARE LIMITING appointments to customers who must travel internationally in the next 72 hours due to a life-or-death emergency.
We can apply at an acceptance facility or renew by mail now, BUT unless we have a life-or-death emergency, we will experience delays of many months before receiving the passport and the return of the citizenship documents such as previous passports, and birth and naturalization certificates.
KEVIN RYAN
July 31, 2020
Hi. My wife and I applied at the USPS for passports on March 26th, 2020 and we still haven’t received them. We checked with the postmaster and he told us that they do have a record that the US State Dept did receive the shipment. The US State Dept told us that they do not have a record in their system. If we sent them one check for both of us would that have been flagged and could that be the delay or is it due to the current situation with the COVID virus and them being short-staffed?
Christy Rodriguez
July 31, 2020
Hi Kevin, you are correct – starting in March 2020 due to COVID, passports were only being issued based on “life or death” cases. It is likely that they just haven’t been processed due to this. Offices are gradually reopening now and you can get the most current updates here.
Hope they both arrive soon!
Elizabeth
October 02, 2020
So now that everything is reopening should we expect normal processing time for passports?
Christy Rodriguez
October 02, 2020
Hi Elizabeth, per the US State Department website, routine passport processing is taking 10-12 weeks and expedited processing is at 4-6 weeks. This is longer than “normal” and we assume that this is because passport processing centers may still be experiencing some backlog due to being closed for almost 6 months. Thanks for reading!
Bernie B
February 01, 2021
I had a passport over 20 years ago. I don’t know where it is. How do I answer line 21 on the form for passport number and date of issue if the old passport is lost and that information is not available?
Jarrod West
February 02, 2021
Hi Bernie,
Are you filling out an application to renew your lost passport? Or are you filling out an application for a new one? Either way, you shouldn’t be needing to provide a passport number. I would contact the toll-free at 1-877-487-2778 to get the matter sorted out.
LaSandra
May 31, 2021
I am an adult applying for a 1st time passport…do I have to include my parent’s information or is that for a minor child’s application?!?! 🤔
Jarrod West
June 01, 2021
Hi LaSandra,
No, you should not have to include your parents information.
Michelle
March 11, 2023
We applied in person at the local library, they mailed it in, checks were cashed 2/14/2023, status shows in process as of 3/4/2023, we paid the expedited fee of an extra $60 each, we are due to travel April 17th 2023. What or when do I need to make a trip to Detroit if passports have not arrived by??
Christine Krzyszton
March 11, 2023
Hi Michelle. You can make an appointment at the passport agency when your travel is within 3 – 10 days of your expected departure date.
Krys
May 11, 2023
My birth mother died when I was 3yo. My father remarried when I was 6 and this woman has been my mother ever since. Whose information do I include in the parent information section, birth mother or bonus mom?
Jarrod West
May 11, 2023
Hi Krys,
You should include whomever is your legal parents, so if that is still your birth mother you’ll want to include her on the application.
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