A passport is an easily recognized travel document authorizing travel and identifying you. You need a passport to enter and return to the US from most countries. Get a US passport through the government, not commercial passport application agencies, even if rushing a passport application.
Get the government forms you need to get a US passport and start the passport application process. You can get a passport application at a US post office or download passport application forms.
Follow the instructions on pages one and two. Print (if you downloaded) and complete page three and print (if you downloaded) and read page four. If printing, note this advice from the government: "The forms...must be printed in black print on white paper. The paper must be 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches, with no holes or perforations, at least medium (20 lb.) weight, and with a matte surface. Thermal paper, dye-sublimation paper, special inkjet paper, and other shiny papers are not acceptable."
Gather proof of U.S. citizenship in the form of any one of the following, according to the US Department of State:
Certified US birth certificate issued by the city, county or state (not a copy - call the government of the state in which you were born to get an official version with a notary's seal. Learn what to do if you don't have a birth certificate.
Be prepared to prove your identity with any one of these:
Previous U.S. passport (altered or damaged passports are not okay)
Naturalization certificate
Certificate of citizenship
Current, valid:
Driver's license
Government ID: city, state or federal
Military ID: military and dependents
Get two photos taken. In photos, wear your normal, everyday clothes (no uniforms) and nothing on your head. If you usually wear glasses or other items that alter your appearance, wear them. Get US passport photos taken at the post office -- they'll know the drill and requirements. If you get passport photos taken elsewhere, read up first on passport photo requirements.
If you don't have your Social Security number memorized, write it down and add it to the passport application materials you've assembled - you'll need it at the time of passport application.
Prepare to pay the passport application and execution fees; get those dollar amounts online as they change periodically (for example, in March of 2005, an additional $12 surcharge was added to offset new security costs; in February, 2008, fees went from $97 to $100). An extra $60 plus overnight fees will expedite your application (more on time frames in Step 8). Check with the location where you'll be applying to find what payment methods are accepted.
Get a passport! Find the passport office location nearest you. Provide your departure date and expect to receive your passport in two weeks to two months. For an additional fee of $60 plus overnight delivery fees, you can rush a US passport application, and you may even be able to get a US passport on the same day that you apply. Learn more about rushing a passport application -- you don't have to pay a passport expediting agency.
Tips:
The passport fee is $100 if you are over 18, and the new US passport is good for ten years.
The passport fee is $85 if you are under 16, and the new US passport is good for five years.
Some countries require that your passport be valid for a six month period after you leave that country for return to the US.
Remember that you need a passport to travel back to the US by air from Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda (changed in 2007).
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