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How to Apply for a U.S. Passport
A United States passport is an official government issued travel document and it
provides several benefits.
A U.S. passport serves as proof of United States citizenship. U.S. passports are issued by the United States Department of State through
officially authorized passport application acceptance facilities or agencies,
official passport regional agencies or passport centers, and through U.S. consulates and
embassies abroad.
U.S. citizens have the right to apply for a U.S. Passport to have their U.S. citizenship recognized and
to enjoy the benefits of holding and traveling with a U.S. Passport. First time passport applicants need to apply in person.
However, in certain cases passport renewals can be done by mail. Order and
download the passport application instructions package to learn how to apply for
a passport.
A passport is
required for all U.S. citizens when traveling out of the U.S., or into the U.S.
by air. U.S. Citizens can use a passport card (instead of a regular passport book) to
travel through land and sea ports of entry when traveling to and from Canada,
Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. United States citizens are allowed to hold a regular
passport book and a passport card. Some of the benefits of traveling with a
U.S. passport include no visa requirement to travel to most countries in the world, also enjoy assistance at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. When entering the United States with your U.S. passport enjoy free travel in and out of the country without
time limitation and at most airports enjoy a special immigration line only for U.S. citizens.
Passport Application Eligibility
One of the main requirements to be eligible to apply for an American passport is to be a citizen of the United States. Some people are U.S. citizens by birth
because they were born inside the U.S. territory; others become citizens
automatically by birth abroad (usually by having one or two American parents complying with certain requirements of physical presence in the U.S.).
Some people become U.S. citizens through the process of Naturalization. One of the main requirements to obtain a passport of the United States is to
have proof of your U.S. citizenship. U.S. residents-green card holders are not
eligible to apply for a U.S. passport, green card holders first must apply for
the U.S. citizenship in order to become U.S. citizens and be able to apply for a
passport. | 
