New Procedures for Issuance of U.S. Passports

Passport issuance procedures for U.S. overseas citizens changed beginning April 8, 2002. This message informs citizens of the new procedure they must follow to obtain a replacement passport while residing overseas.

The Department of State has decided to centralize all but emergency passport issuance in the U.S. in order to take full advantage of the security features of photo-digitized passports. Travel document security in the post-September 11 world has become even more important. All of the domestic passport agencies now produce highly secure passports incorporating digitized photos and other state-of-the-art security features that far exceed anything we can produce overseas. Moreover, there are security benefits in reducing the number of different versions of the passport in circulation. 

Beginning April 8, 2002, American citizens residing or traveling abroad who require issuance of a U.S. passport will be issued the latest, state-of-the-art passport incorporating a photo-digitized image and other enhanced security features. 

U.S. Embassies and Consulates will achieve this goal by sending your passport applications to a domestic U.S. passport facility. This will increase processing time for passport applications, but the Department of State is committed to ensuring that American citizens receive secure documents in a timely manner. American citizens are encouraged to apply early for renewal of expiring passports. 

Applications for passports will be collected at the U.S. Embassy and all Consulates as before. Applicants will fill out the passport application, pay the appropriate fee and provide two, 2 X 2 inch color photographs with a white or very light background to the consular official assisting them. The Embassy or Consulate will express mail these applications to the United States for processing. The new passports will be expressed back to the Embassy or Consulate within 15 working days at which point the applicant can return to the Embassy or Consulate to pick up his or her new passport. If the applicant wishes, he can designate a third party with the authority to pick up the new passports.

U.S. Embassies and Consulates will continue to issue passports in emergency cases. Such passports will be limited in validity, and cannot be extended. Bearers must exchange their limited passport upon completion of their emergency travel for full validity passports issued in the United States. The emergency passports can be exchanged for full validity passports, at no additional cost, through passport facilities in the U.S. and U.S. Embassies and Consulates abroad.