The day when someone gets his passport is considered an important event by most U. S. Citizens. It means that he can travel to other countries. All U. S. holders of passports become official guests of their host country and they will be treated with respect. They will experience what life is abroad and get a chance to interact with other people. If you want to get the great learning experience of traveling, read this article meant for first time United States passport applicants.

Two Types of Applications

There are two types of applicants. Adults are one and minors are another. The same basic documentation is required for both. There will be additional documents asked if parents cannot be present when the child is being interviewed. For children aged less than 15 years old, paperwork will be completed by adults. Teenagers 15 to 16 years old can complete the documents by themselves but need to show parental consent to travel.

DS-11

As in most official transactions applying for a passport needs a request. This is done with Form DS-11. This is publicly available and can be downloaded from the web site of the Department of State. This is also freely available in a lot of postal centers and any U S passport office.

Birth Certificate

It is also required to obtain the applicant's birth certificate. This must bear the dry seal of the issuing office. Inspect the documents for important information that might be missing. Such include the full names of both parents of the applicant and the applicant's full name, place and date of birth.

Passport Picture

After gathering and completing all the paperwork, the applicant must secure his recent passport-sized picture. He will bring all documents and make a personal appearance to the nearest acceptance center. For minor applicants, it is important for both parents to be with them. They will affix their signatures on Form DS-11 as an indication of consent to travel. When a guardian is present in lieu of the parent, the adult must be ready to show a signed affidavit that allows him to accompany minor applicants.

Processing Fee

After passing the inspection of personal documents, the payment for the application must be paid. There are two types of applications for this document. One is a regular application that takes four to six weeks to complete. An expedited application is also available and has three weeks processing time.

Monitor Status

If the applicant wants to monitor the status of the processing of his document, he can log on to a web tracking page. Applicants log on by providing their last names, date of birth and the last four parts of their Social Security Numbers. This service only becomes available five days after application.