Applicants requesting a New US Passport must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• This is your first time applying for a US passport
• Your previous US passport was issued prior to the age of 16
• Your previous US passport was issued more than 15 years ago regardless of your age

If you meet one or more of these requirements you must apply for a new US passport and Passport & Visa Advisors is here to help.

New Passport Expediting Services consist of three main steps:

• Step 1 – The applicant appears at a local Acceptance Agency to prove they are a US citizen, have proper identification, that all paperwork is in order and all passport fees are paid. The applicant must indicate they are using a third-party expediting service to process the passport quickly (commonly referred to as ‘hand-carry’ service).
• Step 2 – The Acceptance Agency will review the documents and witness the applicant/guardian’s signature on the application. The finalized documents are sealed in an envelope by the agent and returned to the applicant.
• Step 3 – The applicant sends the sealed envelope to Passport Visa Advisors. PVA hand carries the sealed passport application into a Passport Agency for submission. When the passport is complete, PVA collects the passport and overnights it back to the applicant. Please note: processing speeds are determined based on the applicant’s departure date.

Proof of Citizenship

The applicant must provide one of the following documents.  The document must be original or a certified copy (not notarized).  A certified copy is a document that bears a seal or stamp of the official issuing authority.

Note: “short form” birth certificates are not admissible for new passport applications

• Fully valid, undamaged US passport (can be expired)
• US birth certificate issued by the city, county or state of birth. This birth certificate must list:
  • The applicant's full name, date and place of birth
  • The applicant's parents full names
  • Date stamped with the registrar’s office no later than one year after birth
  • Has the registrar’s signature and the seal of the issuing authority
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certificate of Birth
• Certificate of Naturalization
• Certificate of Citizenship

Proof of Identification

The applicant must have valid proof of identification, issued more than six months prior to the US passport application. Acceptable forms of identification include:

• Valid State issued Driver’s License (front and back)
• Valid State issued Identification (front and back)
• Previously issued, undamaged US passport
• Naturalization Certificate
• Current Government ID (city, county, state, federal) (front and back)
• Current Military ID (front and back)
• Current (valid) foreign passport
• Current permanent resident card also known as “green card” (front and back)
• Trusted Traveler IDs (including valid Global Entry, FAST, SENTRI, and NEXUS cards) (front and back)

If primary proof of identification has been issued less than six months previous to the passport application plan to provide secondary identification documents found here.

Photos

The applicant must provide one recent passport photo with their application.

• Taken within the last six months
• Must be in color and on photo paper – glossy or matte finish is acceptable
• Photo size: must be 2” x 2” (51 x 51 mm)
• Head size: between 1” and 1-3/8” (25mm x 35mm) from the bottom of the chin to the top of the head
• No glasses, neutral expression, no smiles or grins, facing the camera directly.
• Both eyes open
• No Selfies, no social media filters, no poses
• No hats or head covering, unless for religious purposes. A personal letter of explanation must be submitted

Click here for passport photo guidelines.

Letter of Authorization

All hand-carry applications must include Letter of Authorization (LOA) granting permission to submit the passport documents on the applicant’s behalf.

PVA will assign a Letter of Authorization to the applicant once their order has been placed. Please call us at 704-246-6373 with your order number after your order is placed.

The Letter of Authorization must bear the original signature of the applicant. Photocopies, scans and any other facsimile of an original LOA aren’t accepted by the US Passport Agency.

Fill out and originally sign two Letters of Authorization. One will be submitted to the Acceptance Agent and the other will be sent to PVA alongside of the official, sealed envelope.

Proof of International Travel

The US Passport Agency requires proof of travel within 2-4 weeks depending on the traveler’s destination. Acceptable proof of international travel includes:

• A flight itinerary from the airline, travel agency or online booking company.
• A confirmation showing a Trip ID to an international destination is the most common proof of travel.
• A business letter on company letterhead explaining why urgent travel is required.
• Click here for a business letter template.
• A personally signed letter of explanation explaining that a passport is required for employment.
• A personally signed letter explaining that the traveler’s employer requires frequent travel with unexpected notice.
• If travel is to Canada or Mexico, a hotel confirmation is best, however a letter of explanation will also be considered.

Note: Letters of explanation are accepted at the discretion of the US Passport Agency.

Application

The applicant is required to submit a DS-11 application.

The DS-11 application must be filled out online via the US Passport Agency’s website. Hand-written applications are not allowed.

Fill out the application, if the application is done properly, a barcode will appear in the upper left hand corner and the bottom right hand corner of the pages.

Print TWO COPIES of the application, SINGLE-SIDED and DO NOT SIGN the application until instructed to do so at the Acceptance Agency.

Click here to fill out and print the DS-11 application.

Government Fees

The US Passport Agency charges $170 for expedited adult passports and $35 charge for the Acceptance Agency execution services. Both fees are paid at the Acceptance Agency.

The $170 Expedited Passport Fee is paid to the U.S. Department of State and must be paid by:

• Checks (personal, certified, cashier's, traveler's) or money orders payable to "U.S. Department of State"
• Additional $30 will be charge if you order a Passport Card with your Passport Book

The $35 Execution Fee is paid to the agent directly and can be paid by:

• Money orders at all locations, payable as instructed by the agent
• Personal checks and cash (exact change only) at some locations
• Credit cards at some locations.

Note: Please verify acceptable payment methods with the acceptance facility ahead of time.

PVA Fees

Passport processing days are counted in business, not calendar days and unless special arrangements are made in advance, the day the documents are received by PVA is not counted as a processing day.

Government Fees are paid by the applicant at the Acceptance Agency and are not collected by PVA.

Execution Process

Once the applicant has collected all documents listed above, they are prepared to visit the Acceptance Agency.

Please contact PVA for more detailed instructions regarding the Acceptance Agency process and what happens next.

Documents required:

• State issued birth certificate
• State Issued Driver’s License
• One passport photo – 2” x 2” (51mm x 51mm) color passport photo
• Letter of Authorization – print two copies
• Proof of International Travel
  Note: Flight itinerary showing travel from the USA in less than two week for a passport alone or four weeks or less if a visa is required – print two copies of itinerary
• DS-11 Application – filled out online, print two copies and DO NOT SIGN
• Passport Fee – $170 payable to the US Department of State
• Execution Fee – $35 paid to the Acceptance Agency

The local Acceptance Agencies are usually by appointments so check using your local zip code and determine if an appointment is required.

Note: Not all Acceptance Agencies takes passport photos or accept every form of payment, check with your selected Acceptance Agency to determine the method of payment they accept.

PVA's Responsibility

Once the documents are received at PVA’s office:

• PVA will review the documents provided on the outside of the sealed envelope and the application is prepped for submission at the Passport Agency.
• PVA will hand walk the application into the Passport Agency for submission and collect the passport (and supporting documents) upon completion.
• PVA’s Quality Check will verify the information is correct on the passport before shipping it back. If any information is incorrect, we will resubmit to correct the issue at no additional cost.
• PVA will send the new passport and all other original documents to the address provided on the applicant’s PVA order form.

Once the passport has been received by the applicant:

• It’s the responsibility of the passport owner to review the passport one more time when it arrives. If an error is found, please bring this to PVA’s attention immediately and we’ll get the issue corrected.