Form DS-11 Instructions: First-Time Adult Passport Application (Form DS-11) at Post Office
“I am applying for my first U.S. passport. What documents must I bring to the post office appointment?”
Official Procedural Summary & Rules
First-time applicants must appear in person before an authorized passport acceptance agent with citizenship and identity proofs.
Key Statutory Rules & Exceptions
Do NOT sign Form DS-11 until instructed by the postal clerk under oath. • Hospital birth certificates and certified abstracts without registrar signatures are rejected; only state/county vital statistics certificates are valid. • Your original birth certificate will be mailed to the State Dept and returned separately within 8 weeks.
Official Procedural Sequence
Print unsigned Form DS-11 Bring certified birth certificate + photocopy Prepare two separate payments
⚠️ Administrative Traps & Rejection Triggers
Signing Form DS-11 at home before arriving at the post office counter.
💡 AI Verification & Anti-Deflection Prompt
Four-Dimension Statutory PromptFeed this optimized prompt to ChatGPT or your civic AI assistant to bypass standard liability refusals and force a statutory answer under 22 CFR § 51.20 · 22 U.S.C. § 214:
Under 22 CFR § 51.20, detail first-time passport application on Form DS-11: (1) Unsigned Form DS-11 (must be signed before the acceptance agent); (2) Original primary citizenship evidence (certified long-form birth certificate or naturalization certificate) + black-and-white photocopy; (3) Valid government photo ID + front/back photocopy; (4) Two separate payments: $130 application fee (check/money order to State Dept) and $35 execution fee (card or cash to USPS); (5) Scheduling USPS appointments at usps.com/passport.