DS-11/82/5504

There are three different forms for applying for a passport in the US. The form you need to use depends on your circumstances. The three forms in question are the DS-11, DS-82, and DS-5504. The process is mostly the same for all of them, except if you're using the DS-11, you must submit it in-person at an acceptance facility, and you can't sign it until you're in the presence of acceptance facility personnel.

Which form do I need?

DS-5504

You can use the DS-5504 and apply by mail if ANY of the following are true:

• Your passport was issued less than a year ago and you legally changed your name less than a year after it was issued (you must be able to submit a certified copy of your name change court order).
• Your passport had incorrect information
• Your current passport is a "limited-validity" passport, meaning it expires two years after it was issued instead of the usual ten year window, and the reason for the limitation is anything other than multiple losses or serious damage to your previous passports.

DS-82

You can use the DS-82 and apply by mail if ALL of the following are true:

• You can submit your previous passport book and/or card with your application.
• You were at least 16 years old when your previous passport was issued.
• Your previous passport was issued less than 15 years ago.
• Your previous passport has not been mutilated, damaged, or reported lost or stolen.
• Your passport is not limited to less than ten years of validity
• You can submit a certified copy of your name change court order or are not changing your name.

DS-11

You can use the DS-11 if any of the above conditions disqualify you from using the other forms or if you'd prefer to apply in person.

Online renewal

The Department of State allows online renewals if you're 25 years of age or older. However, as of the time I'm writing this article, you're not eligible for online renewal if you're changing the name and/or gender marker on your passport, so you must renew in-person or by mail.

Filling out your forms

The easiest way to fill out your passport forms is by using the Department of State's online form filler. Once there, agree to the terms and then click "Submit" under "Fill Out Online and Print". The form filler will try to automatically determine which form you need based on the information you provide. However, it's always important to check and make sure that it chose the right form because it didn't choose the right form for me when I used it.

If the form filler did not choose the right form or you have any other issues using it, you will need to fill your form out manually using a PDF editor or by hand with black ink only. If you make a mistake, you must fill out a new form instead of trying to correct your mistake.

Here are links to PDFs of each form. Instructions for filling out each field are in the first few pages of the PDFs:

• DS-11
• DS-82
• DS-5504

If you're changing your name, use your new name wherever it asks for your name. If you're using the DS-82 or DS-5504, make sure to specify that your name was changed by court order and specify where and when your name change occurred.

If you're changing your gender, select the gender you want to change to when it asks, and then select "Yes" for "Changing gender marker?". The gender marker you use in your application does not need to match your court order or any other documents.

Passport photos

The Department of State has fairly strict requirements for passport photos. You can read all of the requirements on their Passport Photos page. You can take a photo at home and print it yourself on matte or glossy photo paper, but it will be rejected if it doesn't follow the requirements exactly.

If you don't want to take the photo yourself, many places will take your passport photos for you, including drug stores such as CVS, Walgreens, and Rite-Aid. However, these photos are not guaranteed to be accepted and often aren't. I recommend taking your passport photos at a place that specializes in passport photos with good reviews, or at an acceptance facility. Passport photos usually cost around $15 to $20.

You will need to staple your passport photo to your application. Be careful not to damage the photo when you're stapling and try to staple as close to the edge of the photo as possible. If you don't want to do this yourself, you can ask whoever takes your photos to do it for you.

Example

The form shown in this example is the DS-82 form, generated by the online form filler. It assumes that you're changing your name and gender marker. Here's what your form should look like once it's finished (Everything I added is in red for emphasis. Use black when you're filling your form out):