Do you know what information you’ll need to fill out your passport application? The first time you apply for a passport, you’ll need to complete passport application form DS-11. This government form asks for a lot more information than the application you’ll use when you renew your your passport, Form DS-82.
You’ll need to complete your passport application online, on the State Department’s official application website. This will produce a PDF of your passport application that you can print out, with all your answers neatly typed in. The application will also have a barcode that helps the Passport Agency process your application swiftly after G3passports.com carries it to the agency for you. Once you start filling out the application online, you can’t stop and save a draft. You’ll need to be prepared with all the required information!
Personal Information for the DS-11 Passport Application
You probably already know that you’ll need to fill in your full legal name and your birth date. Here are other personal details you’ll need to submit:
- Your place of birth – city and US state, or state and country if you were born outside the US.
- Your email address and at least one phone number – you may list either a home, work, or mobile phone number. You can include several numbers if you like.
- Your Social Security Number – under a new federal law, you must include your Social Security Number or your application will automatically be rejected.
- Any former legal names, such as your maiden name or previous married name. Do not list any nicknames, pen names, or religious names.
- Your home address – please note that although this will be listed as “mailing address” on the printed passport application, G3passports.com will be shipping your completed passport to whatever address you provide when you complete your order online.
- Your height, hair color, and eye color. We get a lot of questions about how to answer the hair and eye color questions! The online application only gives you a small set of options on a drop-down menu for hair color and eye color, so you’ll have to choose whichever color seems the most appropriate. Don’t worry too much about this question — we’ve never seen it cause a problem for travelers.
- Your hair or eyes are an in-between color. Choose the color that seems the closest. For instance, if you have auburn hair, you can select either brown or red as your hair color. The State Department will not reject your application if you say your hair is red and they think it looks more brown in the photo!
- Your hair is currently dyed. You can list either your current dyed color or your natural color. If your hair is an unusual color like pink or green, which isn’t offered as an option, select your natural color.
- You’re bald. Select the hair color that matches your eyebrows or beard.
- Your eyes are two different colors. List the color of one of your eyes.
Family Information for Your Passport Information
You’ll need to provide the following information about your family:
- Your father’s full name, place of birth, and date of birth. Not sure of these details? Check your birth certificate, they should be listed there.
- Your mother’s maiden name, place of birth, and date of birth.
- Information about your spouse. If you are currently married, fill in information about your current spouse. If you are widowed or divorced, you’ll need to provide the information about your most recent spouse. Of course, this information isn’t needed if you’ve never been married!
- Your spouse’s full name
- Spouse’s date of birth
- Spouse’s place of birth (city and state, or city and country if your spouse was born overseas)
- Whether or not your spouse is a US citizen
- Date of your marriage
- Date you were widowed or divorced, if applicable
Travel Information and Emergency Contact
Since you’re applying for expedited passport service through G3passports.com, you will need to fill in the details of your upcoming trip. You’ll need to list the date you plan to travel and the countries you will visit. If your plans aren’t firm, that’s OK — just list the earliest date you think you may travel.
You will also need to provide the contact information for a friend or relative who is not traveling with you. This person will be listed as your emergency contact in the State Department’s records. You’ll need to fill in the following details for your emergency contact person:
- Full name
- Home address
- Telephone number
- Relationship to you
Having trouble gathering all the details you need, or do you have more questions? Reach out to one of our passport specialists, or ask us in the comments!