Fill out Form DS-11 online

Form DS-11 is the application for a U.S. passport used by first-time applicants, children under 16, and anyone who must apply in person — for example if a prior passport was lost or stolen, issued before age 16, or issued more than 15 years ago. You fill and print it, then submit it in person at a passport acceptance facility; DS-11 cannot be mailed.

You use Form DS-11 if you are getting your first U.S. passport, if you are under 16, or if your last passport was issued before you turned 16, was issued more than 15 years ago, or was lost, stolen or damaged. It is not mailed in. You bring the unsigned form, with your citizenship evidence, ID, photo and fees, to an acceptance facility, a passport agency (by appointment) or, abroad, a U.S. embassy or consulate. If none of those situations fits you, you may be able to renew by mail with Form DS-82 or correct a passport with DS-5504 instead.

1. Top of page 1 — Documents you are applying for. Tick U.S. Passport Book, U.S. Passport Card, or Both. If you want a book, also tick Regular Book (Standard) or Large Book (Non-Standard); the large book has more visa pages for frequent travelers. The card is not valid for international air travel. Leave the box on the right and the D/O/S/NFR boxes blank; they are for the office.
2. Item 1 — Name (Last, First, Middle). Enter the name you want printed in the passport. It should match your proof of citizenship and your ID. The passport card has room for only 24 letters in your first and middle names together; if yours are longer, shorten one of the given names here.
3. Items 2-4 — Date of birth, sex, place of birth. Write your date of birth as MM/DD/YYYY. For sex, this edition's instructions say to tick M or F matching your biological sex at birth. For place of birth, enter the city and state if born in the U.S., or the city and country as it is known today.
4. Item 5 — Social Security number. Enter your SSN if you have ever been issued one. If you have never had one, enter zeros and attach a signed, dated statement using the exact penalty-of-perjury wording given in the instructions (Section C, item 5); if you live abroad, also name the country where you live.
5. Items 6-7 — A-Number and email. Enter your nine-digit USCIS A-Number only if you have one; otherwise leave it blank. Adding an email lets the State Department send you status updates.
6. Item 8 — Mailing address. Line 1 is your street, RFD, P.O. Box or URB, plus any apartment or suite number. Use Line 2 only if you don't live at that address: write "In Care Of" and the name of the person who does. For a child, Line 2 must give the "In Care Of" name of the parent or adult who receives mail there. Then fill in city, state, ZIP code, and country if outside the U.S.
7. Item 9 — Primary phone and other names used. Enter your main phone number. In boxes A and B, list legal names you have used before, such as a birth or maiden name, a previous married name, or a legal name change. If you have more than two, attach a separate sheet.
8. Bottom of page 1 — Identifying documents and signature. Skip this whole area, including the signature lines and the photo box. The acceptance agent fills in the ID details and tells you when to sign.
9. Page 2 header and Item 10 — Parental information. Repeat your full name (last, first, middle) and date of birth at the top of page 2. For each parent, give first and middle name and last name as they were at the parent's birth, date of birth, place of birth, sex, and whether they are a U.S. citizen.
10. Item 11 — Marriage. Tick Yes or No for "Have you ever been married?" If Yes, give your current or most recent spouse's full name, date and place of birth, U.S. citizen Yes/No, date of marriage, and whether you have ever been widowed or divorced (with that date).
11. Items 12-18 — Other phone, job, description, travel plans. Item 12 is an additional phone number with a Home, Work, Cell or Other tick. Item 13 (occupation) is for applicants 16 or older; item 14 is your employer or school, if any. Items 15-17 are height, hair color and eye color. In item 18, give departure and return dates and countries to be visited, or write "none" if you have no travel plans.
12. Item 19 — Permanent address. Complete this only if item 8 is a P.O. Box or if you live somewhere other than your mailing address. Do not list a P.O. Box here.
13. Item 20 — Emergency contact. Give the name, address, phone number and relationship of someone who is not traveling with you.
14. Item 21 — Previous passport. Tick Yes if you have ever applied for or been issued a U.S. passport book or card. If Yes, give the name printed on your most recent book and/or card and tick its status: submitting with application, stolen, lost, or in your possession (if expired). If it was lost or stolen, explain in the box: the book or card number, the date and place of the loss or theft if known, and whether you filed a police report (attach a copy if you have one). Leave everything below "For issuing office only" blank.

Common mistakes on the DS-11

• Signing before the agent asks. Do not sign the form at home. The authorized agent gives you an oath and must watch you sign, so leave every signature line blank until you are told to sign.
• Printing double-sided. The State Department says to print the DS-11 single-sided on 8.5 x 11 inch paper and does not accept double-sided forms. Photocopies of your documents also go on single-sided 8.5 x 11 inch paper.
• Bringing only a photocopy of your citizenship evidence. You need the original or a certified copy of your evidence (for example, a U.S. birth certificate) plus a photocopy of the front, and of the back if anything is printed there. The original is returned to you later, sometimes in a separate mailing.
• Forgetting the ID photocopy. Bring your original photo ID (for example, a driver's license, not a temporary or learner's permit) and a photocopy of its front and back. A child's parents must do the same with their own IDs.
• Using the wrong photo. The photo must be 2 x 2 inches, in color, taken in the last six months, on a plain white or off-white background, with no glasses. Head coverings and uniforms are not allowed except as the instructions explain (signed religious or medical statement).
• Only one parent shows up for a child under 16. Both parents or guardians must come with a child under 16. If only one can, bring the other parent's notarized consent (Form DS-3053, no more than three months old, with a front-and-back copy of their ID), or proof of sole custody, a death certificate, or Form DS-5525 explaining why the other parent can't be reached.
• Paying both fees with one payment. You pay two fees. The application fee goes to the U.S. Department of State and the acceptance (execution) fee goes to the facility, so make two separate payments. Ask the facility which payment methods it accepts for its fee. Current amounts are on travel.state.gov's Passport Fees page.
• Leaving the SSN blank. If you have an SSN you must give it. A missing SSN can delay or deny the application and the IRS may apply a penalty; if you never had one, enter zeros and attach the required signed statement.

Filling it in this editor

• The squares on this form (Book/Card/Both, Sex, U.S. Citizen, Yes/No, Home/Work/Cell/Other and the book or card status boxes) are checkboxes you click to tick; if one doesn't respond, type an X on it with Add text.
• Date of birth, Social Security number and primary phone on page 1 are split into separate boxes, so type each part (month, day, year; 3-2-4 digits) into its own box.
• Do not use the Sign tool on this form: leave all signature lines blank, because you sign in ink in front of the acceptance agent.
• Type every entry in the editor and check it on screen before you download. Travel.state.gov accepts no handwritten marks except your signature and date, and the form asks for no corrections. Print single-sided on 8.5 x 11 inch paper.

Written for the 04-2025 edition and checked against the official instructions on 2026-10-28: Form DS-11 and instructions, edition 04-2025 (U.S. Department of State) · Apply for Your Adult Passport (travel.state.gov) · Apply for a Child's Passport Under 16 (travel.state.gov) · Passport Forms: printing and signing rules (travel.state.gov) · Passport Fees (travel.state.gov). This guide explains the form; it isn't legal or tax advice.