DS-11 – New Passport Application Form

 

If you are applying for a new U.S. passport, you must submit a DS-11 Form for New Passport. You can either fill this form out online and print out the completed form. Or, alternatively, print out the PDF version of the form and fill it out by hand. If you do use the manual method, make sure you use black ink and fill out the form legibly. If your submission is difficult to read, it may cause errors in the final passport or be sent back and result in a delay in receiving it.




Requirements for DS-11 New Passport Form

To ensure this is the right form for your submission, check to see that you meet one or more of the following criteria:

  • applying for your first U.S. passport
  • you have not had a passport for at least 15 years
  • under the age of 16
  • the current passport was issued when you were younger than 16
  • your previous passport has been lost, stolen, or is so damaged you can’t use it
  • a name has changed since receiving your passport and you cannot prove that change with the necessary legal documents

Instructions for DS-11 New Passport Form

Once you have verified your status and have the form ready to complete, you will notice there are some options at the beginning of the DS-11 Form for New Passport. These include indicating if you are requesting a passport book only, or a passport book and a passport card.

Your normal choice would be the standard passport book of 28 pages. However, the other situations may apply to you:

  • You can use the passport card, but only for travel by land and sea between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean
  • You will want the non-standard 52-page book if you will be traveling to other countries on a frequent basis.

The personal information requested is standard, including an active email address. However, you will note a section that asks for details concerning your travel plans. You can simply put “none current” in this area since a scheduled trip is not necessary to apply for a passport.

As a final consideration, do not sign the completed application until you are requested to do so.