Applying for a First Time USA Passport for the first time can be very confusing. Don’t worry though, because it’s perfectly fine to feel that way. After all, you need to deal with a lot of things for the first time, fill in forms, and submit documents. The truth is that applying for passports doesn’t have to be confusing or even stressful. We’ll show you in the following paragraphs how you can easily apply for one minus the confusion and the hassle.
Because you’ll be dealing a lot with forms, it pays to be familiar with the different forms used in passport applications. Some forms are used to apply for passports; others are used to renew passports; others are for reporting the loss or theft of passports. Now since you’re likely applying for a passport for the first time, let’s deal with the first type of passport.
Since you’re a first time passport applicant, you’ll need to fill in the DS-11 form. This is the form used by people who never had passports before. The good thing is that you can already download this form at the US Department of State’s website. You have the choice of filling the form in on your computer then printing it out, or you could also print out the form first then fill it in later by hand. What’s important here is the convenience it gives you. You no longer need to go to the passport office to get this form.
Once your form is complete along with the necessary documents, you’ll need to submit it for processing. For passport processing, you can choose to either have it go through routine processing, or have it expedited. Routine processing will generally be fine if you don’t need your passport to travel in the next ten weeks, as routine processing generally takes four to six weeks to complete.
An expedited passport is what you need if you need to travel within four weeks. Expedited passports are given priority over those that go through routine processing. Because of this, expedited passports are processed a lot faster.
Expedited passports are typically processed within a two to three week timeframe. This is the processing option of those who already have tickets for travel in less than two weeks. Aside from that, people who need to apply for a foreign visa in four weeks also opt to get an expedited New United States Passport.
Just take note that because expedited passports are given priority over routine ones, you will have to pay a little extra for that kind of service. It isn’t that pricey, and it’s actually money well spent if you really need to travel outside of the country quickly, yet do not have the passport to do so. If your passport can’t wait, have your application expedited.
To sum up, you have two options when it comes to applying for a First Time Passport. The first one is to take it through the routine processing. It’s best if you’re not in a hurry to get your passport. On the other hand, there’s the expedited passport. It’s quicker than the routine processing, and is the better option if you need to have a passport in less than four weeks.
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