We
provide passports, birth certificates, and visas for your travel
needs.
Passportsand Citizenship Documents for all
Countries
Customers with urgent travel (within two weeks) or who need
passports for visas may schedule an appointment at any of our other Passport Agencies.
The Passport Services Office provides information and
services to American citizens about how to obtain, replace or
change a passport.
A passport is an internationally recognized travel document that
verifies the identity and nationality of the bearer. A valid U.S.
passport is required to enter and leave most foreign countries.
Only the U.S. Department of State has the authority to grant,
issue or verify United States passports.
New Application for a U.S. Passport
To obtain a passport for the first time, you need to go in person
to one of 7,000 passport acceptance facilities located
throughout the United States with two photographs of yourself,
proof of U.S. citizenship, and a valid form of photo
identification such as a driver’s license.
Acceptance facilities include many Federal, state and probate
courts, post offices, some public libraries and a number of
county and municipal offices. There are also 13 regional passport
agencies, which serve customers who are traveling within 2 weeks
(14 days), or who need foreign visas for travel. Appointments are
required in such cases.
You’ll need to apply in person if you are applying for a
U.S. passport for the first time; if your expired U.S. passport
is not in your possession; if your previous U.S. passport has
expired and was issued more than 15 years ago; or if your
previous U.S. passport was issued when you are under 16 your
currently valid U.S. passport has been lost of stolen.
Renewal of a U.S.
Passport
You can renew by mail if: Your most recent passport is available
to submit and it is not damaged; you received the passport within
the past 15 years; you were over age 16 when it was issued; you
still have the same name, or can legally document your name
change.
You can get a passport renewal application form by downloading it
from this site.
If your passport has been, altered or damaged, you cannot apply
by mail. You must apply in person.
Millions of foreign visitors travel to the U.S. each year.
Others come to live here permanently. International visitors and
immigrants add greatly to our nation's cultural, education and
economic life. We welcome them. At the same time, we need to do
everything we can to keep everyone here, safe. We believe in
secure borders and open doors.
A
citizen of a foreign country, wishing to enter the U.S.,
generally must first obtain a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa
for temporary stay, or an immigrant visa for permanent residence.
The type of visa you must have is defined by immigration law, and
relates to the purpose of your travel. If your destination is the
U.S., please see our e-Jourmal USA: See You in the USA and watch this brief video. These
items assist in explaining new visa policies and procedures for
visitors to the United States -- a nation with secure borders and
open doors.
Duty-Free
Goods Goods purchased in duty-free stores are subject to U.S.
duty.
Cuban
Cigars Don't attempt to return with Cuban cigars unless they were
purchased in Cuba (on authorized travel).
Medicine If you're traveling with prescription
medicine, carry them in their original containers and bring a
copy of your prescription.
If you buy medications abroad, be
aware that they may not be FDA-approved or allowed into the
United States.
Shopkeeper's
Advice You
should not rely on shopkeeper's advice about U.S. Customs
regulations, or items allowed and not allowed into the United
States.
Search
Authority By law, Customs officers have the authority to
search anyone and anything entering the United States.
Keep in mind, you are not officially in the United States until
after you clear INS and Customs.
Airline Safety and Travel
Complaints
How complaints are handled
The Aviation
Consumer Protection Division (ACPD) operates a complaint handling
system for consumers who experience air travel service problems.
Consumers with concerns about airline safety should call the
Federal Aviation Administration toll-free at 1-800-255-1111.
Consumers with concerns about aviation security should register
their comments with the Transportation Security Administration
at www.tsa.gov/public/contactus.
Consumers can call,
write or e-mail the ACPD to register their concerns about airline
service. You may call the ACPD 24 hours each day at 202-366-2220
(TTY 202-366-0511) to record your complaint. Calls are returned
Monday through Friday, generally between 7:30 am and 5:00 pm
Eastern time. Letters and e-mails will be reviewed and
acknowledged and will be forwarded to an airline official for
further consideration. Our mailing address is:
Aviation Consumer
Protection Division, C-75
U.S. Department of Transportation
400 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590
Whether you call,
write or e-mail, please be brief and concise in the description
of your problem and be sure to include the following
information:
your
name
address
daytime phone
number (including area code)
name of the airline
or company about which you are complaining
flight
date
flight
number
origin and
destination cities of your trip.
If you write, you
should also include a copy of your airline ticket (not the
original) and any correspondence you have already exchanged with
the company.
If your
complaint concerns accessibility problems experienced by a
passenger with a disability, or alleged discrimination based on
race, color, national origin, sex, religion or ancestry,
please click here for information on where to file your complaint. If you
determine from that document that your complaint should be filed
here with DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division, use
the link in that page or your browser’s “Back”
button to return to this page.
If you are
filing an accessibility or discrimination complaint with us, we
have optional complaint forms for these two types of complaints that you
may download and/or print if you wish. Complaints of this type
may be filed on the appropriate form, or by letter or
e-mail. Click here for additional information about filing a complaint about
accessibility problems with an airline that were experienced by a
passenger with a disability. Click here for additional information about filing a
complaint about alleged discrimination by airlines based on race,
color, national origin, sex, religion or
ancestry.
All complaints
are entered in DOT's computerized aviation industry monitoring
system, and are charged to the company in question in the
monthly Air Travel Consumer Report. This report is distributed to the industry and made
available to the news media and the general public so that
consumers and air travel companies can compare the complaint
records of individual airlines and tour operators. These
complaints are reviewed to determine the extent to which carriers
are in compliance with federal aviation consumer protection
regulations. This system also serves as a basis for rulemaking,
legislation and research.
The
Department of Transportation produces an annual Report to
Congress summarizing complaints that air carriers receive about
disability-related issues.
Click here to see this report.
The ACPD publishes a number
of booklets and fact sheets on air travel consumer protection
issues.
